TMS 'moving in the right direction' after IndyCar crowd boost

The first event held in a new contract between Penske Entertainment and Speedway Motorsports Incorporated’s Texas Motor Speedway produced a meaningful increase in attendance. The change comes after the 1.5-mile oval held the distinction of hosting among the fewest fans on the calendar during the NTT IndyCar Series’ annual appearances.

Although TMS did not release a figure for crowd size, there was visible growth in the grandstands as a larger crowd witnessed an epic race that was eventually won by Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.

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“We’re proud to have seen attendance increase by a double-digit percentage for yesterday’s NTT IndyCar Series PPG 375,” TMS EVP and GM Mark Faber told RACER. “All of us at Texas Motor Speedway are working hard to ‘rebuild the house’ and those efforts were rewarded yesterday afternoon with many more fans in the grandstands to witness a highly competitive and action-packed PPG 375 race won by now three-time Texas Motor Speedway winner Josef Newgarden.”

With the early days of the Indy Racing League setting record attendance figures for open-wheel racing at TMS, efforts will continue to recapture IndyCar’s glory days at the SMI circuit.

“There is still much to be done to build on the momentum created last weekend,” Faber said. “And those efforts began first thing this morning with the satisfaction of knowing we’re moving in the right direction.”