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Grow up IndyCar fans

Grow up IndyCar nation. This second race at the 'Speedway is a good thing. Trust me.

Ryan Briscoe, Panther Racing Chevrolet

Ryan Briscoe, Panther Racing Chevrolet

Chris Owens

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will play host to two events next year, both of which will take place during the month of May.

Exact details will be announced next week, but my guess is it will open the month with the road course event, then lead into the two weeks of Indy 500 pre-race.

Scouring the internet has become incredibly laughable. IndyCar fans are up in arms that the series is going to race anything BUT the Indy 500 at the ‘Speedway.

Grow up IndyCar fans, cause IndyCar is moving into the future whether you are ready for it or not.

I have heard people complain that this will take away from the prestige of the 500. Really? This somehow is going to take away from the team and driver able to conquer the Indianapolis oval? Malarky.

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

Photo by: Chris Owens

IndyCar is in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation with the month of May. If they continue to do nothing about bringing people to the track earlier in the month, attendance numbers for what used to be a huge celebration leading up to the ‘500 will continue to dwindle until the race is a simple Thursday-Sunday event. That cannot happen.

If the month of May continued to lose its luster, then IndyCar might have even just scheduled a race on the first or second week somewhere else, and the purists would be up in arms about that, saying the only IndyCar race that should ever happen in May is the ‘500.

My next argument goes along with the prestige thing. People are concerned that winners will go around talking about “winning at Indy.”

Trust me folks, there will be an asterisk next to the road race forever. Such and such driver won the Indianapolis GP, not the ‘500. My only purist argument AGAINST the road race at Indy is the traditions of celebration.

The Indianapolis GP winner will not; kiss the bricks; drink milk in victory lane, or be given the massive $2.4 million purse that was handed to the winner at this past year’s Indy 500.

So, I applaud IndyCar’s decision to stick a race early in May, and especially at the ‘Speedway. It’s way too big and expensive of a facility to not use, and only using it for big races 4 times a year doesn’t make the cut.

Now, I hope they get lights and run an Indy 500 at night, just to really anger the purists!

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