Has Indy’s Brickyard Weekend Run Its Course?
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What does the future hold for Indy’s unique NASCAR - INDYCAR triple header?
Good question.
Neither NASCAR, INDYCAR nor the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have said anything public about the future of the unique weekend.
According to IMS president Doug Boles, the crossover weekend started out of necessity in 2020, when both NASCAR and INDYCAR were looking to find ways to make up for lost race dates due to the pandemic. It was also an idea to juice lagging attendance for the Brickyard 400.
But, because no fans were allowed in 2020, and drivers were restricted from visiting each other’s garages, the NASCAR - INDYCAR crossover was tried again in 2021 when fans could attend and drivers could mingle together.
While industry officials think it’s a great showcase for motorsports, the weekend hasn’t quite caught on with fans, judging by the number of empty seats at the Speedway. But, to be fair, with Indy’s massive size, even a crowd of 75,000 leaves the place looking empty.
Is it the concept of the event, or is Indy’s road course the issue?
Schedules have yet to be released for 2024, but a two-day tire test of NASCAR’s Next Gen car on Indy’s famed 2.5-mile oval has led to speculation that the plug will be pulled on the event after this year and NASCAR and INDYCAR will go their separate ways.
Where do the drivers stand on the weekend?
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3-time Brickyard 400 winner Kevin Harvick has enjoyed the experience, but wishes the NASCAR race at Indy was still on the oval.
“As a competitor, it’s neat because you get to see people that you typically don’t see on a race weekend with the IndyCar guys here.
“I’m not going to get into the reasons of what I think is good or bad. I personally would prefer the oval, but I think for me and everything that I’ve learned about this, there’s way more to it than my opinion.
“So, it’s been a unique experience to have the two groups together and to function, because racers are racers. We just race something different.”
Kyle Busch, who won back to back Brickyard 400’s in 2015 and 2016, agrees.
“Yeah, I would say so. I think it’s pretty cool – kind of unique. But you know, if I’m being selfish, I think many of us drivers, crews and everything else, we’d rather be coming here and racing around the oval with the prestige and the history of what the oval is. Even though we’re at Indy, it just doesn’t really feel like it’s the same thing going the wrong way.”
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NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe is an Indiana native.
“I think this weekend and just the crossover is super cool.
“For me at least, growing up in Indiana, I was an IndyCar fan and you just kind of naturally are because you grew up here. So, for me, this weekend was cool just seeing the crossover.
“I feel like especially, prior to really this weekend when we started doing it two or three years ago, there was almost like this, ‘ You’re either an IndyCar fan or you’re a NASCAR fan.’ There wasn’t a ton of crossover. Where now, you see drivers from both disciplines coming and racing, and I feel like the fanbase has really kind of embraced each other.
“It’s just a great opportunity, and honestly, this Saturday ticket is one of the best in motorsports. You can come and watch an IndyCar race, you can watch an Xfinity race, you can watch the Cup cars practice and qualify – as a race fan, it’s a great opportunity and a great ticket to have.
“I don’t know if it’s going to go away,” Briscoe continued, “but if it does, it’s going to be a great ticket that will go away. I doubt they’d run the oval for IndyCar, but maybe they can still run if we do go back to the oval. The IndyCars could still run the road course while we run the oval. I don’t know how that’d work, but I think today is always cool from a race fan side of things.
“It’s getting to see three different disciplines, and three of the highest disciplines in North American motorsports all competing on the same track.”
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From an IndyCar perspective, Scott Dixon, winner of Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix, thinks sharing the weekend with NASCAR has been good.
“Yeah, I think so. There's not a whole lot of crossover. I don't think you can even walk through anybody's pits. Well, they can probably walk through ours. I don't think we can really go through theirs.
“It's kind of cool, especially for this weekend, got fellow countryman with Shane (Van Gisbergen), (Brodie) Kostecki from V8 Supercars, old teammate with Kamui Kobayashi here as well. Maybe some of us INDYCAR boys need to start driving both of the cars on this weekend. It would be a lot of fun.
“I think it's fantastic,” Dixon continued. “From my point of view, I'm a race fan, man. I love INDYCAR racing. I love V8 Supercars. I love NASCAR. I love Formula 1.
“To have both of them on the same weekend is huge. I think for NASCAR to move to the road course I think was pretty special, as well.”
As far as the talk of going back to the oval, Briscoe is of two minds.
“Every time we talk about going to the oval, I always tell people, from a history and significance standpoint, I want to go back. But, I do feel like from a winning standpoint, I have a little bit better of a shot on the road course.
“So yeah, for me, I’d still much rather run the oval. If I were going to win one or the other: For sure, for me and my career, I’d love to be able to say I’ve run a Brickyard 400. The road course wouldn’t hurt my feelings if we ran twice a year – once on the oval and once on the road course. I don’t think that’s going to happen. It’s a little bit of mixed feelings, but truthfully, if everything comes together we can win on the oval too.
