Indianpolis Motor Speedway considering taking Nationwide race: UPDATE: An Indianapolis Motor Speedway spokesman Tuesday confirmed talks to bring a sports car race to the facility's road course in 2012 during NASCAR's Brickyard 400 weekend, but he said no agreement is in place. The biggest obstacle: converting the facility from a road course configuration, which would be used for a Friday endurance race of Grand-Am's Rolex Series, to an oval for NASCAR on Saturday and Sunday. NASCAR owns Grand-Am, which would bring a title sponsor to cover the sanctioning fee estimated at $200,000. Also being discussed is a move of the weekend's Nationwide Series race, which comes with a guaranteed check of about $700,000 due to the television contract, from Lucas Oil Raceway to IMS. IMS officials have been looking for ways to bolster the Brickyard weekend amid declining attendance.(Indianapolis Star)(6-15-2011)
UPDATE: Officials at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASCAR are in serious discussions about adding a Grand-Am Rolex Series race and possibly a Nationwide Series race to the 2012 Sprint Cup weekend at the Brickyard, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday. The Nationwide race currently at O'Reilly Raceway Park would move to IMS on Saturday afternoon. A three-hour Grand-Am endurance race likely would run on Friday afternoon so as not to conflict with the Truck Series race held that night at ORP. Doug Boles, the director of public relations at IMS, could not comment on a potential Nationwide move but acknowledged discussions to bring the Grand-Am event to the weekend for a road course race are taking place. He said the track needs more than one event to give fans more value for their ticket. Officials at ORP said they have not been told that the Nationwide race will move to IMS next year, but added if that happened it would be a big blow. "If that were to happen it would definitely make us re-strategize and refocus,'' ORP general manager Wes Collier said. "This track has been here for 50 years now. It would definitely be an impact, but we'd continue on. Right now we're planning on having two events here next year.''(ESPN.com)(6-16-2011)

Collier named GM at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis: Wes Collier has been named general manager of Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis by track owners NHRA. Collier had been serving as acting general manager of the historic facility since August 2010. Prior to serving as the facility's acting general manager, Collier was named director of sales and marketing for Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in May 2010. In the year leading up to that promotion, Collier had played a significant role in the sales and marketing activities at Lucas Oil Raceway. Collier also supported the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series marketing team as a marketing services manager at select events around the country. He joined NHRA in May 2005.(NHRA)(1-28-2011)

O'Reilly Raceway Park now known as Lucas Oil Raceway: Lucas Oil Products has expanded its visibility at Indianapolis-area sports sites, adding naming rights to a motor sports facility to go with a football stadium. Forrest Lucas' company acquired rights to O'Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont. It's now known as Lucas Oil Raceway. Lucas secured the rights to Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts, in 2008. Built as Indianapolis Raceway Park six decades ago, the facility is home to drag racing's most prestigious event, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, held Labor Day weekend. The oval track on the property has NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races in July and an assortment of U.S. Auto Club and ARCA races. Terms of Lucas' multiyear contract with NHRA, which owns the facility, were not revealed. In the stadium deal, Lucas agreed to pay $120 million over 20 years. Lucas, a former truck driver, founded the company, which produces premium lines of oils, greases and automotive additives, in 1989. It is based in Corona, Calif., with a bottling facility in Corydon, Ind. In addition to sponsoring traditional race cars, Lucas Oil is involved in seemingly everything in motor racing, from boats to motorcycles to monster trucks and tractor pulls. Its other racetracks are in Wheatland, Mo., and Blythe, Calif. In 2010, Lucas and his wife, Charlotte, purchased the Hilbert mansion in Carmel for $3 million.(Indianapolis Star)(1-10-2010)

IMS could take Nationwide race from ORP: Indianapolis Motor Speedway's answer to dwindling interest in NASCAR's Brickyard 400 apparently includes acquiring the Nationwide Series race held at O'Reilly Raceway Park. IMS chief executive officer Jeff Belskus confirmed interest in hosting stock car racing's No. 2 series, which has been at ORP for 28 years. It draws an annual crowd of 30,000 the night before the 400. "Our partners have mentioned it to us," Belskus said Thursday. "We are looking for ways to invest in the Brickyard 400." Acquiring rights to the Nationwide race would bring a cash infusion to IMS, which saw attendance for last weekend's race plummet. The television revenue from hosting a Nationwide race is worth about $500,000, or about half of what's needed to offset the sanctioning fee. Increasing the IMS ticket price for Saturday -- currently $15 -- likely would cover much of the rest of the cost, but the real advantage is a bolstering of the weekend schedule. This year, IMS had two hourlong practices Friday, followed by qualifying and two practices Saturday. With Nationwide involved, IMS could showcase nearly non-stop track activity both days, which would be good for suite sales and hospitality. A Nationwide race likely would be run Saturday afternoon at a distance of 200 or 300 miles. Former IMS boss Tony George always resisted the temptation to go after the Nationwide race because he wanted to be a good neighbor to ORP and its owner, NHRA. The other conflict was the Brickyard's sponsor. Allstate, a rival insurance giant, paid upward of $2 million a year over a four-year contract. It isn't clear what ORP, which also has a Camping World Truck Series race, would do if it loses Nationwide to IMS. Belskus said a decision by his organization and NASCAR "hasn't been made yet," and it's possible Nationwide could run an additional race at ORP on a different weekend.(Indianapolis Star)(7-30-2010)
UPDATE: The NASCAR Nationwide Series is staying at O'Reilly Raceway Park, its home for 28 years. Late Monday, NASCAR informed the NHRA, which owns ORP, the 2011 race would not be moved to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which in the wake of attendance drops is looking to beef up its schedule on Brickyard 400 weekend. "It's very good news," ORP spokesman Scott Smith said. "A lot of people were very much wanting to see it stay here."(Indianapolis Star)(8-4-2010)