Texas Chasing Formula One Night Race

Eddie Gossage has approached Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of staging a night race in the United States.

Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) owner Eddie Gossage has approached Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone about the possibility of staging a night race in the United States.

With Formula One planning an inaugural night race in Singapore next year, Gossage said he had sent Ecclestone an invitation to attend a night-time oval Indy car race at TMS on June 9, the day before the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

TMS staged the first-ever night-time Indy car race in 1997.

"I think it would be of great interest to Mr. Ecclestone and his staff to visit Texas Motor Speedway and get an opportunity to witness and evaluate open-wheel cars running at high speeds under the lights," Gossage told reporters.

"Although a road course would offer different challenges, we could educate them about our lighting system and discuss some of the issues we encountered when we staged the first-ever night-time race in 1997.

"I think a night race for Formula One would be a terrific event for the sport and we would like to help them achieve that goal."

Gossage told Reuters he had yet to receive a reply from Ecclestone.