True Value to Sponsor 1st Race of 96-97 IRL Championship Season

01/26/96

The Indy Racing League announced that True Value will be the chief sponsor for the first race of the league's 1996-1997 season. The race has been dubbed the True Value 200 and is slated to run at the New Hampshire International Speedway, August 18, 1996.

Chuck L. Kremers, True Value VP of Marketing, and Bob Bahre, NHIS chairman made the announcement jointly at the Walt Disney World Speedway, site of the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World. The Indy 200 WDW is the inaugural race for the IRL; other races in this year's IRL points chase include the Phoenix 200 (3/24) and the 80th Indy 500 (5/26).

Events for the 96-97 season are the True Value 200 and the Las Vegas 500K (9/15). The Indy 500 will conclude the IRL points championship every year.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel