Herbert will not race in Texas

[Liz]

...because he's going to be racing in Atlanta.

From Speedvision.com:

Herbert’s Audi Duties Remove Him From IRL Race


Johnny Herbert (right), shown here conferring with his Audi teammates, will have to miss his IRL debut due to duties with the American Le Mans Series Oct. 5-6. (Photo: www.champion-motors.com)

Indianapolis, Ind., Sept. 24 — Johnny Herbert’s official oval-track racing debut will go on hold yet again as his road-racing duties with Audi and Champion Racing will take the former Formula 1 pilot out of his scheduled entry in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series.

Herbert was to drive a GForce/Infiniti as a second car for Heritage Motorsports at the IRNLS season finale at the Texas Motor Speedway, but the race was rescheduled because of the events of September 11, moving the event back to October 6 – a date that conflicts with the American Le Mans Series season-wrapping Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

Therefore, Herbert had to leave the seat in the Heritage No. 36 machine to join Champion teammate Andy Wallace in the team’s Audi R8. The Champion team is coming off of its best finish of the year, running second at Laguna Seca, and Herbert is eighth in the driver’s points despite running a part-time schedule on the circuit.

Heritage Motorsports today announced that it would not put another driver in the seat of the No. 36 car, instead running the single No. 35 GForce/Aurora for Jeff Ward. The move means a missed opportunity for Heritage, who wanted to gather more data on the Infiniti powerplant in possible preparation for a motor swap next season.

Herbert had run a test with Heritage at the Kentucky Speedway six weeks ago, and is considering joining the IRNLS on a full-time basis next season.

[KC]

Part of the problem stems from the fact that the race was moved from the weekend after the terrorist attack and TMS is holding the race on Saturday instead of Sunday now. I would imagine Herbert might make the race if it was on Sunday instead of on Saturday.