IRL schedule holdup, Legault postpones meeting

UPDATE #4 The IRL’s first race on the Belle Isle street course in Detroit is expected to be announced Friday. The race will be Sept. 2.

Still to be finalized in what figures to be a 17-race schedule are events at Michigan International Speedway, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Michigan’s announcement has been held up by the IRL’s efforts to race at Montreal on Aug. 5. But the league’s participation there with NASCAR’s Busch Series and the Grand American Road Racing Series now seems unlikely [Note: we told you that in the September 23rd update of this rumor], which has IRL officials looking to add Mid-Ohio, a track near where a large percentage of Honda’s U.S. workforce is based.

Because Mid-Ohio has a motorcycle event scheduled for Aug. 5, IRL officials confirm they have asked Michigan to accept that date, allowing Mid-Ohio to take July 22 that was previously promised to Michigan. No sanctioning agreement has been signed with either track. Indy Star

09/26/06 Normand Legault has postponed today's Montreal press conference to a date as yet unannounced; it seems his formal request to the city of Montreal for the Busch Series race might have come only in recent days, and it needs a little more time to be processed by the city's lawyers. That will happen, but with the '07 Busch schedule already out there, this is a little ridiculous. It also might have something to do with IRL.

09/26/06 Normand Legault is scheduled to announce details of the NBS race today and there is speculation that because the Busch race will be run on a Saturday, there could be room for an Indy Racing League event on the Sunday.

IRL vice-president of communications Fred Nation yesterday confirmed to the Toronto Sun negotiations have been ongoing with Legault about a race on the NASCAR weekend.

"Yes, we have been engaged in discussions with Mr. Legault regarding a race at Gilles Villeneuve," Nation said. "We are trying to finalize our schedule right now, but we're not in a position to announce a date for a Montreal race at this time. It may or may not happen." Toronto Sun

09/23/06 AutoRacing1.com has been told by some connected sources that the France family does not want the IRL with them in Montreal, and that it will probably be a Busch and Grand-Am weekend only.

09/23/06 A reader asks, Dear AutoRacing1.com, What is the holdup on the IRL releasing their entire 2007 schedule? Jason Worth, Nashville, TN

Dear Jason, Not sure but we suspect it's the same thing holding up NASCAR from releasing their 2007 Busch Series schedule – Montreal. The rumor mill says that the IRL will race with Busch and Grand-Am in Montreal next August – Grand-Am Friday, Busch Saturday and the IRL Sunday. However, the city has not given final approval for the race weekend. Mark C.

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