Doubts persist about Nashville’s IRL future

The league is considering dropping the track from its schedule next season.

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When the Indy Racing League comes to the Nashville Superspeedway, they ride on the series’ only concrete track and enjoy Music City’s hospitality and style. There’s also a local sponsor who just happens to provide the tires, and bright lights for primetime racing.

In a unified and expanding IRL, that may not be enough to keep Nashville on future schedules.

Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League’s commercial division, said Thursday league officials hope to have the 2009 schedule completed by the end of July or soon after. Picking and choosing which tracks to keep from the IndyCar Series and which to add from the Champ Car World Series isn’t easy for what likely will be an 18 or 19-race schedule.

“We’re not going to please everyone, so at the end of the day we do have to make a decision we’re charged with making, and that’s balancing all considerations and making the best call for our business and total,” Angstadt said. “We sure seek a lot of input.”

Cliff Hawks, president of the superspeedway, has heard the talk that the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval might slip off the IRL schedule. But he said he has not heard anything from Indy Racing League officials to indicate that Nashville won’t host a race in 2009 although they are expected to talk within the next few days.

“I certainly don’t take the rumors lightly. ... If it looks like there is some feeling on their part that they might move away from this marketplace, I’m going to do everything within my power within reason to keep the race here,” Hawks said.

His timing is perfect to convince league officials that Nashville should be a schedule staple. Drivers are prepping for Saturday night’s Firestone Indy 200.

If their opinions count, they will be back in a year.

Helio Castroneves, who has finished in the top three twice here, said they enjoy being in Nashville.

“The only thing I can say, I had a lot of fun being with everyone from Nashville, you know, and working with everyone from there. Especially now that I’ve been part of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and Julianne [Hough] living over there, so it will be great to have new friends over there to come and watch,” he said.

Buddy Rice, who won the pole here in 2004, would be disappointed if Nashville is among the tracks to disappear from the schedule. But he also is pragmatic about the changes still coming from the unification of open-wheel racing.

“It’s going to eat some tracks up. It’s disappointing to see that especially when you have tracks like Nashville that’s supported the IRL the whole time and been around a long time with the IRL,” Rice said.

Loyalty could help. Firestone uses this event as a showcase, bringing drivers by the company’s Nashville headquarters for autographs and photos each year. The company also is bringing 2,000 people to the race Saturday night.

Track officials also tap into the local music scene for stars to sing the anthem, drop the flag or sing to fans before the flag drops. It’s helped turn this race into the highlight of this track’s yearly schedule.

But even as this race is at capacity and could be a sellout, Nashville faces some problems.

Look at the grandstand, the infield or even the parking outside, the superspeedway that opened in 2001 has some of the best facilities around. Seating is limited to the main grandstand, although temporary stands can be added as needed to meet demand.

Racing here also is a different challenge. The concrete limits temperature change and offers strong grip to drivers while also chewing up tires, scattering rubble marbles away from the single groove and making passing a challenge.