IRL EYES DAYTONA.(Competition)

Indy cars at Daytona International Speedway might not be as significant as when NASCAR started eyeing a potential event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the early '90s, but running at DIS is causing a bit of a stir.

Granted, the two-day test Jan. 31-Feb. 1 took place on Daytona's road course, which meanders through the infield, rather than on the full oval. Still, Indy Racing League drivers and officials considered it a success. Now the track's owners must decide if they will host a race in 2008.

Should they choose to hold a race, some track safety modifications will be required; the more significant issues are whether the area can support an IRL race and when a race could be held. Most likely, it would be a companion event with NASCAR Speedweeks in February (which is early in the year for the IRL, whose season typically begins in late March) or, more probably, the Pepsi 400 Nextel Cup race in July.

The 2.7-mile road course was not the same layout as was used for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race, because the transition off the oval's front straightaway is too dramatic for Indy cars, which top out at about 190 mph at Daytona. Seventeen car-and-driver combinations participated in the test. There were a handful of spins but no true accidents and a fairly impressive media turnout.

Helio Castroneves finished with the best lap at 1 minute, 12.353 seconds. Tony Kanaan was second, Scott Dixon third, Dan Wheldon fourth and Marco Andretti fifth.

Other suitors

Daytona isn't the only track that could host an IRL race in the near future.