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IRL: Pep Boys Indy Racing League Announces Date Change For Las Vegas Race

21 April 1998

INDIANAPOLIS - The date of the Las Vegas 500, the final Pep Boys Indy Racing League event of the 1998 season, has been changed from Oct. 10 to Oct. 11, league officials announced today.

Leo Mehl
Leo Mehl
The event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will start at 1 p.m. (Pacific time) on Sunday, Oct. 11 and will be televised live by TNN: The Nashville Network. The race had been scheduled for Saturday night, Oct. 10. The change was made to accommodate IRL fans, said Leo Mehl, executive director of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League.

"A Saturday-night race in Las Vegas would run well past midnight in the East," Mehl said "Our fans in Eastern time zones can now see our season finale on television without making a night of it."

Said Richie Clyne, chairman of LVMS: "Running this event on Sunday afternoon rather than Saturday night works better for everyone involved. Because so much is going on at night in Las Vegas, we feel that holding the race on Sunday afternoon presents a better opportunity for our fans to attend." Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile superspeedway, opened with a Pep Boys IRL event in 1996 and has been on the league schedule each season.

1998 PEP BOYS INDY RACING LEAGUE SCHEDULE

Jan. 24, 1998 Walt Disney World Speedway 1-mile oval. Saturday raceWinner: Tony Stewart
March 22, 1998 Phoenix International Raceway 1-mile oval. Sunday race Winner: Scott Sharp
May 24, 1998 Indianapolis 500 2-mile oval. Sunday race
June 6, 1998 Texas Motor Speedway 1-mile oval. Saturday-night race
June 28, 1998 New Hampshire International Speedway 1.1-mile oval. Sunday race
July 19, 1998 Dover Downs International Speedway 1-mile oval. Sunday race
July 25, 1998 Charlotte Motor Speedway 1-mile oval. Saturday-night race
Aug. 16, 1998 Pikes Peak International Raceway 1-mile oval. Sunday race
Aug. 29, 1998 Atlanta Motor Speedway 1-mile oval. Saturday-night race
Sept. 20, 1998 Texas Motor Speedway 1-mile oval. Sunday race
Oct. 11, 1998 Las Vegas Motor Speedway 1-mile oval. Sunday race 

lvms98-01


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