Las Vegas Road Race Considered

It is more likely that the event would happen in 2007 rather than being added to next season calendar, however, because the series are still convincing casino owners that their business won't suffer as a result.

The Championship currently holds an oval race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway but did investigate holding a race in front of the Mandalay Hotel and Casino in 2004.

"We don't have anything definitive nailed down," Chrnelich told the Las Vegas Sun. "We've got a lot of work to do on that yet. At the moment, it's probably lower odds for 2006 as opposed to '07, but we haven't shut the door on 2006.

"The single largest issue is the casinos. How do you logistically ensure you don't somehow negatively impact the business of the casino, because any minute any customer is not in there playing is money lost? We have to demonstrate that we can bring in even more people as opposed to somehow prohibiting people from getting in or making it tougher.

"We have to figure out a way to help the city," Chrnelich added. "We'd ask them to invest in it as they would any street improvements but we have to find a way where they can make their money back. So, we're working on different formulas along that line, which is a partnership approach."

The series currently has a date scheduled next season for the city's oval, and it is not decided whether a street race would run in addition to the oval one, or would replace it altogether.

"We keep looking at it, to see how might it work," Chrnelich said. "And, secondly, what time of year would it be. Do we run it in combination with the oval? All those options are still on the table but clearly we're nowhere near a point where we say, 'yeah, we have a serious opportunity to do it right now.'"

The Formula One US Grand Prix was held without great success in the car park of Caesar's Palace casino in 1981 and 1982.