Top Five U.S. Venues For IndyCar in 2017
By Alex Herbst
4. Road Atlanta
One of the most majestic road courses in the southeast, Road Atlanta may be well-known for the Petit Le Mans, but could look to add to its racing portfolio with IndyCar. The 2.54-mile circuit in Braselton, Georgia currently fields mostly sports cars and motorcycle racing, but has a style that can be compared to other tracks that currently host to the series.
When looking for a comparison on the IndyCar schedule for Road Atlanta, the three tracks that come to mind are Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Barber. All three have previously held major sportscar racing over the years, and have seen great racing from both series.
In addition, Road Atlanta has already held races across the legs of the Road to Indy development ladder, including Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and USF2000.
So why is Road Atlanta not seeing IndyCar yet? It might have something to do with its owner. Panoz Motorsports is the listed owner of the track and is a subsidiary of stock car giant NASCAR. And racing there would be IndyCar’s closest race to NASCAR country in the Carolinas since they raced at Richmond International Raceway.
Could IndyCar and NASCAR cooperate for something to benefit both businesses? They’ve done it before, and they can do it again.
Next: 3. Auto Club Speedway