Goodyear readies itself for the potential return of the NASCAR Indy Oval Cup race

NASCAR hasn’t raced in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval since 2020.

Goodyear readies itself for the potential return of the NASCAR Indy Oval Cup race

Indy Road Course Race (Credits: athlonsports.com)

Goodyear’s director of racing, Greg Stucker, has given a major update on the possibility of the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval making a comeback to the NASCAR Cup series. Fans and drivers alike have been demanding its return to the sport for a long time. Two times Cup champion Kyle Busch even called it disrespectful to race on the road course instead of the oval at Brickyard.

NASCAR Cup drivers haven’t visited 2.5 miles oval since the event stopped in 2020. Kevin Harvick was the winner of the final Indy Oval Cup race. But NASCAR continued to host road course races at the track. But the fans and drivers are not enjoying it enough to justify the tram keeping its position in the Cup schedule.

YouTube video

While talking about Goodyear running a test at Indy Oval in the Next-Gen car, Greg Stucker pointed out that it is being done so they can be ready if the sanctioning body returns to racing in the oval. He doesn’t want to endure the same issues they faced when they tested the new car last time at the track.

FS Video

“I hate to bring it up the last time we took a new car to Indianapolis that didn’t fare too terribly well from a tire perspective. So we want to stay ahead of that we want to get a first look at it. So that if the decision is made at some point in the future to go back to the oval, then at least we kind of know we have a good starting point with this car. And so then we can go from there,” Stucker told Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

In case you missed it: Denny Hamlin claims Kyle Busch will not make it to the 2023 Cup Championship four

IMSA owner Roger Penske confirms that NASCAR is pondering a unique idea about the tracks return

sw roger penske
Roger Penske (Credits: sports.usatoday)

Roger Penske, who owns the iconic track known for the Indy 500, confirmed that there are talks about NASCAR alternating between the Indy Road course layout and the original oval track. Penske is also the owner of the Cup racing team Team Penske Racing. They won both Cup and IndyCar series championships last season

“Roger Penske says NASCAR will remain on the IMS road course for 2023, but is evaluating whether to switch to the oval in 2024. He mentions alternating years between the road course, and oval is one option under consideration,” said The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi.

The 2023 season edition of the Road Course Race event might be the final one before the oval’s return. It will feature some well-known ringers. The first of the two so far announced is the 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button will drive for Rick Ware Racing; it will be his third Cup race of 2023—Japanese Endurance Racer Kamui Kobayashi will drive for 23XI Racing.

Discover more: