Say yes to Grand-Am

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September 23, 2009

Anonymous The Kokomo Tribune Wed Sep 23, 2009, 10:27 PM EDT

THE ISSUE

The possibility of a Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

OUR VIEW

With its ties to Indy, a series race is overdue at the Brickyard.

Early this month, Grand-Am Road Racing drivers and officials participated in a sanctioned test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Nine Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series teams sped around the track in a pair of two-hour sessions. Most of the test was spent on the 2.534-mile, 13-turn Formula One course, although teams spent some time on the 2.621-mile, MotoGP track.

“Let’s go racing,” said Scott Pruett, who, with Memo Rojas, pilots the No. 1 TELMEX Lexus Riley. “I think we’d put on a heck of a show. I have no question in our mind, compatibility is not an issue. The biggest question for me is, ‘When are we going to race?’”

Pruett’s question likely will be answered in the coming weeks. If history is any indicator, Indy will host a Grand-Am event in 2010. Not long after NASCAR and MotoGP racers tested at the track, race dates were announced.

In the case of Grand-Am, an Indianapolis event is overdue. Formed in 1999, the series has had many Indy connections.

Between 2003 to 2007, two of the seven sanctioned chassis constructors for the series’ Daytona Prototype racers were headquartered in Indianapolis: Fabcar and Riley, though Riley relocated to North Carolina in 2006.

Also, EMCO Gears, one of two sanctioned transmission builders, has its technical support for its racing products located in Indy.

“We put on spectacular racing, and I think we’d be able to do that here, too,” said No. 99 GAINSCO Racing Pontiac Riley pilot Jon Fogarty, who, with co-driver Alex Gurney, leads the Daytona Prototype points race.

“Judging by the number of fans we had here, just for the test, there seemed to be a lot of interest, which is great,” Fogarty said after the Sept. 3 Speedway test. “As a driver, you want to go where people appreciate what you do, and people in Indianapolis know racing.”

Hoosier racing fans certainly would appreciate Grand-Am. We hope series and Speedway officials soon announce a 2010 contest for Indianapolis.

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