The 1.5-mile oval’s omission from the 2024 schedule was thought to be a brief hiatus, and still could be, but there is a possibility North America’s premier open-wheel championship won’t return to race there in the near future.
Texas Motor Speedway played host to IndyCar every year since 1997, including two events per year from 1998-2004 that also featured season finales. However, a variety of conflicts, including the Summer Olympics impacting NBC’s broadcast plans and NASCAR pushing for the spring date IndyCar held in 2023, saw the track dropped from the calendar despite being in the midst of a multi-year deal.
“The first thing is you saw how late it was before we knew what dates could be available at the Texas Motor Speedway for 2024,” Miles told Motorsport.com.
“I don't have any new news or inclinations or insights about 2025 and the Texas Motor Speedway. We obviously have a relationship there and a lot of history and when we can learn anything, we're eager to learn about what's possible.”
One of the variables to factor in is NTT Data, the title sponsor of the IndyCar Series, which is based in Plano, Texas, roughly 40 miles east of the track’s location in Fort Worth.
“We also think Texas is an important market and don't want to have all our eggs in one basket,” Miles said.
“So, if there were other options and we and Texas Motor Speedway just doesn't come together, then it would be smart for us to see what else is out there.”
When it comes to other options, the obvious choice could be a return to Circuit of The Americas in Austin. The series held Spring Training at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course in 2019 and 2020. The lone race, which took place in March 24, 2019, was won by Colton Herta, who became the youngest race winner in IndyCar Series history at 18 years, 11 months, and 25 days of age.
Although COTA was on the 2020 schedule, the event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and IndyCar has yet to go back.
At the tail end of 2018, there rumors of the series exploring the possibility of adding a street race in San Antonio, but that was later muted when IndyCar added COTA.
As it relates to the early part of this offseason, a high-ranking representative within the sport told Motorsport.com of some talk being stirred up for a race focused on the streets around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, an estimated 35 miles south of Texas Motor Speedway. However, the same source recently shared the idea has quieted down.
In some ways, that concept wouldn’t be a total surprise considering IndyCar has a street event in Nashville, which maps out across the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge and around Nissan Stadium, residence of the Tennessee Titans. And this is while Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile oval that hosted IndyCar from 2001-08 and has since been updated to host NASCAR since 2021, is nearby in Lebanon.
When asked about any interest or talks regarding an IndyCar event around AT&T Stadium, Miles dismissed the notion.
“I haven't talked to Jerry Jones (owner of the Dallas Cowboys) since I was chairman of our Super Bowl in 2012,” Miles said, referencing his role with the Super Bowl Host Committee.
“I think the rumors are probably getting ahead of everybody with respect to what else might be available in Texas. But it's a big state.
“There are markets in Texas where there's even more Pato (O’Ward) fever, as they're even more Hispanic. Maybe even better climates early in the spring when we would want to be in Texas.
“There are other possibilities maybe in North Texas, you mentioned Austin, so it's too soon to know what Plan B might be, but we don't want to be locked into only one option, particularly given that this year for example, it didn't come together.”
