IndyCar May Have Hosted Its Last Race At Texas Motor Speedway

An estimated crowd of 69,000 attended Saturday's Izod IndyCar Series Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway and the crowd "might have seen the last IndyCar race at TMS after 16 consecutive seasons." IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard did not give the track "a ringing endorsement in comments a couple of hours before the race." Bernard said that a return to TMS "would be a 'financial' decision," and added that "there was interest in racing" at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas (ESPN.com, 6/9).

The FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM's Carlos Mendez wrote the Firestone 550's attendance was "the smallest crowd I can remember for an IndyCar event at TMS" (STAR-TELEGRAM.com, 6/10). Saturday's race was the first Izod IndyCar race on a mile-and-a-half oval since the Dan Wheldon's fatal accident in October (THE DAILY).