Ward out, but McGehee back in
One driver who isn't in the Kansas IRL field is Jeff Ward, who was driving his motor home from Virginia to Kansas City when he was informed that his Heritage Motorsports team was suspending operations while it looks for additional sponsorship money.
"It's not good for the series when one of your best drivers can't be in the race," Ward said. "It came as a shock to me. Nobody on the team told me this was going to happen. Now, I'm out looking for a ride and the only rides that are available are with teams that aren't that good.
"It may do some teams more harm than good for a good driver to get in a bad car."
Robby McGehee, who suffered a compound fracture in his left leg in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, has returned to the cockpit after Dr. Henry Bock, the IRL's director of medical services, cleared him for competition.
"I feel good, but I can't talk because I have laryngitis," McGehee said. "We're just working up our speed and my confidence, although I don't like to admit the latter. It's always like that for drivers the first day they are coming back after a big crash.
"Physically, my leg is fine. I like this track. It's nice. It's a lot like Kentucky and Vegas. It's really nice. I like it a lot."
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