IndyCar: Top Five Tracks to Fill Schedule Gaps

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Richmond, now known for NASCAR races, also has history with the IndyCar Series. /

Richmond International Raceway

For the weekend after the Boston race, we’re heading into Richmond, Virginia. It gives us one more chance to take a swipe at the eastern United States and a chance to add an oval race to the schedule, so we’re going with Richmond International Raceway. It’s a short oval that is well-suited to Indy car racing.

Richmond is yet another track that has history with the Verizon IndyCar Series. It hosted the SunTrust Indy Challenge from 2001 to 2009. It’s a bullring that was successful despite its location in a traditional NASCAR market. The race was dropped before the 2010 season because of a loss of sponsorship.

Imagine IndyCar going back to the short oval in Virginia, bringing its ladder series the Mazda Road to Indy, and sharing the weekend with the United States Auto Club pavement cars. That’s quite a weekend for open-wheel fans. If tickets were reasonable and sponsorship for the race was in place, then you have a successful event.

After Richmond, the current Verizon IndyCar Series schedule calls for the season finale with GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma. But, that’s not where we’ve decided to end the season and celebrate the 2016 champion.

Next: Off to California!