NASCAR yesterday "shut down any talk" of the Cup Series going to Circuit of The Americas in Austin, according to Drew Davison of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. NASCAR Exec VP & Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell: "We've not had any discussions with the track there and candidly don't plan to." Davison notes the idea of NASCAR going to COTA "gained steam last month" when a report came out "suggesting it would be a possibility in the future." O'Donnell said, "We've got a long-term agreement here at Texas. They've been great partners for us. From our perspective, we're really happy in this marketplace." He added that if NASCAR "wants to pursue more road races, it will likely look internally at the tracks the circuit already goes to." Davison writes for now, NASCAR "seems content" with two road courses on the Cup schedule at Sonoma and Watkins Glen (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/15). This comes as Indianapolis Motor Speedway execs are considering running the annual Brickyard 400 on the track's road course instead of its 2.5-mile oval.
