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IRL to visit two new sites in 2002
Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. -- The Indy Racing League will go to Michigan and Pennsylvania for the first time as part of its 14-race schedule next year.

The schedule is the most extensive for the six-year-old circuit, which expanded this season to 13 races. IRL owner Tony George released a schedule that continues the circuit's pattern of growth.

Atlanta Motor Speedway was dropped after four years of playing to mostly empty seats at the 124,000-seat speedway. This year's Atlanta 500 drew an estimated 40,000 fans to the track on April 28.

The schedule, which includes races at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Nazareth Speedway in the Lehigh Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania, was announced at Richmond International Raceway, where the IRL competed for the first time Saturday night.

The 2002 schedule begins March 2 in Homestead, Fla., and represents more diversity for the open-wheel series.

The slate includes events in traditional NASCAR hotbeds like Richmond, Nashville and Kentucky, and the addition of the two tracks where the series' rival, CART, has been hosting races since as far back as 1979.

"From the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway to the facility here at Richmond to Indianapolis, the teams will be tested on all types of ovals at first-class venues," George said.

Nazareth, a .946-mile oval, replaces Atlanta as the last venue before the Indianapolis 500. The Nazareth event will be held April 21, with the Indy 500 scheduled for May 26.

Michigan, a 2-mile oval, will host the series on July 28, completing the third of four times when the IRL will race on consecutive weekends.

The schedule "represents the controlled growth the league desires," said Brian Barnhart, vice president of operations for the IRL.

"There will be 14 events in a period of just a little over six months," he said. "That will allow the teams and drivers to find a rhythm and also maintain the fans' interest. I'm ready to go."

Since it started with a three-race schedule in 1996, the IRL has fluctuated between nine and 11 races per season until it grew to 13 this year. Besides Richmond, five other tracks joined the series in 2001.

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	IRL 2002 schedule