ARLINGTON — Count Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden among the drivers lamenting the fact the NTT IndyCar Series no longer races at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
A number of issues prompted sanctioning body IndyCar to drop TMS’ high-banked, 1.5-mile oval from the 2024 schedule in September 2023, five months after Newgarden’s second consecutive victory at “The Great American Speedway” in Cowtown.
“I love the Texas Motor Speedway. I miss the Texas Motor Speedway in a lot of ways,” said Newgarden, a two-time series and Indianapolis 500 champion. “Selfishly, as a driver I wish we could go everywhere. I would love to race there and here. But if we’re not going to be there, I’m happy we have this event.”
Sunday’s inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington street race in the Arlington Entertainment District has replaced TMS in the key D-FW market, which is ranked fifth nationally in gross domestic product.
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“You know, I miss going to TMS … but this is a great replacement,” said TCU graduate Larry Foyt, president of Waller-based A.J. Foyt Racing and son of the team’s 91-year-old namesake. “I’m obviously a little biased being a Texan, so I’m very happy to be racing back in Texas. Of course, we’d love to have another oval or two, but this is where the schedule fits right now.”
IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said event partners Penske Entertainment, Fox Sports, the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers via REV Entertainment are working under a “multiyear” contract ranging from 3-to-5 years.
Boles noted that recent series schedules have trended toward shorter, flatter ovals such as The Milwaukee Mile, Phoenix Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway.
“We find that our racing tends to be much better on those mile-long tracks, especially when it’s under the lights,” Boles said. “So, we sort of have our niche in oval racing.”
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