INDY RIDERS; What in the name of Tony Hulman is going on at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?(Competition)(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

NASCAR is in the middle of its second decade of racing at open wheel's holy grail, Tony Stewart has now won two events on his home track, and a former Indianapolis 500 winner is best known as a dancing champion.

What's next? Motorcycles?

Actually, yes, and evidence of that continues to take shape. As December hit, the road course that debuted for Formula One in 2000 had been altered significantly and had its top layer of new asphalt applied.

The 2.601-mile course being prepared for MotoGP (the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix is slated for Sept. 12-14) now has three additional corners, but the real change is the view from the grandstands.

Instead of just twisting through two portions of the infield, MotoGP riders and those in the two support races that accompany them (on 250-cc and 125-cc bikes) will travel through a new third section in the oval's first turn, and their overall infield journey will be altogether different from what F1 experienced.

The first turn of the road course will be the most dramatic. As the direction of the course has been changed to counterclockwise, riders will fly down the front straightaway in the same manner as the Indy-car and stock-car drivers, reaching an estimated 208 mph. But instead of sweeping through the traditional first turn, they will take a left-hand turn into the infield.