Kentucky, Texas confirm 2007 dates.

The 2007 IRL IndyCar Series schedule continues to come together piece by piece with news that both Kentucky and Texas will once again form part of next seasons title chase.

The return of the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway brings the total number of confirmed events for next year to six with several more venues set to announce their dates in the coming weeks.

The annual stop on the high banks of Texas will be held on Saturday June 9th while Kentucky Speedway's 300-mile race will be run on Saturday August 11th as a twilight event for the first time.

A 100-mile Indy Pro Series race will be held in conjunction with the IndyCar Series event at Kentucky.

"It is exciting to give fans of the IndyCar Series a Midwest option to watch our drivers and cars under the lights now that we have a new time slot for the Kentucky Speedway," said Brian Barnhart, the president and COO of the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and Indy Pro Series. "And of course we are thrilled to continue the tradition of prime-time racing at Texas Motor Speedway, where Eddie Gossage and his team have done so much to build an anchor in our schedule."

Kentucky Speedway has hosted IndyCar Series racing since 2000 and was site of the second-fastest IndyCar Series race in 2003. The track is one of the most competitive in series history with five race winners and seven polesitters in seven events. Among the pole sitters are Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick, the only female pole winners in IndyCar Series history.

"The time change is what we needed for this event," Kentucky Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark F. Cassis said. "While we truly benefited and were extremely grateful to be able to showcase our venue and marketplace through the ABC national television broadcasts in past seasons, we think our fans will truly enjoy seeing high-speed Indy cars circling our speedway in the evening.

"A twilight start also will provide us the opportunity to complement the race with elements our fans have come to expect such as a post race concert or fireworks show to create a complete evening of family entertainment."

Kentucky Speedway will become one of a handful of facilities nationwide to host all of its major league racing events under the lights next year.

The IndyCar Series had prime-time Saturday night races at Texas Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway in 2006 and will return for another prime-time event at Texas.

"We're still working on a couple of items that will make this schedule even more enticing to the fans, and we will be announcing those plans down the road," Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. "Expect to see some tweaks that make this event even more fun for the fans."