Fans walking into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the First MotoGP race there Sept. 14 likely won't recognize the place. Sponsor ads will hang on the inside walls of the track. There will be a host of companies in the hospitality area--including Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati and Repsol--that have never set foot inside the Speedway's grounds.  The motorcycle-specific nature of the Red Bull Indianapolis GP will permeate every facet of the event and affects all elements of the host city's planning.

Officials for Lucas Oil Products Inc. are imploring fans and media not to refer to the team's new stadium as The Luke, a nickname that has cropped up on sports talk radio shows and been repeated in print and on TV. The nickname seems to be gaining momentum, and that doesn't sit well with Lucas brass already playing defense against New Jersey-based Lukoil Co. California based-Lucas Oil signed a 20-year, $121.5 million naming-rights deal for the Colts' new stadium.

An economic dry spell may have corporate America praying for rain, but tough times have led to a bountiful year at the Indiana State Fair. Two weeks before the fair's Aug. 6 start date, corporate sponsorships were running 22 percent ahead of 2007, surpassing $1.5 million for the first time.