SMI prepared to move Cup date to Kentucky

Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials say they have made an official request with NASCAR to add Kentucky to the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule. SMI is willing to give up a date at one of its seven other race tracks to get Kentucky on the schedule. SMI chairman Bruton Smith agreed to pay $78.3 million last year for the Sparta track.

Kentucky's former ownership group filed a 2005 antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. over Kentucky's failure to land a Sprint Cup date. The suit was dismissed in early 2008, but the case is on appeal.

NASCAR has said it will not consider Kentucky for a race until the suit is dropped. Smith says he has so far been unsuccessful in trying to persuade the group to drop the appeal.