IndyCar: Questions surround future of Pocono Raceway beyond 2019

Questions surround the future of Pocono Raceway as it pertains to whether or not it will remain on the IndyCar schedule beyond the conclusion of the 2019 season.

After not hosting an IndyCar race since the 1989 season, Pocono Raceway returned to the scheduled in the 2013 season, and it has been on the schedule ever since.

The track’s initial contract with the series was a three-year contract that ran through the 2015 season. After hosting a race on Independence Day weekend in the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the race was moved to the penultimate Sunday in August for the 2015 season.

An otherwise exciting race in 2015 was marred by a crash that resulted in a piece of debris striking the helmet of Justin Wilson, who passed away the next day as a result of this incident. However, the series and the track still agreed to return on the same Sunday the following year, although rain forced the race to be moved to Monday.

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Prior to the race at three-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Pocono Raceway triangle in Long Pond, Pennsylvania in August of 2016, the series and the track reached an additional two-year contract extension for the race to be held on the same weekend through the 2018 season.

Last year’s race at the track was again marred by a terrible accident, this one leaving Robert Wickens paralyzed from the waist down. Wickens is still recovering from this accident and has shown major progress as far as his walking is concerned, but he still has a long way to go if he wants to race again.

However, in the midst of such a devastating accident, IndyCar and Pocono Raceway once again agreed to a contract extension, this one for the 2019 season only. Nothing beyond this race, which is scheduled to take place on the usual penultimate weekend of August, is certain for the series and the track.

Here is what the Mark Miles, the CEO of Hulman & Company, IndyCar’s parent organization, had to say about the matter earlier this month, according to IndyStar.

"“Right now, we’re each evaluating the prospects for growth and what it would look like. Then, we’ll come to some conclusions about (the future).”"

Here is what Pocono Raceway CEO Nick Igdalsky had to say about the matter, according to The Morning Call.

"“Nothing’s decided about 2020 just yet, but I am engaged in conversations with the folks at IndyCar including one scheduled later [Wednesday]. We’re talking about it and seeing where it best fits.“I love seeing those guys come to town. The sheer speed they run at Pocono, going flat-out all the way around the place is unbelievable. And seeing them is dive into Turn 1, I can only liken it to a fighter jet on a banked turn. It’s unbelievable to actually see it and feel that sensation. It’s always some of the best racing we have at Pocono Raceway. I’m very excited to have them back and we’ll see where things go in the future with that event.”"

There is also speculation that Richmond Raceway may return to the schedule next year to mark what would be its first appearance on the schedule since the 2009 season. “High-level conversations” between IndyCar and the track have already been confirmed, although it is unlikely that the series will compete both here and at Pocono Raceway next year.

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Will the 2019 IndyCar season be the final season for America’s premier open-wheel racing series at Pocono Raceway for the foreseeable future, or will the series and the track reach what would be their fifth contract in the last seven years to keep the track on the schedule for the 2020 season and beyond? What will whichever decision is made mean for the prospect of Richmond Raceway being added to the schedule?