Nashville Race to be Named Harrah's Indy 200
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, May 24, 2001 - The inaugural Indy Racing Northern Light Series event at Nashville Superspeedway will be called the Harrah's Indy 200, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. announced today.
"The Indy Racing League has enjoyed a long-term relationship with Harrah's through team sponsorship," said Bob Reif, senior vice president of sales and marketing and chief marketing officer for the Indy Racing League. "We look forward to continuing that relationship through this extension of their involvement.
"Night races always have a special atmosphere, and we are confident the Harrah's Indy 200 will provide the Nashville-area fans with 200 miles of unforgettable open-wheel racing."
The Harrah's Indy 200, scheduled for July 21, marks Indy Racing's first visit to the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval in Nashville, which opened in April 2001.
"We're excited to have Harrah's as part of the first Indy Racing event at the Nashville Superspeedway, as cars will reach record speeds that have never been seen before in Tennessee," said Cliff Hawks, vice president and general manager of Nashville Superspeedway. "This historical race under the state-of-the-art lighting system will be a magnificent display of the Indy experience."
Harrah's has been a longtime supporter of the Indy Racing League as a team sponsor for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. This season Eliseo Salazar is driving the No. 14 Harrah's A.J. Foyt Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone car.
"This sponsorship of the 2001 Harrah's Indy 200 is a logical step in our evolving participation in motorsports," said Gary Loveman, Harrah's Entertainment's president and chief operating officer. "Indy Racing League fans consistently demonstrate a high brand loyalty to series sponsors, and their demographics are very similar to those of our customers.
"Our sponsorship of the Harrah's Indy 200 will reinforce our brand with race fans in the Nashville area, which is a key feeder market for our Harrah's facilities in Metropolis (Ill.), Tunica (Miss.) and Vicksburg (Miss.)."
The race, which will be televised live nationwide on ESPN, is the fourth and final night race on the league's 13-race schedule.
"This is another tremendous opportunity to introduce the Harrah's brand to millions of racing fans who enjoy casino entertainment," said Loveman.
Founded more than 60 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. operates 21 casinos in 17 markets in the United States under the Harrah's, Rio, Showboat and Players brand names with a combined database of more than 19 million players.