IRL’s George working on race in NY City

Indy Racing League CEO Tony George is conducting informal discussions with New York City officials about the possibility of running a race within the five boroughs. George said the probability of a New York street race is not great and would not divulge details of his talks. But one concept discussed would have IndyCars racing on Governors Island, a 172-acre parcel south of lower Manhattan in the East River, accessible only by ferry and run by the National Park Service and a preservation and educational program.

"Everybody's trying to crack the New York market, so that's kind of an ambition of ours, a project that we work on in our spare time," he said.

George said International Speedway Corp. officials expressed an interest in having the IRL race at a track it had hoped to build for NASCAR events on Staten Island. He continued when local opposition felled that project. George said if his project comes to fruition – likely not for at least two years – it would have to be done "creatively."

"I've met with the administration there and the heads of the agencies there and whatnot and they're not so much opposed to an event," George said. "They're pretty adamant about how it's not going to happen, and that's where the creativity comes into play."

Team owner Michael Andretti said he has seen the plan, but would offer no details other than it did not involve the Meadowlands in New Jersey. Champ Car raced there from 1984-91. St. Petersburg Times