It was nearly forty-three years between Richard Petty winning on the dirt at State Fairgrounds Speedway in Raleigh, North Carolina and Austin Dillon winning the next NASCAR national touring series dirt race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Today marks the forty-third anniversary of the last time IndyCar turned laps at the road course at Indianapolis Raceway Park with Al Unser taking the one-hundred and fifty mile event over Mark Donohue and Gordon Johncock. According to those who were around at that time (Robin Miller), the race was unpopular, not drawing a respectable crowd despite taking place just a few minutes from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which drew 200,000 just two months prior. Despite failing over four decades ago and recent events involving race movement, IndyCar should consider returning to IRP but this time to race the short track.
When the announcement was made that NASCAR Nationwide Series was going to leave IRP, a track that played host to NASCAR's second division since it's inaugural season in 1982, it ended a staple event to not only the Nationwide calendar but to the delicate fabric of a local short track. With the Nationwide Series race leaving, NASCAR and the track were not able to maintain the Friday night Truck Series show and in 2012 the track did not host a NASCAR sanctioned event for the first time in over thirty years. Last year, IRP hosted an ARCA race on the Friday night of the Brickyard 400 weekend but it did not come close to drawing the terrific crowds Raceway Park brought out for the Trucks and Nationwide Series. The track now hosts USAC Silver Crown and Midget car races on Saturday night that could be labelled "The Night Before the Brickyard."
USAC is a great option for Raceway Park and they should maintain their place during Brickyard weekend. But things have changed so much over the past four decades that an IndyCar show at Indianapolis Raceway Park could match the crowds of the Nationwide shows. With all the talk about an IndyCar race on the IMS road course, a race on the IRP oval makes more sense. The IMS road course is notorious for poor racing for everything but MotoGP (but you could race MotoGP in your basement and they'd put on a helluva of show) and short track races have produced some of the best racing for IndyCar all-time, regardless of the era. IndyCar has been struggling for more oval races in the last few years and this would be a perfect pick up for IndyCar as most of the teams get another home race. Indianapolis is the biggest market for IndyCar hands down and should a second race be added, why not give it to Raceway Park, who lost it's biggest two events to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?
A one-day show for IndyCar the Friday or Saturday night of Brickyard weekend, I think, could only benefit the series. With the Speedway hosting sports car races on Friday and a Nationwide race Saturday, IndyCar would have to make sure to avoid scheduling events head-to-head and allow for fans to attend both if they choose to do so. A Friday night show could only happen if either the sports car race ended by six o'clock (they currently don't begin until 5:30 p.m.) or they are moved sports cars to Saturday with the Nationwide race. Moving the races to Saturday is near impractical and the sports cars should stay on Friday. Saturday night would make more sense if IndyCar were to ever race at IRP during Brickyard weekend. The Speedway could move the start of the Nationwide race up to 1:00 p.m. from 4:30 p.m, leaving plenty of time for fans to get from the Speedway to Raceway Park.
Many point to the 0.686 mile IRP oval as being too tight for IndyCar but I disagree. If the pit lane can hold forty-three stock cars, there should be no problem pitting twenty-four IndyCars. IRP doesn't have any permanent garage area or paddock but if IndyCar was running a one-day show, that wouldn't be a problem. I don't think the race track is too tight for racing (but what do I know?). I think IndyCar shouldn't be as scared to take chances on certain events. It may be difficult to pass but it couldn't be all that tougher than Iowa or Milwaukee, both of which are popular events.
With NBC taking over the back half of the NASCAR schedule starting in 2015, a racing weekend in the Indianapolis-area, full of every series on the NBC family of networks maybe something the series and network should try. And, with the door open to United SportsCar Racing landing on NBC, a weekend that featured five series, competing on two tracks in the same area, all on the same networks might be a great television event for NBC and NBC Sports Net.
Since reunification, IndyCar has strengthen it's fan base, especially in the Indianapolis-area and a second race during the summer, with affordable tickets that can bring back the atmosphere once hallowed at Raceway Park would only be a plus, especially with all the NASCAR and sports car teams and drivers in town. However, this is just a pipe dream. USCR still doesn't have a TV deal. The stars haven't aligned and it doesn't look like it is in the cards for an IndyCar race to take place at IRP but I don't think it should be completely dismissed. But as of now, IRP will have USAC on Saturday night and an IndyCar race is nowhere in sight.
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