This Week in IndyCar: June 4, 2010

A collection of news clippings from around the IZOD IndyCar Series over the past few days:

- The Baltimore Grand Prix, which had long been rumored to join the IndyCar schedule for next year, will become a reality in 2011 and beyond. The August 5-7 event will take place on a temporary street circuit that passes by Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles, and runs through Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The circuit also runs close to M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.

The city's contract with IndyCar guarantees at least five years of the event, which has been designed as an east coast alternative to the always popular Grand Prix of Long Beach.

- Mike Conway's loss is Tomas Scheckter's gain, at least temporarily. While Conway will lose at least three months of his IndyCar season after his spectacular wreck at the Indianapolis 500, Scheckter will gain a ride, at least temporarily. He will fill in for Conway in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara-Honda in this weekend's Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway, and possibly beyond.

Scheckter was the natural choice for the team to fill in, as he drove a third entry for them in this year's Indianapolis 500, even managing to lead a handful of laps. Scheckter's record at Texas has been spotty, but he has shown flashes of brilliance, winning the pole in his first two starts there and leading over 100 laps in each race before mechanical failures ended his days. Scheckter did, however, win the 2005 Texas race after leading 119 of 200 laps. It was his last IndyCar win to date.

- A handful of drivers will be running different paint schemes in this weekend's Firestone 550k. Scheckter will be running a Roll Coater scheme on his No. 24 Dallara-Honda, which will be black instead of the normal blue that the car carries when Dad's Root Beer adorns the sidepods. Dario Franchitti, fresh off his Indy 500 triumph, will run a red and black Energizer scheme on his No. 10 Dallara-Honda. Finally, Alex Lloyd will again run the BSA 2010 scheme on his No. 19 Dallara-Honda, celebrating 100 years of the Boy Scouts of America.

IndyCar May Return to the Eastern Seaboard With Baltimore Race

The idea of an IZOD IndyCar Series race in Baltimore, Maryland first came up seriously early last summer, just days after one of the worst races of the season took place at Richmond International Raceway. Playing to the IRL's recent embrace of street courses, the event would take place on a two-plus mile track that circled Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Camden Yards, home of baseball's Orioles.

Today, Baltimore city officials approved a favorable five-year deal that should all but guarantee the track a place on the IndyCar schedule in 2011 and beyond. Sources say the lease costs $1.25 million a year, along with $7.5 million earmarked for upgrades to the streets on which the cars will race.

Baltimore Racing Development, which was established in 2007 to try to make the Baltimore Grand Prix a reality, released its Economic Impact Report on Monday, and the numbers were more than enough to impress the city. Projections suggest $70 million of yearly revenue generated by the race, $6 million in taxes, and 400 full-time equivalent jobs generated by the event, which is expected to draw at least 100,000 spectators. The report also claims that the city of Baltimore will receive $5.5 million worth of media exposure from the event.

Among the benefits to hosting a race in Baltimore are its central location - less than two hours from Washington DC and Philadelphia by car or rail, and an hour flight away from New York and Boston. Open-wheel racing has neglected these markets as of late, with former races in Loudon, Dover, Richmond, and Nazareth off the schedule. The only race in the northeastern part of America right now is the July 4 Watkins Glen event. Heading to Baltimore will help reclaim a fanbase in this crucial area of the country.

No date has been set for the 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix.