Top 10 Thursday: Top 10 Tracks on the Izod IndyCar Series Schedule
There’s currently 17 tracks on the schedule that host a race.
I took in effect the prestige of the event, the racing at the track and the close finishes. Another thing that influenced my decision was the racing surface itself and weather.
There’s four new tracks on the schedule, which the Izod IndyCar Series has never raced at or hasn't been to in years, that I also had to consider. Those tracks are New Hampshire, the street course of Baltimore, the road course in Japan (originally an oval but an earthquake damaged the surface), and the season-ending race in Las Vegas.
10. Milwaukee Mile
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Milwaukee is ranked number 10 on my list because of its prestige. Milwaukee is the oldest operating speedway in the world. There has been at least one race at the Milwaukee Mile since 1903.
Milwaukee Mile is located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair and is a one mile, flat-banked race track. The track used to be dirt until the 50s, when it was paved all the way around the oval.
Milwaukee is a very difficult track for the Izod IndyCar Series drivers. It’s very demanding, with a lot of lateral g-forces in the corners. You must have a great handling car to be a champion.
9. Barber Motorsports Park
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Barber Motorsports Park is a fairly new venue for the Izod IndyCar Series. This 2.38-mile, 15-turn road course has hosted two Izod Indy Car Series races in its brief history.
Barber is a very smooth surface and is a great venue if you love road course racing.
Barber is located just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, and gives the Series a race deep in NASCAR country.
Both races in Barber were very good for the Series. There were very big crowds, and there was very good racing.
As long as Barber can produce both, this is a track that should stay on the circuit as long as possible.
8. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
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The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is located in Lexington, Ohio. Like the previous track on my list, Barber Motor Sports Park, Mid-Ohio is a multiple series venue. The Izod IndyCar Series will be racing in Mid-Ohio in the first weekend of August.
Mid-Ohio is a 2.25-mile, 13-turn road course.
The track is unique. The races used to start on a starting line just off of the third turn in the back of the track. This was utilized for a safer rolling start, since the actual front stretch isn’t very long, and the first turn is very tight.
If you want to enjoy a great road course race on a Sunday afternoon, go to Mid-Ohio. There’s plenty of great views all around the track and none of the spectator mounds are a bad place to sit.
7. Toronto
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There has been IndyCar racing north of the border in Toronto since 1986. Toronto has a great reputation in the IndyCar paddock for being a great venue, a lot of fun, and an all-around great, clean city.
The race is staged at Exhibition Place in Toronto. It’s a 1.755-mile, 11-turn street course.
This street course is a beautiful venue and provides close competitions.
Michael Andretti is the all-time wins leader at Toronto, with seven wins. All came with Newman/Haas Racing.
6. Iowa Speedway
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Iowa Speedway is an amazing venue to attend a race.
The speedway is located in Newton, Iowa. The 0.875-mile oval has variable banking, which causes amazing side-by-side action, lap after lap. The banking in the turns range from 12 degrees on the low line to 14 degrees up closer to the wall. The front stretch (tri-oval) is banked at 10 degrees.
This year will mark the fifth time the Izod IndyCar Series visits Iowa Speedway. This year will be unlike the previous four, as it will be Saturday night race under the lights.
The cars under the lights, the close action and the likely close finish would be great reasons to tune in on June 25 at 8 p.m. on Versus.
5. Las Vegas Motor Speedway
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This was a hard one to put on the list, since the Izod IndyCar Series hasn’t visited Vegas in this style of car. But the racing on the other 1.5-mile ovals is too good to pass up.
I anticipate that the action on October 16 will possibly move this race up the list for next year.
The cars always put on one heck of a show at similar tracks like Kentucky and Chicago. Year in and year out, the closest finishes come at these style of tracks.
This race should be no different, since it’s the series finale of the season. Most likely there will be at least two drivers going for the championship in a tight battle. Mix in the $5 million bonus to anyone outside of the Izod IndyCar Series to win the race, and you have great racing for all 300 miles.
Not to mention, you’re also in Las Vegas.
4. Long Beach
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The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach has always been a great staple on IndyCar schedules. This race most likely ranks second to the Indy 500 as the most desired win on the schedule for all the drivers.
Long Beach is the longest-running major street course race in North America. The Grand Prix weekend brings in excess of 200,000 people.
Long Beach is an 11-turn, 1.968-mile street course that runs through the streets of downtown Long Beach, California.
The beautiful scenery, California weather and the tradition of the race is a must on every race fan's bucket list.
3. Texas Motor Speedway
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The Texas Motor Speedway easily ranks as one of the most exciting tracks on the Izod IndyCar Series circuit. There’s always close racing and exciting finishes at Texas.
Last weekend’s duel races were the first duels the Izod IndyCar Series has ever ran. The two 114-lap races were filled with excitement from start to finish.
The duels' first race's finish was the 23rd-closest finish in series history, with first and second finishing less than half a second apart.
Texas Motor Speedway currently hold the fourth-closest finish in Izod Indy Car Series history.
2. Kentucky Speedway
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Kentucky is easily tied with Texas as the best track for action on the schedule.
Just like Texas, Kentucky is known for high-speed, close-racing action that breeds close finishes.
The mile-and-a-half track, located just outside of Sparta, Kentucky, is a short drive away from four major cities (Louisville, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and St. Louis).
Kentucky is a great track to watch the race as well. You can see all the way around the track, and tickets are very reasonably priced. There’s literally not a bad seat in the house.
They also added more seats to Kentucky Speedway to make more capacity for the Cup event in July.
I wish they didn’t move the race from a nighttime event because the cars look amazing under the lights. And they look faster.
But the October 2 race will be one for the ages.
Kentucky is the second to last event on the schedule. The high-speed, close racing will have a huge factor on points as well.
1. Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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Would you have guessed anything different for No. 1? This is the best track in the world.
No other track can hold as many people as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over 350,000 people flock to Speedway, Indiana for the Indianapolis 500 every year. The Indianapolis 500 is the largest one-day spectator event in the world.
The 2.5-mile track has hosted 95 Indy 500s since 1911. The 100th anniversary of the first race was in May.
So much tradition and history make up the Speedway and the 500.
The month of May is the greatest month of the year in motorsports—all because of the Speedway. If you haven’t been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I’d suggest you come next year.
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