Disappointing Indianapolis 500 News Doesn’t Sway NHRA’s Plan

By Susan Wade

Motorsports icon Roger Penske might not have gotten his way in negotiations with Indiana and Marion County health authorities, but for now, at least, the National Hot Rod Association has a green light to race in front of a live audience in the “Motorsports Capital of the World.”

Following the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s announcement Tuesday, Aug. 4 that it will host the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, Aug. 23, without spectators, the NHRA seems to be moving along with its precarious Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Jeffrey Young, NHRA’s vice-president of marketing and communications, said in a prepared statement, “We are aware of the decision made by Indianapolis Motor Speedway to run the Indianapolis 500 event without fans, and we respect their decision. During these times, we find that each situation and decision is unique. We have held two pandemic-impacted national events under protocols we developed for our sport, based on CDC and other guidance. Our teams, employees, vendors, and fans all have supported our efforts, and compliance with our protocols has been very good. Our events are different from other gatherings and even other motorsports events in many ways. We will continue to carefully monitor what is going on in the community and work closely with Hendricks County and State of Indiana officials, as well as our medical director, as we continue to plan and execute NHRA events at Lucas Oil Raceway.”

The two racetracks are about five miles apart along Crawfordsville Road, with Penske’s Speedway located in Marion County and the NHRA-owned dragstrip just across the county line (Raceway Road) in Hendricks County. The Indianapolis 500 already had been moved from its traditional Memorial Day weekend date (May 24 this year).

As far back as July 11, NHRA President Glen Cromwell said, “If you’re asking me if there’s a date set, there is not a ‘By this date, we’re going to make the call.’ We’re not there. We’re monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis.

“We’re going to continue to put our best foot forward to get in as many races as we can. And if there are economic reasons why it doesn’t make sense for the racing community, then we’ll adjust,” he said.

“It’s important for us to be relevant, for our teams and their sponsors. But it has to fit into your financial model. It has to make sense. You have to make sure your financial model works,” Cromwell said.

He called the first Indianapolis race “kind of a test” and said he believed it passed the test. “This is a big step here, showing the racing community and people across the country that the NHRA and its stakeholders are doing things the right way, the safe way, the responsible way. That could help us down the road.”

Maybe it has. Maybe it will continue to do so.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway issued the following prepared statement Tuesday:

“It is with great regret that we announce the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Aug. 23 without fans. This tough decision was made following careful consideration and extensive consultation with state and city leadership.

“As dedicated as we were to running the race this year with 25-percent attendance at our large outdoor facility, even with meaningful and careful precautions implemented by the city and state, the COVID-19 trends in Marion County and Indiana have worsened. Since our June 26 announcement, the number of cases in Marion County has tripled while the positivity rate has doubled. We said from the beginning of the pandemic we would put the health and safety of our community first, and while hosting spectators at a limited capacity with our robust plan in place was appropriate in late June, it is not the right path forward based on the current environment.

“We encourage Hoosiers to continue making smart decisions and following the advice of our public health officials so we can help get Indiana back on track.

“Penske Corporation made a long-term investment to be the steward of this legendary facility. While we were very excited to showcase the investments and enhancements we have made in the guest experience, we know we have reached the right decision. As much as Roger Penske and everyone associated with the ‘500’ wanted to race with fans this year, we ultimately reached this conclusion in partnership with the state of Indiana and city of Indianapolis.

“Our commitment to the Speedway is unwavering, and we will continue to invest in the Racing Capital of the World. We encourage everyone to watch this year’s race on NBC, and we look forward to welcoming our loyal fans back to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ on May 30th of 2021.”

The NHRA had completed two February races (the Winternationals at Pomona, Calif., and the Arizona Nationals near Phoenix) when all segments of the motorsports industry suspended action. NASCAR – and eventually the IndyCar Series – moved forward without fans in attendance. The NHRA canceled one-third of its season and postponed three races within a 13-day stretch in July, but Cromwell has insisted repeatedly that drag racing would push ahead, even with limited spectators.

