The NASCAR Cup Series finished its third running of the Indianapolis Road Course on Sunday afternoon and it provided significant drama. Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell barely held off hard-charging Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott to clinch a spot in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs. Both drivers were looking for their first win of the year.
It was a race that only featured one caution on Lap 2 due to the new rules that state NASCAR doesn’t need to throw a yellow flag for the stage breaks. McDowell, Elliott, and Daniel Suarez then fought it out over one of the longest green-flag runs in recent memory. It was an exciting event but enough to continue it next year?
Not really. In fact, NASCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway should look into switching the event back to the oval layout next season. This has been highly speculated for months and the ongoing tests in Indianapolis seem to suggest it will happen soon. Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Briscoe are testing the oval layout in Indianapolis on Monday and Tuesday.
Track is hot.#NASCAR | #TheBrickyard pic.twitter.com/aIz9Ufzrwc
— Indianapolis Motor Speedway (@IMS) August 14, 2023
This feels like an inevitable move that should happen. Sure, NASCAR has put on some good events on the road course layout but it is not the same as the oval. The sport lost a fourth Crown Jewel that it has been unable to replicate. The Bristol Night Race could be considered one due to its magnitude but it’s still not on the same level as the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500.
The Brickyard 400 was taken away from the mix after the 2020 NASCAR season and it has been greatly missed. Some people would say the oval layout had mixed results with bad racing and attendance; however, the magic of Indianapolis is not the same on the road course. The return of the Brickyard 400 would provide a spark that is clearly missing when you walk into the famed venue.
NASCAR has too many road courses and some drivers tend to agree with that sentiment. If the rumors of Montreal coming to the 2024 Cup Series schedule are true, it further shows there is no need for the Indianapolis Road Course. If NASCAR wants to keep the other roval track, the Charlotte ROVAL, that is perfectly reasonable; however, why keep going to Indianapolis if it’s not the oval?
It’s like going to Daytona International Speedway for the road course layout. It makes no sense and several drivers think the same way. The last three years on the Indianapolis Road Course have produced mixed results as well. There is no denying that fact. Indianapolis belongs on the 2024 Cup Series schedule but it needs a spark that only the oval can provide.
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