By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

On the heels of Kentucky Speedway's race season finale, Sunday's Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series, track officials will begin to work on a 2004 schedule that should be released within the next month.

And Speedway general manager Mark Cassis isn't giving up the hope of landing a Winston/Nextel Cup date for next year.

"Never say never," Cassis said. "The schedule is not final, and we're pressing as hard as we can press ... (The hope) is not dead."

NASCAR officially will release its full schedule in late September or early October, and will make announcements before then only if they "make serious changes" to the schedule, NASCAR public relations officials said.

Kentucky Speedway has been eyeing a Winston (soon to be Nextel) Cup date since it opened its doors in 2000. Since then, the Speedway has seen total attendance rise every year. The track drew 195,271 people for the four major races - ARCA, NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, and the IRL's IndyCar Series - this year.

The track's attendance rose by about 5,000 people over the last two years in the Craftsman and IRL races alone. And it has hosted one of the most successful stand-alone Busch Series events, drawing about 70,000 - standing room only - each of the past three years.

"Those are some pretty confident numbers," Cassis said.

Cassis also re-emphasized the track's statement that it could add grandstand seating in two phases to increase the attendance capacity to 80,000 and 100,000 in a matter of months if NASCAR should ask. He also said Winston Cup drivers have been testing at Kentucky nearly since its start.

"As far as the facility itself, everything's in place," Cassis said. "All we need is a date."

Cassis said the drivers "absolutely love" the track, despite some complaints about bumpy turns in Sunday's race.

Kentucky had false hope earlier this season that it might get a date when NASCAR announced changes to the schedule. Nothing materialized except for changes at other tracks, mostly those operated by the International Speedway Corporation, which operates 12 Winston Cup tracks and is owned by the family of NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. But the changes have indicated that NASCAR is looking to branch out from the Southeast.

Cassis said he had heard NASCAR officials were looking "very critically" to get rid of the non-points races, which would leave an opening in the schedule for some new venues.

NASCAR public relations officials said they didn't have any information on a possible change right now.

For now, Kentucky Speedway will have to concentrate on what it does have. Cassis said the track is looking to add some "incremental events" and possibly another racing series to the 2004 schedule. Season ticket packages will go on sale around the 2003 holiday season, and single event ticket sales will begin sometime in the first quarter of 2004.

• One day after winning his first victory of the Indy Racing League's season at Kentucky Speedway, Sam Hornish Jr. announced that he will part with Panther Racing at the end of the season. Hornish should announce his plans by the end of August.

• The struggling CART racing series is considering a buyout offer from an investor group that would purchase the remaining public shares of the company and take it private.

Indianapolis-based CART said in a statement Monday that Open Wheel Racing Series offered about 50 cents a share - or $7.4 million - for all the outstanding stock and that the company is negotiating with the investor group.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

Ky. Speedway attendance at a glance

	2003	2002	2001	2000
ARCA	25,486	27,575	26,202	27,512
Busch	69,366	71,299	70,338	*
Craftsman Trucks	46,194	41,722	41,229	63,750
IRL	54,225	49,264	47,323	61,214
Total	195,271	189,860	185,092	152,476

*The NASCAR Busch Series didn't come to Ky. Speedway until 2001.