SMI Willing To Move 1 Of Its Races To Kentucky

JENNA FRYER

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials said Monday they have asked NASCAR to add Kentucky to the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule.

SMI chairman Bruton Smith is willing to give up a race date at one of his seven other facilities to get Kentucky on the schedule. He would not reveal which track he is considering, and SMI president Marcus Smith said no decision has been made on which track would lose a date if NASCAR adds Kentucky to its 36-race schedule.

"We've done everything we need to make sure Kentucky is not out of play in 2010," Marcus Smith said. "It's sort of a chess game from here."

SMI agreed to pay $78.3 million last year for the track located in Sparta, which currently hosts a NASCAR second-tier Nationwide Series race but has been unsuccessful in landing a coveted Sprint Cup date.

Kentucky's former ownership group filed a 2005 antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. over Kentucky's failure to secure a Cup race. The suit was dismissed in early 2008, but the case is on appeal.