IndyCar: Five reasons destroying Walt Disney World Speedway was a mistake

Fanbase booster

This slide kind of connects with the previous slide except it focuses on the younger children as opposed to the general Disney-going population as a whole. When many people think of Disney World, they think of little kids having a great time going on rides and meeting their favorite Disney characters.

Now inject IndyCar into that, with a pack of more than 20 cars coming down the front straightaway of Walt Disney World Speedway at over 200 miles per hour. This would certainly grab the attention of many of the youngsters having the time of their lives at Disney World.

Right now, young race fans are lacking when compared to young fans in other sports like football, baseball or basketball. The average child or teenager is unfortunately more likely to be able to tell you who the third-string quarterback of the Cleveland Browns is than who won the Indianapolis 500 last year. Sadly, that’s just the way it is.

Why is this? Sure, maybe some young children don’t enjoy racing. But the fact is, the majority of them have simply never been exposed to it. Having a race at Walt Disney World Speedway would have helped to grow the sport from the ground up, starting with the part of the population that IndyCar will not be able to survive without several decades down the road.

The appeal to young children that an IndyCar race at Walt Disney World Speedway would have had is an appeal that no other track across the United States or even the world would have had. Having a race at the track would have been a perfect opportunity to focus on the future of the sport’s fanbase.