JEFFERSONVILLE — In recent years, short-track racing has become more and more nonexistent on all three NASCAR national touring series.

A few weeks ago, the grassroots form of racing took another blow.

It was announced that next year the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host its first-ever NASCAR Nationwide Series race, one day before the 2012 Brickyard 400.

Therefore, the traditional Nationwide race at the .686-mile Indianapolis Raceway Park, located only a few miles west of IMS, will probably happen for the final time next Saturday.

(OK, I know IRP is now called Lucas Oil Raceway, and prior to that it was O’Reilly Raceway Park. But as a longtime racing fan who grew up in central Indiana and watched “Saturday Night Thunder” several years ago on ESPN when Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart drove USAC sprint cars, it will always be IRP and that’s what I’ll refer to the track in this column. Sue me, Lucas Oil. Why don’t you go lubricate something?)

This is probably good news to the full-time Nationwide drivers, who will finally get their opportunity to race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed 2 1/2-mile oval. Plus this is great news for Nationwide Series sponsors as their respective logos will now be seen by thousands and thousands of race fans who might come to IMS for the 2012 Nationwide race.

But to me, this royally STINKS.

I know this is coming as a surprise to most of you since I practically worship the ground IMS is built on.

Yes, I love the Speedway. I truly believe it is the greatest race track in the world.

I love the track’s history and its unpredictable surface that has made drivers, crew chiefs and engineers scratch their heads since Ray Harroun won the first Indy 500 in 1911.

But I think the IMS Nationwide race is going to be another event at the world-renowned track, where it is pretty much going to be cars running in single file and the drivers complaining all day about not passing anyone.

In addition, fans are going to be frustrated because there will be no good, old-fashioned side-by-side racing.

The description I just gave you has been the Brickyard 400 in a nutshell for several years. So that leads me to ask why do you want to run two races like this two days in a row?

I have always enjoyed watching the Nationwide race at IRP because it is a great change of pace from the Brickyard. Cars can race side-by-side all around IRP, and you get the usual beating and banging that NASCAR short-track racing is known for.

If I have one suggestion for IMS officials before they host a Nationwide race, it would be this — take out the warm-up lanes that run along the north and south short chutes and put the old apron back in. That way both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide cars would have more room to run side-by-side through the corners, and maybe the Brickyard and the upcoming Nationwide race will be more fun to race and watch.

And if IndyCar’s contingent of whiners like Dario Franchitti, Chip Ganassi, Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti, Michael Andretti, Ashley Judd, Danica Patrick, Ryan Briscoe and a plethora of others complain about this suggestion, tell them to shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.

NASCAR dropped the ball on this decision and poor little IRP, which has produced nothing but great racing in its 51 years, will unfortunately be paying for it.



NEXT WEEKEND’S BRICKYARD 400

at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

(Note: Since I am taking my traditional Brickyard week vacation next week, I’m doing my Brickyard picks this weekend. Hey, every sports writer in this area needs to take a break from the craziness of Little League every once in a while.)

TOP-FIVE CONTENDERS

1. CARL EDWARDS: If you want to hear a shocking fact about the Brickyard, then here it is — Roush Fenway Racing has never won this race. But I think there is a good possibility that will change next weekend and Cousin Carl might be the man to do it. His career average finish at Indy is 10.5, so Edwards is due to win this year. Plus Ford’s FR-9 engine is probably producing the most horsepower of any motor in the Cup garage this season. To win at Indy, you need lots of horsepower to get down those long straightaways and Edwards will definitely have that.

2. TONY STEWART: He always steps up his game when Brickyard time rolls around. After a solid run at New Hampshire, Stewart has a great shot to get his third Indy win.

3. JEFF GORDON: It would be very stupid of me to not include the man who has won the Brickyard a record four times. Plus he has been sound on flat tracks all season. If it wasn’t for Hendrick Motorsports buying a bunch of awful alternators last week at New Hampshire, Gordon would have probably been celebrating a third flat-track victory this season.

4. JIMMIE JOHNSON: Finally, there is a chink in Johnson’s armor. His pit crew has been very lackluster this year, forcing crew chief Chad Knaus to do his infamous shuffling of crew members. But Johnson and the No. 48 team are still the group to beat in the championship hunt, and he should be strong once again at Indy.

5. KURT BUSCH: Ever since his hissy fit at Richmond in May, he has finished in the top 10 six times, won at Sonoma and moved from sixth to third in the standings. And that’s the only positive things I’m going to say about this guy because I’m going on vacation and I’m planning to block out all the jerks I have to deal with on a week-to-week basis out of my mind.



TODAY’S DARK HORSE

• JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I’m sure to most of you that this selection is a shock. Montoya dominated the Brickyard two years ago before a speeding penalty ruined his chances to be the first driver to ever win the Indy 500 and the Brickyard. Last year, he led a race-high 86 laps before wrecking his car on lap 145. After running strong at Indy the past two years, Montoya should be a contender. But this year, he has collided with every vehicle on the track besides the pace car in several races, especially at Sonoma, and pretty much cost his crew chief, Brian Pattie, his job. It’s mind-boggling that Montoya still has a chance to make the Chase if he can just get that one coveted victory this season. But he has plenty of talent to pull off that feat at Indy.



DRIVER MOST LIKELY TO STRUGGLE

• DALE EARNHARDT JR.: Sorry Junior fans, but Steve Letarte’s incompetence as a crew chief is starting to take effect on the No. 88 team. Plus Junior has never had good luck at the Brickyard. He has only two top-10 finishes in 11 career Brickyard starts. Plus he has four finishes of 27th or worse in his last six Indy appearances, including a 43rd-place effort in 2005.

Contact Kevin Harris at kevin.harris@newsandtribune.com.



OLD KEV’S POWER POLL

1. Carl Edwards

2. Jimmie Johnson

3. Kyle Busch

4. Kurt Busch

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Matt Kenseth

7. Jeff Gordon

8. Denny Hamlin

9. Tony Stewart

10. Ryan Newman

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

12. David Ragan

13. Clint Bowyer

14. Kasey Kahne

15. Joey Logano