By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kentucky Speedway will welcome 21 drivers and between 45,000-50,000 fans this weekend for the Belterra Casino Indy 300, track representatives said Tuesday.

The 12th of 16 races in the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series comes speeding into town with four of its drivers neck and neck for the series points standings lead.

Straight off a second-place finish at last weekend's Emerson Indy 250, Tony Kanaan leads with 357 points, followed by 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran with 350 points. De Ferran's Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves sits in third with 347 points after his Emerson win. Previous leader Scott Dixon is in fourth with 333 points.

Defending champion Felipe Giaffone, who earned Mo Nunn Racing's first race victory last year at Kentucky, will not compete after breaking his leg and pelvis in a crash at Kansas Speedway on July 6. Teammate Alex Barron will compete in his place. 2000 and 2001 champion Buddy Lazier is expected to race. Sarah Fisher, who made history last year at Kentucky when she became the first woman pole winner in a major American open-wheel race, also will compete.

Several IRL drivers have tested at Kentucky this summer and complained about rough patches in the track. Speedway general manager Mark Cassis said Tuesday that bumps in Turns 1 and 2, rigidity in Turn 4 and a dip at the start/finish line have been repaired and were approved by Brian Barnhart, IRL's senior vice president of racing operations, this week.

"We got a thumbs-up," Cassis said.

The Belterra 300, the last major race of Kentucky's season, is in its fourth year and has seen a total of 157,801 fans attend in the three previous years. Cassis said he is pleased the event is competitive, with multiple sporting events in town this weekend.

Qualifying will begin at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Sunday's 200-lap, 300-mile race will start at 2 p.m. The Infiniti Pro Series, the IRL's second-tier series, will hold "The Kentucky 100," a 66-lap, 100-mile race Saturday at 12:45 p.m.

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E-mail ckane@enquirer.com

The Belterra Casino Indy 300 schedule

• Thursday, noon-10 p.m., at Newport on the Levee, "Festival of Speed." Highlights include autograph-signing sessions by IndyCar Series drivers Sarah Fisher, Scott Sharp and Robbie Buhl at 5 p.m. Fisher and Sharp will drive Indy-style cars across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge into Great American Ball Park for the first pitch of the Reds game. All-day entertainment includes a book-signing by Johnny Rutherford (7 p.m.), an IRL live stage with The Big Ham Blues Band (4 p.m.) and Robin Lacy & Dezydeco (6-10 p.m.), and interactive activities for kids.

• Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., at Kentucky Speedway, "The Bull Country Radio Pole Day." Tickets: $30. Schedule: 10 a.m.-noon and 2-3:30 p.m., IRL IndyCar Series Practice; 12:45 p.m., IRL Infiniti Pro Series "Kentucky 100;" 4:30 p.m., "Belterra Casino Indy 300" qualifying.

• Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., at Kentucky Speedway. Tickets range from $35-$65. Schedule: 11:30 a.m., concert by Sixpence None the Richer; 1 p.m., pre-race ceremonies, with "Who Wants to Marry My Dad?" star Don Mueller as grand marshal; 2 p.m., "Belterra Casino Indy 300."

IRL points standings

Driver	Points
1. Tony Kanaan	357
2. Gil de Ferran	350
3. Helio Castroneves	347
4. Scott Dixon	333
5. Kenny Brack	268
6. Al Unser Jr.	259
7. Sam Hornish	256
8. Tomas Scheckter	246