Race possible at the Glen

IRL officials have already inspected the venue to assess what changes would need to be made to make the circuit safe for contemporary single-seaters and a decision is expected soon.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that we will be on the IRL calendar next year," said track president Craig Rust. "We are working on our 2005 schedule at the moment. Ideally, we would need a decision in the next two or three weeks - 30 days at the latest - to give us sufficient time to get the correct promotional package in place."

The last high profile single-seater race staged at Watkins Glen was a round of the 1982 CART Indycar series while F1 abandoned the circuit after 1980.

Other circuits mentioned in connection with an IRL date include Elkhart Lake and Portland, which has not renewed its contract with the rival ORWS-owned Champ Car World Series.