IRP closed test session preview

INDIANAPOLIS (August 6, 2003) Due to ongoing construction projects at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the NHRA professional test session Aug. 19-20 on the drag strip will be closed to the public. The construction projects include development of eight new luxury skybox suites, new signage above the walk-through bridge and bleacher construction on the east side of the drag strip.

The 49th Annual Mac Tools U. S. Nationals will be held Aug. 27-Sept. 1. The Mac Tools U. S. Nationals is world's most prestigious drag race and former winners include Don "The Snake' Prudhomme, Warren Johnson, Don Gartlis and Joe Amato. Last year's champions included Tony Schumacher in Top Fuel; John Force in Funny Car; Jeg Coughlin in Pro Stock; and Angelle Savoie in Pro Stock Bike.

Tickets are available by calling (800) 884-6472, at the IRP box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

One of five drag racing facilities owned and operated by the National Hot Rod Association, IRP was built in 1960 and has presented organized racing events since 1961. From March through October, the facility hosts more than 120 dates of racing on three tracks, a quarter-mile drag strip, a .686-mile paved oval and a 2.5-mile road course. Home to drag racing's biggest event, the NHRA U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend, the drag strip runs more than 50 days of point-to-point action, from national events to street legal community programs. The oval track draws racing's biggest events, including annual visits from the NASCAR Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to five annual USAC races, and an exclusive Saturday Night Series. The road course provides a home for several racing sanctions, such as SCCA, while providing an ideal resource for driving schools, corporate outings and open-road tests for professional drivers.

- IRP -