IndyCar to push ‘urban and metro’ event expansion

Penske Entertainment says it will approach its future racing calendars with an emphasis on entering new markets that lean heavily on street racing.

“We want to be able to be proactive,” said company CEO Mark Miles. “Our focus, in terms of the future, will be on growing in urban and metro markets. So that's a bit of a break from some of the places that we've raced.

"Historically, we're not talking about jettisoning the races that we have now. But we want to be able to say, ‘We’d like to be in "blank," which is a important, growing, younger metro market,’ and either be the promoter ourselves, in some instances, or be able to really partner and bring investments and bring people and capacity skills to the development of future markets that are urban and metro going forward.”

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Among the cities that could be on the series’ radar, Denver, Colo., has been on the table as a potential host for a street race in recent years, and RACER understands Penske Entertainment is looking at Dallas, Texas, as another option to explore.

“When we say we want to go to those kinds of markets, it is increasingly likely that that does mean temporary circuits,” Miles added. “And we just don't see ovals, other than maybe this one downtown (at IMS), right in the core of the city of a market. The same is pretty much true for road courses. So again, there may be some exceptions, but I think if we're going to be opportunistic, and the most important thing is the kind of market and the vitality of the race, how successful, how robust the race can be in those markets. That will drive things and it may well mean that that those are likely to be street course additions.”

The upcoming 2024 schedule features 18 total events, with 17 being points-paying rounds and one non-points all-star contest. Asked whether Penske Entertainment would look to expand that number by developing new street races or stay around the current number and trade some events for new street courses, Miles said the latter was most likely scenario moving forward.

“I think we remain for the championships still pretty focused on the status quo,” he said. “I'm not trying to say in a year we'll have three brand-new, major metro markets added. We're simply building the capacity and having conversations toward those ends. So I think it's much more likely that we would add them, while not increasing the total number of championship points races.”

Miles also continues to harbor his longstanding desire to bring IndyCar back to competing on an international stage.

“We're involved in conversations like that now, and we will continue to explore operating opportunities internationally,” he said. “We have to see what's out there. We've been more reactive than proactive, I think, in that regard. But if the opportunities are there to strategically, in a way that fans understand, put together international races, so this long offseason is in part shortened by international opportunities. And that's something that we definitely want to look hard at.”