A return to the Las Vegas oval after an eight-year hiatus is "still being talked about," IRL vice president of public relations John Griffin said Thursday.

Next year's IndyCar schedule has several uncertainties because of venues made available when the Champ Car World Series folded early this year.

"I'd say there is more interest for '09 by both sides than in the past few years," said Chris Powell, Las Vegas Motor Speedway president. "The series shows a lot more strengths since the merger (with Champ Car). The are good story lines like with Danica Patrick, a lot of good young drivers and good competition."

The first major event at LVMS when the track opened in 1996 was an IRL race. The last IRL race here in 2000 drew at most 20,000 fans.

Griffin said the IRL expects to have 18 or 19 races next year, and its schedule might take two or three years to evolve. Eighteen races are on this year's schedule.

If a race were to be added at LVMS, it probably would be a season finale in late October to coincide with the annual IRL awards banquet, which will be held at the Palms for the first time on Nov. 5.

• ON THE ROAD -- The Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Bullring is closed until Aug. 2, but that doesn't mean all local racers are taking time off.

Reigning Super Late Models champion Dustin Ash, who is not racing full time at the Bullring because of a lack of sponsorship, dusted off his Late Models car and headed for Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, Calif., on Saturday.

The 19-year-old proved he wasn't rusty by winning the Hornaday 100. Three-time and reigning NASCAR Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday was one of the drivers in the field, but mechanical problems ended his night early.

Las Vegan John Keller placed fourth. ...

Southern Nevada's Justin Johnson, the Bullring points leader in Thunder Roadsters with eight wins, traveled to Irwindale Speedway near Los Angeles on Saturday and won the roadster feature. He is second in the national standings. ...

In Legends Cars at Irwindale, an electrical malfunction slowed Jeremiah Wagner to a sixth-place finish. Wagner, 15, ranks third nationally in the Pro division. ...

Former Bullring driver Alex Haase will compete in Saturday's Pro All Stars Series Late Models race at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, N.C. The 18-year-old driver for Kyle Busch Motorsports is the only driver in the series with two victories.

Haase's second consecutive title came on July 3 when he won the Firecracker 150 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C.

Contact reporter Jeff Wolf at 383-0247 or jwolf@reviewjournal.com.