Most Thrilling IndyCar Race Of 2023 Over In 2024

We can only speculate whether the Longhorns will be “back” like the Texas Longhorns were in the 2023 IndyCar season, who may have produced the best old-school, pack-style race since 2015 Fontana.

An emotional finish-line battle was unfortunately stopped by a yellow flag, which ruined the race. The middle sections of the race may not have been as interesting as Fontana, with 26 of 28 cars a lap down at one time and an eight-second deficit between the two that weren’t.

Texas will reportedly not be on the IndyCar schedule next year, according to rumors that have been going around for a while. The series and the track have, however, managed to get it back on the calendar each year, even if just for another one-year contract, despite the challenges.

IndyCar season 2024 saw a change from that

NBC took two weeks off from its motorsports coverage in the summer due to its commitment to cover the Paris Summer Olympics, and NASCAR was looking at a spring date for its Texas race instead of a fall playoff date. Even though the circuit has been the only non-Indianapolis Motor Speedway location on the calendar since the series’ inaugural complete season in 1997,

There are no promises, and “out of sight, out of mind” has been a rising tendency about IndyCar ovals, according to series owner Roger Penske, who stated that IndyCar will “be back in Texas, hopefully in another year.”

IndyCar’s willingness to forgo oval tracks has previously been seen. The aforementioned Fontana quit the sport after a 2015 race that saw a record 80 lead changes.

After the 2019 season, Richmond Raceway took Pocono’s position, however, COVID-19-related limitations prevented Richmond from hosting a race. Richmond Raceway was replaced by Pocono Raceway for the 2020 season. Since 2009, no race was held there; it didn’t come back for 2021.

In this case, however, it is unquestionably positive to see IndyCar bringing back oval night racing at Iowa Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Ironically, the historic Milwaukee Mile has also been removed from the schedule twice.

The 2024 IndyCar season has six oval events, the most since there were six in 2020, with two at Milwaukee, two at Iowa, one at Gateway, and the Indy 500.

Except for 2020, when numerous oval races were added after other events were removed from the schedule, there haven’t been six oval races in a season since 2018. Since 2011, there haven’t been more than six.

We can only hope that, if Texas is ever added back to the schedule, it won’t be at the price of another oval event. Ideally, a few other former IndyCar ovals would also make a comeback.