SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WTHR) - Race week is here again.
IMS President Doug Boles joined us on Eyewitness News at 6:00 to update us on the five days of events about to kick off. It all starts inside of turn 3.
"We re-thought the Brickyard, we actually moved the date to September. People complained about the heat and we heard them. Then we thought, let's just make it a full week of events, five days.' We spent all summer building this quarter-mile dirt track, 120-plus cars coming out Wednesday and Thursday night, it's going to be a lot of fun," said Boles.
It begins with practice on Wednesday.
"(There's) a little Australian pursuit race to end Wednesday and then the real racing on Thursday. We've got Ricky Stenhouse, Christopher Bell, some of the guys that will also be competing in the Xfinity and the Cup race on the oval, a few IndyCar drivers, I've got TK and Scott Dixon, if folks want to come out and watch. Conor is going to participate, it's going to be a great group of unbelievable race car drivers.
Boles acknowledged it's an effort to get more interest in the Brickyard.
"It really is, and give fans a reason to come and spend more than just one day the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and short-track racers, the folks that go to Saturday night racing around the country but certainly in Indiana, it's the heart and soul of our sport. If we can find a way to reconnect with them and get them excited about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway again, that's a good thing.
The race comes at a time that puts them head-to-head against an Indianapolis Colts game.
"I think that probably impacts at some level, but I also think it's offset by the new date. Temperatures should be better, it's the last race in the regular season. We built the 5,000-plus person grandstand for this event because we think it's going to be a lot of fun."
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will drive the pace car.