Following an
Associated Press report report earlier in the day that Las Vegas Motor Speedway president Bruton Smith had acknowledged that he would not hold IndyCar to its contract to return to the track in 2012, IndyCar confirmed late Thursday that the IZOD IndyCar Series will not race there next year.
The series was scheduled to close its 2012 season at the speedway on Oct. 14, but IndyCar and speedway officials said considerable testing with the new car is needed prior to returning to the facility.
"We feel we need to give our technical team ample time to conduct thorough testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, once we complete our ongoing investigation into the 15-car accident during the Oct. 16 race at the track," said IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard.
The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season opens March 25 with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. IndyCar says its complete schedule "will be announced in the coming weeks."