Kentucky Wants Sprint Cup Series Race

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) - Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials say
they have made an official request with NASCAR to add Kentucky to
the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule.
    SMI is willing to give up a date at one of its seven other race
tracks to get Kentucky on the schedule. SMI chairman Bruton Smith
agreed to pay $78.3 million last year for the Sparta track.
    Kentucky’s former ownership group filed a 2005 antitrust lawsuit
against NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. over Kentucky’s
failure to land a Sprint Cup date. The suit was dismissed in early
2008, but the case is on appeal.
    NASCAR has said it will not consider Kentucky for a race until
the suit is dropped. Smith says he has so far been unsuccessful in
trying to persuade the group to drop the appeal.