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I think it is still a question of equipment more than drivers. Most of the IRL drivers have at one time or another raced road courses. However, the current IRL gear box is very large and not designed for multiple up and down shifts required for road course work. It is designed to be used to go in and out of the pits and mainly operate at top rpm. I would think the gearcase is not ready for the rigors of constantly moving and up and down the ratios. I know in NASCAR the standard J-Tex gear box is not used at the road courses and a road course specific unit is used in its place.
Also, the chassis is designed for weight balancing for left turn only. I bet it is heavily ballasted to the left to insure better traction for oval racing and that would have to be changed as well.
Switching to road courses also requires a differnt steering mechainism that is much faster than the slower oval steering.
Also, consider that the engines are designed for top rpm work and do not carry large enough main bearing and rod bearings for mid and low range torque.
It would be extremely expensive for the current IRL package to be made ready for a road course. Keeping costs down was one of the founding features of the IRL.
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