#14- Tony Stewart, who is retiring from NASCAR at season’s end, will receive a going-away gift from Indianapolis Motor Speedway next week that will encourage him to return. IMS is giving Stewart a dirt track inside Turn 3. The plan, IMS president Doug Boles said Tuesday, is to install a 3/16th-mile oval for Stewart’s media appearance July 5. Several teams that own dirt midgets have been invited for what amounts to an exhibition. It stands to reason Stewart will take anyone’s offer to take a spin around the new oval, and he might even be the first to do so. Stewart was told of the plan last weekend, Boles said. Assuming things come together as expected, IMS will modify the track so it’s large enough to host sprint cars, too. ‘Tony doesn’t want gifts, per se, but we thought this was a great way to marry his love for dirt-track racing with his love for racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,’ said Boles. Boles said IMS won’t get in the business of hosting frequent dirt-track events, but it could have an assortment of ‘special’ events, such as a spot in Indiana Sprint Week or a sprint/midget event during Brickyard 400 weekend.(Indianapolis Star)
