IndyCar has identified a need to make sure future races on the calendar stand out as special events that can be promoted on their own merits as opposed to simply being part of the IndyCar schedule.
Doug Boles, who is now president of both the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, feels that more race weekends need to be full fledged events in order to attract fans.
While speaking on the EPARTRADE Race Industry Week webinar Boles elaborated on creating a larger spectacle at each stop on the calendar.
“Having had an opportunity to go to Arlington, walk the venue, and see the work that we’ve already done for the pit lane and some of the construction we had to do down there to make sure the track was going to work,” said Boles.
“It’s going to be an outstanding facility. It’s a really cool location going around the two stadiums with the [Dallas] Cowboys and the [Texas] Rangers.
“You think of street racing oftentimes and it’s really tight quarters and maybe doesn’t feel quite as fan-friendly in terms of the ability to see things.
“I think [Arlington] is going to be a really, really great venue. It’s going to race well, it’s going to have really high speeds on it. It’s going to be a spectacular event.
“One of the things I think we have to do going forward is create more events, not just races.
“Obviously the Indy 500 is an event, Long Beach is an event, at some level St. Petersburg is an event, and I think Arlington will be too. We have to keep that momentum of events going as we continue to add events over time, making sure they are big events.”
IndyCar, along with many other motorsports series, has made a concerted effort to bring more atmosphere to its races in recent years.
Accompanying concerts, such as the ones seen at Iowa Speedway for a few years, and intriguing support races have helped attract people to the track and gain visibility.
The series continues to aim to bring even more events to the schedule which can draw interest from a wider group of fans.
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