Opinion Trax: Should IMS have a race at or around August 19th

Yesterday, August 19th marked the 111th anniversary of Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s first race. Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer won the first race with an average speed of 57 mph. The track’s pavement at the time was crushed rocks and tar until replacing it with paved bricks and sand, earning the nickname “The Brickyard”. Over the years, the track was paved except for the three-foot line at the start/finish line to remind fans of the track’s history. This Sunday will mark the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500. The race is held every Memorial Day weekend, but due to the pandemic, the race was postponed.

Marco Andretti won the pole last weekend. It was the first pole for the Andretti family in 33 years since his grandfather Mario Andretti, a three-time pole-sitter and winner of the 1969 Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon and Takumo Soto will also join Andretti on the front row. The race was supposed to have fans in attendance, but due to a spike in COVID-19 cases, the speedway will not have any fans at the race.

In a normal world, the NTT IndyCar Series races three times at IMS. Two of them are road courses and of course the Indy 500. Earlier this year, the IndyCar Series returned to the IMS road course in July as viewers watch Scott Dixon win the race. What if the IndyCar road course race was moved to accommodate the anniversary of the first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? I would love to see it happen as NBC does a great job commemorating the history of IndyCar Series.

By moving the road course race, it would allow IMS to have the big three races with history all tied to them. Once this pandemic is over, the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 will go back to its original dates, and moving the road course race around the August 19th date could be one of IMS big three races of the season along with their dirt track inside the track. History attracts crowds from all over the world. It’s no wonder why racing fans have Indianapolis Motor Speedway on their bucket list. Roger Penske, the owner of IMS and IndyCar, should consider further expanding IndyCar’s history, and honoring the first race at the track with a race around the August 19th date for the history books.

Would you like to see Indianapolis Motor Speedway run a race around August 19th to celebrate the first race ever at IMS? Leave a comment down below or at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Parler.

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