Racing to recapture past glory: IMS offers Brickyard Weekend freebies
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The revamp (of the revamp) of Brickyard Weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway now includes more action on the track.
The Speedway announced this week that races from NASCAR’s top two series will stretch over three days: July 19, 20, and 21.
“With the return to the oval and celebration of NASCAR’s 30th anniversary at IMS, it’s only fitting,” IMS President Doug Boles in a release. “As a thank you to our fans who have tickets to Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 presented by Advance Auto Parts or Sunday’s Brickyard 400 presented by PPG, they can add Friday to their Brickyard Weekend plans for no additional cost.”
Boles’ mention of the oval refers to the return of the main IMS/NASCAR Cup event to the longtime format of a 400-mile race on the Speedway’s iconic 2.5 mile rounded rectangle.
The Brickyard 400, by various names, ran from 1994 to 2020. Facing moribund attendance figures and longtime criticism about a lack of passing, the series and the Speedway shook up the event in 2021, shortening the race and moving it to the Speedway road course as the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
The road course version lasted three years, running as part of a tripleheader with IndyCar.
This season, IndyCar only plans to run one road course race at IMS, the Sonsio Grand Prix, in May ahead of the Indianapolis 500.
The new NASCAR calendar and ticket options essentially boil down to three different options for fans:
- Friday-only ticket = $25
- Saturday ticket starting at $35 + Free Friday pass
- Sunday tickets starting at $40 + Free Friday pass
Saturday’s highlights include qualifying for both the Xfinity and Cup cars followed by the Xfinity race. Sunday will be the main event – the 400 mile run of the Cup cars.
The speedway has not yet announced plans for support races from other series.
Tickets for Brickyard Weekend, the Indianapolis 500, and other 2024 events at IMS are on sale now at the IMS website and the IMS ticket office.