NASCAR started racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 1994 season on the 2.5-mile oval track. The Brickyard 400 immediately became the sport’s most-attended event in its inaugural running, which was won by Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon.
Over the years, NASCAR fans began to grow tired of the Brickyard 400 and the attendance numbers saw significant drops. Due to the attendance, the sport dropped the oval race and moved to the road course for the 2021 season and beyond.
It was unfortunate as many rightfully argued that NASCAR shouldn’t go to Indianapolis if it is not on the oval track, including Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch. Well, the majority of the fans and drivers might be seeing their wishes come true.
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NASCAR rumored to move back to the Indianapolis oval for the 2024 season
It has been well-known that NASCAR is taking a new approach to building the schedule each season now. For the longest time, the racing series didn’t change much and the schedule was very predictable.
However, NASCAR has become bold with its decision-making and several new ideas, such as the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum and Chicago Street Course, have started to develop and are likely to bring more attention to the sport in the future.
This also includes the possible return of international racing as the racing series is looking to bring the Cup Series to Canada or Mexico starting in 2024. Speaking of returns, Indianapolis Motor Speedway could see a similar fate.
NASCAR driver and owner Denny Hamlin talked about the Indianapolis 500 on his podcast, Actions Detrimental, and dropped a very intriguing note about NASCAR’s future at the famous racing venue.
“I’ve been a huge advocate of putting these NextGen cars back on the oval at the Brickyard. It’s so much more prestigious. The Indy road course is not a marquee event. If you put us back on the oval, it is a marquee event. The NextGen car has so much drag down the straightaway, so it’s so slow by itself, that the slingshot passes would be huge. As long as you slow our cars up, just a little bit in the corners, to make it where the wake isn’t terrible, you would have fantastic racing. I’m looking forward to going back (to Indianapolis), I’m hearing, next year, on the oval.”
Denny Hamlin on NASCAR’s future at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Quite frankly, this would be the correct decision by both NASCAR and Indianapolis. The events on the road course have not been incredibly entertaining while the finishes have been disrespectful demolition derbies.
There is no point in racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway unless it is on the oval track and it appears that, at least for 2024, NASCAR could bring back one of its crown jewel events. As Hamlin said, it is a marquee event.
The hope is that NASCAR and Indianapolis decide to keep the racing on the oval track if the switch is made in 2024. Very few fans and drivers enjoy the road course and the oval track would provide a spark to the calendar.
In the meantime, whether you are watching it live or looking for how to watch NASCAR on TV or another streaming platform, Sportsnaut has you covered for the upcoming weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway!