New Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief says support for IRL will continue

New speedway chief vows support for IRL

INDIANAPOLIS — The new head of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway says the Hulman-George family remains committed to the Indy Racing League despite a management shake-up.

But Jeff Belskus says auto racing is under a lot of financial pressure and the speedway must compete with other sports for ticket dollars.

Belskus will take over daily management of the speedway from Joie (JO-ee) Chitwood, who announced Monday he is resigning Aug. 6.

Chitwood’s departure comes about a month after the speedway’s board ousted Tony George as president and chief executive officer of the IndyCar Series amid concerns about his spending on upgrades at the speedway.

Belskus is a longtime IMS executive.