Racing back to Kentucky after traffic nightmares

[October 01, 2011]  SPARTA, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky Speedway gets its first chance to redeem itself this weekend from the traffic nightmare that ruined its inaugural Sprint Cup Series race.

Fans spent hours in non-moving traffic before the July 9 race. Thousands never even made it into the speedway.

Track owner Speedway Motorsports Inc. and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet pledged $11 million in improvements and some of the work has already been done. The track hosts NASCAR's Truck Series on Saturday night and the IndyCar Series on Sunday.

The crowds won't come close to the 107,000-plus that descended on the speedway in July, but track officials know this weekend is the first step toward proving it can overcome that debacle.

[Associated Press; By JENNA FRYER]

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