Indianapolis Motor Speedway announces the return of the Brickyard 400 for 2024
In time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the inaugural race, NASCAR is returning to the Brickyard 400 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval. No Indy Road Course, none of that mess now. Nothing but 400 miles of speed on one of the most historic tracks in all of racing.
When NASCAR moved away from the Brickyard 400, there were many reasons. Now that there has been an absence for a number of years, let’s hope that we will see the crowd return and the enthusiasm for the event to shoot through the roof.
July 20-21, 2024 NASCAR will return to the oval at IMS.
The Brickyard 400 presented by PPG is going to also be paired with an Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250. This is the first time that the Cup Series has raced on the oval since 2020. Kevin Harvick was the big winner in that race.
No one is happier to see the Indy Oval return than five-time Brickyard 400 winner Jeff Gordon. He won the inaugural race in 1994. Now I’m picturing a nice William Byron throwback scheme.
Fans will remember that NASCAR had a tire test earlier this season at the track. That was after the Indy Road Course race. They weren’t able to ride in packs much, but there were some positive takeaways for Goodyear and NASCAR.
Brickyard 400 returning for first time in four years
Now, there are still concerns with the Brickyard 400. However, if you have watched the Next Gen car on intermediate tracks, there is hope. If the same kind of racing that we’ve seen at Kansas, Michigan, Pocono, and other tracks this season comes to Indy, it will be a success.
While I don’t think NASCAR is going to sell out the seating like IndyCar does for the Indy 500, there is a chance for a great crowd. The stands, oval or road course, in the last 6 years have been more or less bare at IMS for NASCAR.
That being said, with the return of the Brickyard 400, I think that there can be a really great crowd. We’ve seen certain tracks sell better than others this season. Nothing beats a six-figure crowd watching 400 miles of stock car racing.
This is better than the road course. I will say that. Still, a small part of me is hesitant to be too excited. What if this is the same boring Indy oval we saw in 2019 and 2020? The Next Gen car gives me some hope that the racing will be improved and that the fans will be repaid for coming out in large numbers.