Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske says he is still hopeful that the FIA World Endurance Championship will visit the Brickyard in future seasons after plans to host a race at the world-famous venue in 2024 fell through.
In 2024, as part of an expanded eight-race calendar, the FIA WEC will return to Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas for the first time since 2020. This move follows the decision to drop the 1000-mile race at Sebring, as part of a doubleheader with the IMSA, from the schedule.
The decision to choose a different U.S. venue was made in part because there was no longer an appetite to run the WEC race on Friday at Sebring ahead of the IMSA 12-hour race. The new deal with Qatar to host the series’ pre-season Prologue and season opener at the Lusail International Circuit in March meant it also no longer worked from a logistical standpoint.
Speaking to select media last weekend at Monza, Penske, whose team also operates Porsche’s factory efforts in the top class of both the FIA WEC and IMSA, said there were discussions with the WEC about hosting a race at Indianapolis in September 2024. However, the WEC’s travel schedule in the second half of the season meant it simply wouldn’t be viable for the slot proposed.
“We had good discussions. We were hoping we could run one (a WEC event) in 2024. We would very much like a WEC race there,” Penske said. “We were going to do it in September (2024), which is when they are going to COTA. We were going to do it on the same weekend IMSA was coming and run an event like the doubleheader was at Sebring. But we couldn’t because of TV and the travel for them was going to be impossible.
“It was financial and there was no flexibility for IMSA to change its dates.”
Penske also reiterated that beyond 2024 he would welcome a doubleheader with IMSA at Indianapolis.
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From 2024 onwards the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Indy is expected to become a fifth round for the Michelin Endurance Cup, making it a perfect opportunity to showcase the expanded WeatherTech Series endurance field and the FIA WEC’s grid on the same bill.
“It would be great to have them on the same weekend. We are open to hosting both series, especially as the rules get closer and closer,” Penske said. “I’d love to see that (a doubleheader) at Indianapolis — we want to use the track for big events and international events, which is what the WEC would bring.”