Why Texas Motor Speedway Refuses to Give Up on IndyCar

• Last year, the NTT IndyCar Series played Texas Motor Speedway before a poor crowd that many estimated to be between just 15,000 and 30,000 on race day.

• Despite that fact, TMS will once again play host to IndyCar for the next several years, starting with this Sunday’s PPG 375.

• Now that the pandemic is under control, TMS officials are optimistic that Sunday’s crowd will be bigger and better than the last three-plus years.

A year ago, it appeared as if IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway were on the verge of a divorce. The two had been joined at the hip with at least one race at TMS each year since 1997, including nearly a decade where TMS hosted two IndyCar events per year.

But with steadily declining attendance in recent years and last year being the final year of a four-year contract between the track and the racing series, if there ever was a time to make a break, that was it.

Plus, Circuit of the Americas—225 miles away and which had played host to IndyCar for just one race in 2019—provided a strong lure to IndyCar teams with an exciting and challenging road course that not only drew hundreds of thousands of fans each year to the annual Formula 1 event there, but also became one of the new additions to the NASCAR schedule.

But even with drivers complaining about lack of promotion for last year’s race, not to mention the poor crowd that many estimated to be between just 15,000 and 30,000 on race day in 2022 (the Fort Worth Star Telegram estimated the crowd in 2021 "looked to be no more than 20,000), TMS will once again play host to IndyCar for the next several years, starting with this Sunday’s PPG 375.

The weekend will also include the return of what had been a traditional undercard for the IndyCar weekend at TMS for several years, namely, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday.

So what happened? Why is IndyCar back at TMS not just for this year but several more years to come?

First of all, even with the declining attendance in recent years, much of that could be attributed to the pandemic. Now that the pandemic is under control, TMS officials are optimistic that Sunday’s crowd will be bigger and better than the last three-plus years.

But there’s also another key reason why IndyCar is back deep in the heart of Texas. Even with slipping attendance numbers, TMS still provides one of the most exciting oval track venues in the country. Cars easily crack 220 mph, making TMS the second-fastest track on the IndyCar circuit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, host of the Indianapolis 500.

“It's very important to have IndyCar at Texas Motor Speedway,” TMS executive vice president and general manager Mark Faber told Autoweek. "There was a lot of rumors, comments that (IndyCar) wasn't coming back. That's not the case.

“We have a multi-year partnership. We are very excited and it all starts at the top of our respect for Roger Penske, what he has done for the sport, what he has done with Texas Motor Speedway, he's got a strong relationship with Marcus Smith and the Smith family. And so those two have continued that working relationship that Bruton (late Speedway Motorsports founder Bruton Smith) started, and we have a strong, strong partnership with them. And so we're excited.”

Following a long career as a top executive with entertainment giant AEG, Faber joined TMS last September, at the tail end of negotiations that renewed and extended the TMS-IndyCar marriage for the next several years.

Faber knew COTA, in Austin, Texas, was lurking somewhat in the background, although there are mixed reports whether COTA was truly interested in having IndyCar back after just a one-year, one-and-done situation in 2019 (which is where Colton Herta won his first IndyCar race).

“That was all rumors and speculation,” Faber said about the possibility of IndyCar moving from TMS to COTA. “I don't have any knowledge of discussions about moving to COTA. I've been on the job seven months now and in my seven months, not one person has told me we were seriously considering moving IndyCar to COTA.

“So, IndyCar is an important series to Texas Motor Speedway. Teams can come here, they can drive on an oval, they're all looking down the road at the Indianapolis 500. We've already had some testing here a couple of weeks ago.