Tickets for the track's other three events, in the NASCAR Winston Cup, NASCAR Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, also are sold out.

"Renewals really exceeded our expectations," Kansas Speedway President Grant Lynch said. "I think it is the overall package at Kansas Speedway and the interest in a diverse motorsports schedule that made people want to come back. It even generated some interest with new race fans. If you thought 2001 was good, just wait. This year will be even better."

The Kansas debut of Indy Racing was scintillating in 2001. 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever Jr. edged 2001 Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. by just .1976 of a second for victory in a race that featured 20 lead changes among eight drivers.

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Heavy traffic: Indy Racing Online, the official World Wide Web site of the Indy Racing League, recorded 6.4 million page views and 12.5 million hits during the three days of on-track activity at the Test in the West on Feb. 6, 8 and 9, an increase of 1,400 percent over 2001

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Sinden helping fire department: Indy Racing Infiniti Pro Series entrant Sinden Racing Service (SRS) is teaming with the Indianapolis Fire Department to decrease the cost of fire-truck maintenance. Sinden Racing Service, which will field USAC standout Ed Carpenter in the new Infiniti Pro Series, is performing cryogenic tempering on the braking systems of all IFD fire trucks.

Cryogenics involves the use of liquid nitrogen to deeply freeze objects to temperatures of minus-240 to minus-300 degrees Fahrenheit and often is used by the racing industry to increase the life of mechanical parts. This cooling process is being used on brake rotors and drums of IFD trucks, with the goal of reducing wear and tear and prolonging the life these parts. Once applied to all 60 fire trucks in operation, the cryogenic tempering will save the IFD approximately $48,000 per year.

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St. James honored: Former Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League driver Lyn St. James received the Office Depot Visionary Sports Award on Jan. 21 for her efforts to help women succeed in motorsports.

St. James was honored at the Office Depot's second annual "Success Strategies for Businesswomen" conference. Other honorees included former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and poet Dr. Maya Angelou.

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History lesson: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Historian Donald Davidson will teach a "History of the Indianapolis 500" class again this year at the Brickyard Crossing Inn in April.

This is a non-credit, continuing education class through IUPUI. The four-part class will be taught from 7-9 p.m. on April 2, 9, 16 and 23, and is offered only on site. Call the IUPUI Continuing Education department at (317) 278-7600 for details and to register.

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Helping out: The Brian's Wish Runoffs charity karting event will take place from 6-10 p.m. (EST) at RACERS, 302 S. Meridian St. in Indianapolis. Proceeds from the event will help the Brian's Wish organization increase the awareness of ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The organization was named after an avid Indy Racing fan who suffers from ALS and is receiving care at St. Vincent's Hospice in Indianapolis.

A number of Indy Racing League drivers have visited the young man, including Eddie Cheever Jr., Robbie Buhl and Sarah Fisher. For more information, visit any of these sites on the World Wide Web: 
www.brianswish.com, www.tracksidelive.net , www.trackforum.com , www.racerskarting.com 

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Hot laps: An Open House will take place Feb. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of the Indy Racing League season opener, the 20th Anniversary Grand Prix of Miami on Saturday, March 2. Many Indy Racing teams will be testing during the day. Admission is free to the public, with gates open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ... The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation recently launched its World Wide Web site, www.samschmidt.org. Schmidt is an Indy Racing team owner who was paralyzed in a testing accident in January 2000 at Orlando, Fla. The updated and expanded site includes a number of features, including information about spinal-cord injury, links to spinal-cord injury organizations, news relating to spinal-cord research, an events calendar and a photo gallery ... Chicagoland Speedway launched its revamped World Wide Web site, www.chicagolandspeedway.com, on Feb. 15. The Delphi Indy 300 takes place Sept. 8 on the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Ill. ... The 12th annual Daytona 500 party for the Rich Vogler Scholarship Foundation will take place at 10 a.m. (EST) Feb. 17 at Celebrations on 220 N. Country Club Road in Indianapolis. Admission is $20 for adults, $5 for children age 6-12. An auction of racing memorabilia will take place, with proceeds going to the scholarship fund in honor of late USAC standout and Indianapolis 500 veteran Vogler. Call (317) 272-4623 for information.