IndyCar likely to bring 2011 finale to Las Vegas

SPARTA, Ky. -- Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith appears to be getting his wish to have a major racing series end its season at his track in Las Vegas.

It's just not NASCAR.

Smith said before the Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday that he anticipates the 2011 IndyCar season to end at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The series will officially unveil its 2011 schedule Friday.

Asked how likely it is that next season will wrap at his track in Las Vegas, Smith just laughed.

"How high can the numbers go?" he said. "I would be extremely disappointed if that didn't happen."

The current IndyCar season ends at Homestead Miami Speedway next month, a place Smith isn't exactly a fan of. He has publicly criticized NASCAR -- which also ends its season at Homestead -- for not moving its Sprint Cup finale to Las Vegas.

Smith chastised NASCAR for a lack of promotion of the event and likened the area to "North Cuba."

"If you're going to do a championship, you've got to do it at the proper place, and I don't think North Cuba is the proper place," Smith said.

Smith said SMI does a better job of promoting racing and isn't sure NASCAR would be swayed if the IndyCar event is a major success.

"I don't know," Smith said. "You'd have to look inside their brain and see."

If the IndyCar season ends in Vegas, it means SMI will host at least the final two events of the season. The circuit will visit Kentucky in early October.

It's a marked departure from the traditional late-summer IndyCar visit to the track, but Smith isn't worried about the move hurting attendance even if the date is in the middle of football season.

Smith said the later date will allow the Kentucky track to promote the IndyCar race after NASCAR's first-ever Cup event at the speedway in early July.

Kentucky landed a Cup date after SMI petitioned NASCAR. The company did not make a similar request for a second Las Vegas race. Smith said he didn't think it was worth the time.

Smith added there are no plans to repave Kentucky's 1.5-mile oval before next year's Cup visit. NASCAR trucks veteran Todd Bodine said after Friday night's race he thought the Cup drivers would have a problem with the historically bumpy circuit.

"The drivers are telling us don't touch it," Smith said.