Kentucky race to move to Saturday night

Moving the Indy Racing League race to Saturday night is among changes the operators of the Kentucky Speedway will make after what has been a disappointing year.

Marketing, advertising, staffing and operations will be studied, general manager Mark Cassis said Tuesday.

"We are going to address all phases of our business," Cassis said. "How we market, how we sell season tickets, group tickets, block tickets … how we are staffed, how we operate, our perception in the marketplace, everything."

Cassis' comments came after a rough 10-day stretch.

On Aug. 4, a country music concert was canceled less than 24 hours before showtime.

On Sunday, the Meijer Indy 300 drew almost 30,000 fewer fans than the more than 60,000 it did a year ago.

Both events spurred operators to study what changes should be made.

"This is by far the worst year we've had," Cassis said. "But we are going to fix it."

One change will be in next year's IRL race. Instead of holding it on Sunday afternoon, which is when the race has been run since the Speedway opened, it will move to Saturday night.

Cassis said Saturday is a more popular night to run a race; all of the Speedway's other major races are on Saturday nights.

"Moving the race will help dramatically," he said. "It should be huge."

The Speedway also is looking to improve group sales, marketing strategy and attracting major sponsors that can make a long-term commitment to backing the IRL race. Cincinnati Enquirer