IMS President Drops 3-Word Verdict Behind Indianpolis’ Coveted NASCAR Return

NASCAR Announcement: On its 30th anniversary, it will make a glorious return to the Indianapolis Oval in the 2024 season. For the past three years, the Indy races have been held at the road course, and while that has been a great source of entertainment, a return to the oval is something that a lot of fans and drivers have been wanting for quite sometime now. But have you ever wondered why NASCAR even moved from the oval to the road course in the first place?

Despite being one of the most iconic tracks in the history of motorsports, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had a major drawback similar to the Monaco street circuit in Formula 1. The track layout was such that overtaking was a massive issue, which often led to fans losing interest, which is not surprising considering the races go on for three hours, hurting the attendance. Hopefully, the Next Gen cars will be able to make a difference because, as per a lot of people, including the IMS President himself, NASCAR and the Indianapolis Oval are made for each other.

IMS President believes the NASCAR-Indianapolis partnership history dates back to 1994

2020 was the last time NASCAR drivers raced around the Indianapolis Oval. The very first Brickyard 400 was held back in 1994, and it was the legendary Jeff Gordon who emerged victorious on that day. The track is currently owned by one of the most recognizable names in NASCAR today, Roger Penske.

The Penske Corporation bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on November 4, 2019. Since then, it will only be the second time that NASCAR will race around its oval. Penske was shrewd when he saw that the Oval Race was not attracting any fans, as a result of which he was losing a significant amount of money. 

Now, the veteran owner of Team Penske will take another gamble for next season’s Indianapolis race. The best time to conduct his experiment with the Next-Gen cars and the Indianapolis Oval, as 2024 will be the 30th anniversary of NASCAR racing at Indianapolis. But will the racing be better, or will it just be yet another snoozefest that fans are all too used to? Only time will give us the answer to that question but for now, everyone seems to be on board with the plan.

However, according to Track President Doug Boles, NASCAR and the Indianapolis road course belong with each other. Doug exclaimed, “It belongs here and I think just on the foot side, we belong with them. We have had a great relationship with the folks in NASCAR. You think about, I mean rewind the pre-1994 and way pre-1994, we have Bill France and Tony Hulman, two icons in our sport, who I think they had conversations long long ago before we had that first test in the 1990s and the first race in 1994.”

“And when you think about iconic venues in motorsport, but I do think together, NASCAR belongs here and I think we belong on their schedule,” he said in a recent interview on SiriusXM.

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One of the drivers who will have a lot of work next year at Indianapolis is the 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. After the news was announced, the 31-year-old said that he was looking forward to racing at the iconic oval track.

Double-duty Kyle Larson looks forward to eventful Indianapolis weekend

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Larson will race in the Cup Series and in the IndyCar race next season at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So he won’t be missing out on the oval or the road course. According to ESPN, the 2021 Cup Series champion said that while it is always an honor to race at Indianapolis, he was excited for the oval to make a comeback.

“It’s always an honor to race at IMS, but it’s no secret that I’m excited for NASCAR’s return to the oval,” he said. “The Brickyard 400 is one of the crown jewels of the sport’s season. To win on the oval, especially during NASCAR’s 30th anniversary at the track, is to add your name to the history books.”

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The #5 driver of Hendrick Motorsports will drive for Arrow McLaren in arguably the biggest open-wheel race so far in his career. If all goes to plan and the 31-year-old develops a taste for the action, who knows, we might see him move to IndyCar in the next stage of his career.