This past Monday, I went through the 2027 schedule race-by-race and gave you my thoughts – for whatever that’s worth. While some labeled it as a lazy-man’s schedule, I think IndyCar did an OK job – imagining what all it takes behind the scenes to put together a schedule each season. There is a lot that has to be taken into account – track availability, holidays, local conflicts, NASCAR TV conflicts, etc. It’s a lot more involved than people think.
But there was a major change in the July 18 slot that I was not happy about. To some, me not being happy about losing the Nashville race after six straight years is predictable, since I live in Nashville. But there are more than selfish reasons that I will get into later.
I am also having a tough time getting excited about IndyCar’s first trip across the pond in fourteen years, when they race in Barcelona – Alex Palou’s hometown – on July 18. I will tackle that topic today, and save my thoughts on losing the Nashville race for Friday.
A common phrase we like to use anytime IndyCar does something; be it driver-wise, someone to drive the Indianapolis 500 pace car, a new venue for a race or even simply a new TV commercial – we like to wonder how much it moves the needle. For myself and what I have read on social media since the announcement – IndyCar racing in Barcelona does not move the needle, for most US fans anyway. Those IndyCar fans in Europe are quite happy to have a semi-local race that they can travel to, without much trouble or expense.
As you can tell by the overseas fans that commented on Monday’s post, even reaction in the UK and Europe is mixed. One is ecstatic, one sounds indifferent and another has a fairly negative view. However, it sounds like all three are prepared to go. But three fans is a very small sample-size. On social media, it sounds like the majority of overseas fans have little interest in attending, as they more or less view IndyCar as F1 Lite. I don’t share that opinion, but that seems to be the perception to a lot of motorsports fans in Europe. As we saw with COTA, it will not help change that perception when the Indy cars are several seconds slower at Catalunya than the F1 cars have been.
Of course, there seems to be a lot of support from the Barcelona area, and for the majority of Spain. While Palou is probably not near as big a deal as Fernando Alonso, his success is current. As an added note, it is rumored that Alonso will join the field as a guest driver, though no official announcement has confirmed this. It would make sense, though.
But here in the US, most are very indifferent to a race that most likely will be well underway, while even US fans on the east coast will just be waking up. Those in California will be fast asleep.
There are a lot of IndyCar media members who do what I do – pay for all travel expenses to races out of their own pocket. Many of those have much deeper pockets than I do. I have talked or texted with many of them, and no one that I have heard from have any interest in going. To some, it’s not the travel expense that’s keeping them home – they just have no real interest in going.
It might be an easier sale if there was an additional venue in Europe or the UK to give travelers two races to attend while also doing a little sightseeing, but to go all that way for a two-hour race has little appeal to most US fans.
While some will ask who cares about the US fans, keep in mind – this is still a North American series. It seems to me that the series would have been better served to do what it takes to race in Mexico, home to arguably an even more popular driver in Pato O’Ward. I would think that many IndyCar sponsors would have more business opportunities in Mexico, than in Spain – but I haven’t done the marketing research to prove that. It’s just more of a gut feeling.
I also feel like exploring another Canadian venue would be more beneficial for sponsors and the series in general. If the series is so keen racing on a Formula One track, how about Montreal as an IndyCar destination? I always enjoyed watching CART races in Vancouver, a very vibrant city in the Pacific Rim. I’m not sure how successful a return to Edmonton would be. That was not a great track, and Alberta is a little remote and not as populated as Ontario, Quebec or even British Columbia.
While I applaud IndyCar’s efforts to explore new markets and expose IndyCar’s product to potential fans, Barcelona is something of a head-scratcher to me. Maybe not a single Canadian or Mexican venue was even remotely interested or available. If the Catalunya Circuit was interested and actually pursued this event, then it was a no-brainer. The questions are – how much money is the series getting, and who pays to ship all the cars and equipment?
Shipping costs for the fly-away races are astronomical. If that cost is left to the teams, I would imagine a Mexican or Canadian venue would be much more attractive to the bottom-line, since they could drive there like any other domestic race. If the series or the promoter are paying all shipping costs, that makes it more palatable. But what about travel costs and housing team personnel overseas? That is going to be much greater than flying a team from Indianapolis to Portland and staying at a Holiday Inn Express. I doubt that the series or promoter is paying for that. I have no way of knowing, but it seems not very likely to me.
I know IndyCar has had a strong desire for more international races for some time. But is going all the way to Barcelona on a multi-year deal really worth it, just to give your reigning champion a race in his home country? I’d like to hear Pato O’Ward’s answer to that question.
I will extend this discussion on the 2027 IndyCar schedule into Friday, when I will discuss the series leaving the Nashville market. Predictably, I’m not happy about it. Please check back Friday for Part Three on this topic.
George Phillips
