I watched a little on TV, and there sure looked like a lot of empty seats.
Iowa Speedway IndyCar Weekend
- Thread starter Cycsk
- Start date
I went both days. There were a lot of people there but with the heat a lot of people stood under the stands. Hy-Vee/Penske added a lot of seats as well. It seemed to do well and they have put a lot of money into the race track so I'm guessing they will announce another contract soon. There are also rumors of nascar returning but I'm not sure which series
Also went both days. It was a very solid crowd. There are numerous suite/club areas that are covered, so many folks at any given time were probably in those areas eating/drinking/etc. Then you also had people that were there primarily for the music. Overall it felt quite busy to me.
I have to give props to Hy-Vee for everything they've done for IndyCar, despite my annoyance at the ticket prices.
I have to give props to Hy-Vee for everything they've done for IndyCar, despite my annoyance at the ticket prices.
Did you have to buy race tickets to get/use concert tickets? My wife loves Ed Sheeran but I told her you had to buy race tickets and sit through the whole thing, knowing her love for him ain’t that strong. Glad damn it didn’t backfire on me and I would have been stuck watching racing (no offense to those that like it).
That's disappointing, but I'm sure it's what is best for IndyCar. I was upset when Texas Motor Speedway lost it's IndyCar race (went from 2/year to 1 to 0 while I've been here). But now we will have a street race in Arlington next year and the interest is sky high! I can see them going to more street circuits and less ovals to bring interest back.
Well that's what happens when there is ZERO advertising for it. IndyCar is dying and it's all because of themselves.
It's true.
I've seen more advertising for the Knoxville Nationals and Knoxville Late Model Nationals than the Indy Car race.
Curious what Iowa Speedway would have done if they weren’t on the NASCAR Cup schedule for 2026. Sounded like there was a real possibility it could have been left off that schedule as well and still is a problem going forward.
Indycar is starting to wade into the waters they were in in the mid 90s, just before the split. Minimize ovals except for the Indy 500 and push street races in major metropolitan areas. They still haven't seemed to grasp the concept of TV as the major source of revenue. Instead, pushing for race attendance. Street races usually mean boring racing and less TV viewership, but usually gets a packed house at the track and a lot more opportunity for VIP suite experiences.
I know a lot of the teams aren't happy with the way Penske is running Indycar. Seems they were really starting to make some waves 5 years ago or so, but that seems to have all slipped away again.
Oh yeah, and the double header weekends are stupid. You want to attact casual fans, don't make them decide which day to sit in the stands for. Pick Saturday night or Sunday and have one race everyone can attend at the same time.
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Yes, but it's really not comparable. That was for the Trans Am series. Basically Ford and Chevy competing against each other in purpose built Mustangs and Camaros. It was a cool series, imo, but you had to be a road racing fan to enjoy it and unless you knew the series, Walter Payton was the only name anyone knew.
