NASCAR to return to Indianapolis next year
NASCAR will return to the 21/2-mile oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next season for the 30-year anniversary of stock cars racing at the historic venue.
The inaugural Brickyard 400 was held on Aug. 6, 1994, and was won by Indiana icon Jeff Gordon in the first of his five Indianapolis victories. That NASCAR debut was the first race beside the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the famous track since 1916.
NASCAR raced on the oval from 1994 through 2020, but under Roger Penske’s ownership of IMS the race was held on the 2.439mile road course the last three seasons as part of a shared weekend with the IndyCar Series.
The Brickyard 400 will be held on July 21, with the Xfinity Series racing on the oval one day earlier.
“While it’s been exciting to watch the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series drivers tackle the IMS road course over the last three years, being back on the oval for the 30th anniversary is a much-anticipated homecoming for drivers and fans alike,” said Doug Boles, president of IMS. “Whether you’ve been with us all 30 years or are a new fan, the celebration as we ‘come back around’ will be can’tmiss and truly unforgettable.”
The last NASCAR driver to win on Indy’s oval was Kevin Harvick in 2020. He’s retiring at the end of the season. Michael McDowell won the Cup race in August, and Ty Gibbs won the Xfinity race.
“It’s always an honor to race at IMS, but it’s no
secret that I’m excited for NASCAR’s return to the oval,” said 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. “The Brickyard 400 is one of the crown jewels of the sport’s season. To win on the oval, especially during NASCAR’s 30th anniversary at the track, is to add your name to the history books.”
Larson is also running the Indianapolis 500 next year.
All-Star Race back at North Wilkeboro Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race will remain at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2024 after this year’s event — the first race for NASCAR there in 27 years — attracted a capacity crowd thrilled to return to stock car roots.
State legislators joined NASCAR and track executives on Thursday at the North Carolina Legislative Building for the announcement, which keeps the .625mile (1-kilometer) asphalt oval, located almost 160
miles (258 kilometers) west of Raleigh, on the Cup Series schedule for another year.
The May 19 non-points exhibition race remains in its traditional slot on the weekend before the CocaCola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps said the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and the circuit’s first street race, held in Chicago, were the signature events of 2023 during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season.
“Neither of those events disappointed,” Phelps said. “We are so thrilled to be coming back with the AllStar Race.”
North Wilkesboro was one of NASCAR’s original venues, hosting more than 90 Cup races before it closed in 1996 as the circuit sought to build popularity in other markets.
The oval fell into disrepair until Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., local boosters, and state officials pushed efforts to rejuvenate the track.