From ESPN: The IndyCar Series will not return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next season, and its future at the track depends in part on what it learns from the investigation into Dan Wheldon's fatal accident.
Wheldon, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was killed in the opening laps of the Oct. 16 season finale at Las Vegas. The investigation into the 15-car fatal accident is ongoing, and IndyCar has postponed releasing its 2012 schedule until it determines if the series can continue racing on high-banked ovals such as Las Vegas.
Speedway Motorsports Inc. owner Bruton Smith was adamant he wanted IndyCar to honor the three-year lease deal it has with Las Vegas, but IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard had been reluctant to return to the speedway.
Smith told The Associated Press on Thursday that SMI agreed to a buyout of 2012, and the final season of the contract will be reviewed later.
Bernard confirmed he'd come to an agreement with SMI.
"We're not guaranteeing we'll be back," Bernard said. "But we'll test there, and we'll see what we can learn."
No matter the results, concerns remain about the emotional issues the series would face upon returning to Las Vegas.
Wheldon was killed 12 laps into the season finale in a fiery 15-car accident. Critics have pointed to everything from the 34-car field, the size and speed of the track, the speedway's high banking and the varying experience level of the drivers as reasons for the accident.
http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/7332648/indycar-series-race-las-vegas-2012-following-dan-wheldon-death
It's a shame that the Indy cars are not coming back to Las Vegas. You cannot let an accident hold you down. There have been many deadly accidents at Indy and they still keep on returning to Indy. The race was well received in Las Vegas and if there was no deadly accident, we wouldn't even be arguing about having the race come back. But there was a lot of bad luck brought on by hot weather and too many cars in the field- nothing to do with the track. The track did not cause the accident, but the Indy Cars are using that as an excuse..
So, hopefully, the Indy car league will have a change of heart and come back to Las Vegas this year and certainly the next year as well.
Sunrise — 7:03.
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