NASCAR, Indycar broker truce
Fans reap reward with blockbuster event for weekend
INDIANAPOLIS — The oncefrosty schism between the two biggest racing series in the United States has finally thawed. The result is a blockbuster event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — even without fans.
NASCAR’S elite Cup Series will share a venue with Indycar on the same weekend for the first time, a doubleheader conveniently forced by the frantic rescheduling required by by the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, it is an important step in putting forth a united front for the sake of motorsports.
“We’re all racers. We want racing to be successful,” said Kevin Harvick, the current NASCAR points leader and a winner at the Brickyard last year. “I know it’s kind of had that stigma for a number of years there’s the Indycar guys and there’s the NASCAR guys … racers are racers. Everybody wants to see a good race and be part of a cool event.”
The fracture between the two leagues dates to at least 1954 when NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. allegedly was told by IMS security he’d been ordered to leave the speedway. France was already working on his own big race track, Daytona International Speedway, and he vowed it would give Indianapolis a run for its money.
The battle was on and neither side had any desire to build a working relationship.
As years passed and NASCAR became an annual staple at Indinapolis, the relationship between the two series has improved.
Indycar will open the spectacle Saturday with its second event this season, then NASCAR’S second-tier Xfinity Series will make its debut later on the same road course. The Cup Series races Sunday on the 2.5-mile oval. COVID-19 restrictions mean Indycar and NASCAR teams and drivers will not mingle, use different entry points at the speedway and work from different garages.
Not opening the gates to spectators is the one downside to what is an otherwise monumental moment.