How 8 NASCAR drivers feel about ditching Indianapolis' oval for new road course race
Spoiler alert: Some NASCAR drivers really aren't fans of this move.
The upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks a major change for the premier series — and one that some drivers aren’t too pleased about.
After 27 years of racing on Indy’s iconic 2.5-mile oval — which also hosts the legendary Indianapolis 500 over Memorial Day Weekend — NASCAR’s top series is making the jump to Indy’s 14-turn, clockwise 2.439-mile road course. It’s an exciting doubleheader kind of weekend for racing fans with IndyCar and NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series racing Saturday, followed by the Cup Series’ Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.
But despite the busy racing weekend, NASCAR is losing one of it’s “crown-jewel” races in the Brickyard 400 on the oval. It seldom produced the best racing of the season, but it was a highly coveted checkered flag that many drivers had on their career checklists. They’ll still drive across the famous yard of bricks — and the winner will likely still kiss them too — but they’ll be coming from the opposite direction.
Things are going to look a little different this time 'round.
Get familiar with the @IMS road course
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— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 12, 2021
So ahead of the new race on Indy’s road course, some top drivers weighed in on the track and whether they think the status of the race at the Brickyard has changed.