The IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix will remain on Belle Isle for at least three more years after a deal was signed on Friday, but the new agreement "takes into account concerns raised by residents who opposed the renewal by pledging to shorten the time the event takes up on the island," according to Marc Daalder of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Race organizers will have 60 days in '19 and 59 from '20 onward. The deal also "promises to pump more money into the state park." The contract for the Grand Prix "expired this year and proposed renewals faced opposition from detractors who worried about the noise and environmental impact of the race." The event will stay in the island through at least '21, with the "option to extend for an additional two years" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/11). In Detroit, Gregg Krupa noted the Grand Prix's last contract with the City of Detroit "provided for 84 days to set up and take down the track." The fee for the permit will "increase from $200,000 to $325,000, after the organizers proposed $300,000 last month, and the state Department of Natural Resources sought more." An additional $125,000 fee "must also be paid, and DNR will use it" at its discretion (DETROIT NEWS, 8/11).
RETURN TRIP: Open-wheel cars have not raced at Michigan Int'l Speedway since '07, but former IndyCar driver Al Unser Jr. yesterday ahead of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race said that he "thinks the IndyCar Series should return" to the track. Unser said, "Today's IndyCar would go well around here and it would put on one heck of a show." IndyCar drivers during the time they raced at MIS "averaged speeds as high as 222 mph in qualifying -- roughly 20 mph quicker than NASCAR vehicles." Despite the high speeds, Unser said that he "doesn't think MIS is too dangerous for the brand of racing" (MLIVE.com, 8/12).
