The Indy Racing League won’t be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next season.
Much to the ire of current NHMS general manager Jerry Gappens, the IRL left the track off its schedule when it was released on Wednesday.
"I think it’s a slap in the face to (track owner) Bruton Smith... and to our company who have both been very supportive of the Indy Racing League since its inception," Gappens said in a release issued on behalf of NHMS. "From a historical perspective, Bob Bahre, the former owner of New Hampshire Motor Speedway, was one of the first to agree to go with the Indy Racing when they split from Championship Auto Racing Teams in 1995."
Since taking over as general manager of the facility last off-season, Gappens made it particularly clear that he was exploring bringing the IRL back to the track for the first time since 1998. At a press conference prior to the NASCAR Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at NHMS last month, Smith was on hand along with Eddie Gossage to further express interest in the series.
The Indiana-native Gappens was upset by the IRL’s decision.
"I sat in a meeting and watched Bruton ask them for a race here, which they seemed extremely interested in doing, pending scheduling conflicts with Japan," Gappens said. "In addition, in that same meeting, they asked him to host the series finale in Las Vegas, which Mr. Smith agreed to and even offered the speedway and financial support for it to happen this year. Having attended that meeting in early June, it’s hard to believe that neither facility is on the new schedule."
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