“But, I have had success in the past on the road course. So, you at least come here with confidence, where on the oval, you don’t have a ton of laps compared to a lot of guys. So, it is a little bit harder to be confident going into those.”
“So for me, I’ve been able to run two oval races in the Xfinity series and it was just the wildest feeling, truthfully, coming off Turn 4 every lap and seeing that front straightaway, “ according to Briscoe. “I’m doing the Cup test Monday and Tuesday, and it’s crazy to think that I’ll be one of three guys to drive this Next Gen car on the oval. So, if we get a race on it, the significance of what The Brickyard 400 is, it’s a crown-jewel. There’s no other way to say it. I think it’s the Daytona 500, then the Brickyard 400 is the second race that from a driver standpoint, everyone wants to win.
“So, I grew up coming to a lot of Brickyard 400s, and if we do come back, it would be super special. I’m just excited to see what this test holds Monday and Tuesday, and what it could mean for the future.”
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Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez would hate to see the road course race go away, but would be thrilled with racing on Indy’s iconic oval.
“I love road course racing. I love Indianapolis. But I love the oval, as well.
“The oval – that’s Indianapolis. That’s the history of this place. I think winning on Sunday, it would be unbelievable. But I think winning on Sunday on the oval – I don’t know why, but I feel like it would have a little bit of a different feel. I could be wrong. I hope I get to experience both.
“But whatever happens in the future, if we go back to the oval or not, I know I’m going to enjoy it so much because I love both so much. I’m looking forward to those opportunities.
“Honestly, selfishly talking, I hope we can do two races or one and one – one next year on the oval and the following year road course, and then oval again. I think that would be amazing just because I love both so much.
“When we changed from the oval to the road course, I was super excited. And right now, if we get to change again, I would be excited, as well. I just like the change and I don’t think that you can go wrong with either.
“I think the race track is just unbelievable and it has so much opportunity and it’s just so special to be here. I just wish we were coming more often. This is an amazing place.”
Alternating between the oval and the road course is appealing to Briscoe, as well.
“I mean, I do think that it’s no secret: The oval, The Brickyard 400, started out as packed, sold-out practically. Towards the end, it wasn’t really that. So, I think we had to do something to switch it up as a sport to kind of get it back.
“Obviously, we lost a crown-jewel doing that, but I do think that maybe that’s a possibility. You run the road course every two or three years in a row and then bring back the oval for the fourth year, because it definitely seemed like when you ran the oval every year, it did lose a little bit.
“But truthfully with this Next Gen car and how it’s raced on the oval, it might be this incredible race. I don’t know. I wouldn’t be against running the oval for the next three or four years But at the same time, I wouldn’t be against switching back and forth. I do think it’s hard to have a crown-jewel on the schedule, then take it away – bring it back, take it away. I think if we’re going to do it, I’d love to see it been a mainstay for at least a couple years.”
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IndyCar driver Graham feels it’s important for the crossover weekend to continue, whether at Indy or somewhere else.
“Yeah, I mean, I told (NASCAR driver) Ryan Preece, we were doing some United Rental stuff, Austin Hill was there as well, we were talking. I don't understand why we don't do this more. I think for a long time people look at INDYCAR, NASCAR as competition. The reality is there's a lot of crossover.
“Frankly, I don't know why we don't try to raise each other's game and be there. Oval races, road courses, doesn't matter on an oval how much quicker an INDYCAR is going to be or not. It really is irrelevant to the entire show.
“I think our job today in motorsports is to keep the current fans engaged and excited and get new ones drawn to the sport. NASCAR and INDYCAR have a very interesting opportunity because we race in a lot of the same places. You look at the Roval or opportunities like Texas, various places like that, I see no reason why we don't do this more often than not.
“Yeah, I don't know what the schedule is going to be, it seems unlikely we're going to be here together next year, but I certainly hope that everybody can put their heads together, motorsports needs each other right now to keep the energy behind it, keep the sports moving in the right direction. I think we just keep working together.’
Busch thinks it’s a concept worth continuing, but concedes it’s above his pay grade.
“Well that’s for way smarter people in higher powers than me to make that decision. If it works for INDYCAR and it works for NASCAR, then I would say sure.. why not.
“There’s plenty of places that we can do it – we can do it together, stuff like that. You could even do it at Watkins Glen (International) together if you wanted to - where all you have to do is move some cones and the INDYCAR guys can run the boot and we can run our normal course, but you can be on the same essential track during the weekend.
“So there’s definitely plenty of opportunities to continue the comradery between the paddocks and garage area to have an INDYCAR / NASCAR double.”
With NASCAR likely on Indy’s oval next year, and INDYCAR going elsewhere (the Milwaukee Mile?), the demise of the crossover weekend at Indy would be be OK with Harvick.
“I’m always of the opinion that you should do something, and then move on to something else. I think it’s a unique experience and it’s much like the Clash or street courses… I think there’s always something newer and fresher to go out and try. Now, if there was 300,000 people. That’d be a different conversation.”