IndyCar Boasts the Biggest Non-INDY500 Purse, Nearing $2 Million in Total Payouts

IndyCar seems to have found its very own Busch Light Clash or an All-Star type of event. The event is located just outside of Palm Springs, California, at the Thermal Club. Interestingly, this will be a non-points-paying event since their attempts back in 2008 with Surfers Paradise Australia. The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge event is scheduled for a two-day open test, group qualifying sessions, two heat races, and the final mega event with a whopping prize pool of $1.756 million on the line for 12 drivers. Thus marking it as the largest prize pool event with the exception of the Indianapolis 500.

The special event has a unique set of rules that pairs up drivers and the team with the members of the Thermal Club. Let’s just call it an event for the rich racing enthusiasts who will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be paired with the teams. After the draw party on Thursday, the Thermal Club members will be able to collaborate with the teams to test and then compete in the main event.

Qualifying, Heats, and Main Race Format for the Thermal Club $1 million Challenge explained

The draw party on Thursday, March 21 also includes a random draw to divide the field into two groups. Each group will get a window of 12 minutes to complete their qualifying rounds across the 3.067-mile track. The results of the qualifying sessions on March 23 will determine the starting position for the teams for the heat races. Each driver will have to cut by clocking their best lap time within 40 seconds.

Moving on to the heat races that will take place on March 24 will determine the final 12-car field that will compete for the final event. It has to be noted that it is the first time since 2013’s Iowa Speedway race that heat racing is making its way back to IndyCar. A new set of Firestone Firehawk tires will be allotted to the teams during the heat races. The top six cars from the two groups after the heats will make it into the $1 million challenge event.

The pole position and the order of the grid will be determined by the heat race winner with the quickest time from the qualifying stages. The final event will be a 20-lap affair partitioned into two 10-lap sprint segments, with a break following the completion of the first 10 laps. The winner of the race will receive $500,000, the runner-up will get $350,000, and the third-place driver will be rewarded with $250,000.

This is indeed a mega event, one that IndyCar had to come up with because they have a window to telecast an event on TV despite not having to race. But despite the event being a non-points-paying one, it is expected to deliver an entertaining racing experience for the fans to witness.

“It’s just a band-aid, said Michael Andretti about the $1 million IndyCar event

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Ever since the 2018 IndyCar series saw a four-week break just after kickstarting the season, a similar trend continued last year, as the series saw a six-week break. Michael Andretti has described it as a “diamond in the rough” if invested and run properly, but with yet another break after Josef Newgarden’s triumph on March 10. The next points race is scheduled for April 21, and to make the most of the gap, IndyCar has now launched a special event. One that Andretti isn’t a fan of.

“I understand why they did it because they had nowhere else to go and they had a TV window and they had to do something to fix it. I think it’s a one-off thing. It’s just a band-aid to fix the problem. If I was them, what would I do? We have a TV spot but don’t have a race to go. I mean, it’s an experiment, right? Hey, what if it works? It’s a good time to try stuff,” Andretti said via Forbes.

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It’s not as if the fate of the IndyCar series revival depends on the Thermal Club $1 million event. However, if the event is a success, they will have something to build on and work out their way to mitigate the gaps in the points race schedule.