And the NHRA has been able to pull off a doubleheader last month at Lucas Oil Raceway (although the second event still must be completed because of a rainstorm just before the final rounds). Another, the Dodge Indy Nationals, is set for this Saturday and Sunday, August 8-9. With the tentatively scheduled Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway (another NHRA-owned facility) still on for Aug. 28-30, the sport is to reconvene back at Indianapolis for the U.S. Nationals. After that, the NHRA still says it plans to run nine more races in eight different states (Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, and California).

This is where the NHRA blueprint looks iffy.

Cromwell said the NHRA has not used a “stall tactic,” waiting until the Indianapolis races in July and early August are completed before announcing it might pull the plug on the season. And he said he and the rest of the NHRA executives had no intention of using a carrot-on-a-string strategy with the racers: “We wouldn’t do that to them.”

The NHRA boss said he and his team discuss the number of races on the schedule, how deep into the revised schedule they can go, where their best chances are of being allowed to race, and, in his words, “the integrity of the championship.” He said, “All these are things we talk about every single day.”

Cromwell declined to reveal a particular number of races the NHRA is hoping to complete before feeling comfortable in crowning champions. Instead, he said, “There are discussions that are happening. We want to make sure we keep the integrity of the championship in place. Those discussions are being had, but I’m not prepared to talk about those publicly.”

Regardless of what public-health restrictions are in place in the other states besides Indiana (including Georgia), the schedule would appear daunting.

The reasons the NHRA was relatively successful in staging the E3 Spark Plugs Nationals and the Lucas Oil Summernationals were twofold – never mind Mother Nature and the business decisions by more than one race team not to return to the track until next season.

· Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is located a mile, two tops, from Brownsburg’s so-called “Nitro Alley,” where many organizations have their race shops year-’round.

· While a few teams must bring their entire operations to Indianapolis and many drivers must fly in from various states, the costs are more stable than traveling from state to state. Rigs can stay at Indianapolis/Brownsburg, for example.

The plan seems to go sideways when the scene is expected to shift 900 miles south from Indianapolis to Commerce, Ga., only to go back to Indianapolis the following week. Consider that various sponsors might balk at extra expenditures at this uncertain time. Consider that costs rise dramatically when the venues change. Consider that the fluctuating cost of nitro isn’t likely to have decreased at all or certainly not significantly. Consider the purses have been cut by 33 percent because the events have been compressed from the traditional three days to two.

Is it worth the expensive logistics for teams to do that, to snake all over the United States for fewer opportunities to race and for significantly less money in payouts? And that’s assuming Georgia and the nine other states besides Indiana allow spectators at all or enough to prop up the NHRA’s normally valid claim that part of the excitement of NHRA drag racing is the fan experience.

So far, few fans have ventured out to take advantage of the fan experience. How those realities factor into the determination whether what’s going on fits the NHRA’s financial model is still unknown.

For the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, here’s how it plans to salvage something productive of the cards it has been dealt:

· All on-track activity during the month of August, including practice and qualifications, will be closed to the general public.

· Individuals who still have tickets to this year’s Indianapolis 500 will be credited for the 2021 Indianapolis 500 and will retain their seniority and their originally assigned seats.

· The first Indianapolis 500 practice will take place Wednesday, Aug. 12, with a full schedule available on IMS.com.

· All of the action from IMS can be viewed via NBC Sports Gold, NBCSN, or NBC. Visit IMS.com or INDYCAR.com for a comprehensive streaming and broadcast schedule.

· The 104th Running of the Indy 500 will take place Sunday, Aug. 23, with national coverage beginning on NBC at 1 p.m. (ET).

· Local Central Indiana coverage of the race will be available on NBC affiliate WTHR.

· Broadcast coverage of qualifications Saturday, Aug. 15 begins on NBC at 3 p.m. (ET).

· Sunday, Aug. 16 broadcast coverage of Pole Day begins on NBC at 1 p.m. (ET).