Everyone was on their toes in Saudi Arabia. Max Verstappen won the race after a late pass on Charles Leclerc. Formula One might be making Thanksgiving plans for Las Vegas. Track limits have come to NASCAR, and they were officiated questionably. RFK Racing went over the limit and paid dearly. One man is re-writing the Supercross record book, and now Supercross gets a week off. Milwaukee is somehow back in the IndyCar schedule conversation. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.
Yeah... It's About IndyCar on Ovals
Texas Motor Speedway has been a flashpoint for conversation recently. Unfortunately, these have not been good conversations.
After IndyCar's most recent event at Texas, there were plenty of discussions over the racetrack, promotion and whether it was time for IndyCar to make a change. It was not too dissimilar from NASCAR's most recent trip to Texas. NASCAR went last October and raced in front of mostly empty grandstands for one of its final races of the season on an overcast autumnal Sunday. To make matters worse, one week later Formula One was at Circuit of the Americas in Austin and competing in front of one of its largest crowds in the last ten years. Meanwhile, in Kansas, NASCAR was again competing in front of mostly empty grandstands while allegedly in a dramatic championship battle.
There was much to be pleased about after IndyCar's most recent trip to Texas. The race was a vast improvement over the last few seasons. A final corner pass for the victory helped. IndyCar made an effort to develop a higher lane despite the grip challenges with the PJ1 stained surface in the corners. The extra practice session helped though didn't completely eliminate the issue. After two hours, nine minutes and 29 seconds of racing, the general consensus was there was something worth saving in Texas. But a lot of work remains to be done.
Attendance must increase significantly, and from the sounds of those at the event, more has to be done promotionally. Labeled as a glorified tire test, awareness is one potential answer. Dallas is the fourth largest market in the United States. Texas is the second largest state. With just over seven million people in the market alone, a respectable five-figure crowd should be the least of both the track and IndyCar's concerns.
There is a playbook to success. Formula E finds a way to put on respectable races, one-day shows nonetheless, on temporary circuits around the globe. Texas Motor Speedway is one track in a larger multi-million dollar company that has been around for 25 years, not to mention a track that was led by a self-professed marketing marvel. There are no excuses why Texas cannot turn around one of its events to break even.
With how many seats the place has, 50,000 might not be enough to have a good looking crowd, but it would be a lot better financially and at least feel like an event.
It is not all on Texas Motor Speedway. IndyCar has plenty of oval issues since reunification. Crowds have shrunk at many tracks from different parts of the country. IndyCar has its own work to do. But is it willing to do what is necessary for oval races to survive?
Iowa is pulling out all the stops. It has a sponsor in Hy-Vee willing to throw its support behind the event. With a doubleheader capped with concerts featuring four notable performers, Iowa is getting the treatment we have only seen for the likes of the Indianapolis 500 and Long Beach. There is no guarantee we will have two successful days, but if Iowa can get 25,000 or 30,000 each day, it will be the revival the event needed after dwindling crowds and falling off the schedule in 2021.
Can IndyCar do that at every oval event?
There was only one series on track at Texas. The Road of Indy series do not run Texas. The NASCAR Truck Series is now on the NASCAR weekend at Texas. Iowa will at least have Indy Lights as an additional series, but when it comes to on-track action, that second IndyCar race fills a massive hole.
IndyCar has been wearied to expand the schedule and doubleheaders are far from popular, but doubleheaders might be the only answer for ovals outside the Indianapolis 500. Texas wanted to be a doubleheader again in 2022, but with Iowa returning as a doubleheader and IndyCar's scheduling philosophy, contraction was forced upon Texas.
Power is something IndyCar doesn't really get to wheeled in any relationship with any track. If Texas needs a doubleheader to survive, IndyCar has to meet it in the middle and accommodate another race. Margins might be tight, but one more race shouldn't be a matter of life or death for IndyCar. If that is the case, IndyCar is in far greater trouble than we realize. Not to forget mentioning, a doubleheader might be exactly what IndyCar needs if it is only having three race weekends in a seven-week period and four race weekends in a ten-week period to open the season.
Whether Texas remains in the game is to be determined, but for IndyCar's sake it might be better if it does. Texas wants to stick around from the sounds of it. No other track is knocking on IndyCar's door, not even after a last lap pass for the win in its most recent race. The devil IndyCar knows is better than the devil it doesn't. There is a working relationship with Texas. They can play off one another and try to revive this event fresh off an improved race. Any new track would have the motivation to at least make its money back, but it and the series would be starting at zero. Does IndyCar have the time to waste building a relationship?
IndyCar is in a difficult state when it comes to oval events. After two terrible years at Texas, this year's race was doomed before a ticket was even sold. Everyone expected a dog of a race. This year's outing wasn't the greatest race in Texas history, but it was acceptable. Not every race can light the world on fire, but in the 21st century, the tolerance for a bad race is non-existent. Texas had two bad years and there was no saving it. There was no proof this year's race was better. No number of tests in the world was going to persuade 60,000 people to show up at Texas Motor Speedway for race day.
This is why Iowa is trying to be more than a race weekend and that might be the only recipe going forward. No racetrack can bank on the race being the main draw. A bad race is too much to overcome, but if people can forget the race with two concerts and loads food trucks or whatever other carnival aspect is at the race weekend, then fantastic.
The Indianapolis 500 had a solid period of lackluster races, but Indianapolis is more than a race. It is an entire weekend with concerts on three consecutive days including the Snake Pit on race day. Even as the race has risen in competition, the weekend has continued to grow beyond the race and attract spectators for multiple reasons.
Race fans might not like to hear it, but it needs to be more than a race. It needs to be an event. That doesn't mean the race doesn't matter, but the weekend or race day needs to be enough to justify the time at the facility. One IndyCar race starting at 11:40 a.m. local time and ending before 2:00 p.m. isn't enough, no matter how many passes there are and if it is five-wide across the line for victory.
Seeing the steps Iowa is taking, it feels like IndyCar has a game plan for future oval events. If it is successful, we could see race weekends evolve after decades of stagnation. But if it doesn't, well then it is more of the same and we continue to scratch our heads.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Max Verstappen, but did you know...
Liam Lawson and Felipe Drugovich split the Formula Two races from Jeddah.
Ross Chastain won the NASCAR Cup race from Austin, his first career victory. A.J. Allmendinger won the Grand National Series race. Zane Smith won the Truck race, his second victory of the season.
Shane Van Gisbergen swept the three Supercars races from Symmons Plains.
Eli Tomac won the Supercross race from Seattle, his fifth consecutive victory, his seventh of the season, and his 44th career victory, tying him with Chad Reed for fourth all-time.
Coming Up This Weekend
NASCAR returns to Richmond.
MotoGP is back in Argentina.
