No points or championship concerns are on the line at this weekend’s NTT IndyCar Series race at the Thermal Club. Only glory and money awaits the winner.
For the first time since 1992, IndyCar is running an exhibition race where prize money, and not points, is awarded at the finish. The venue is a unique circuit, in the middle of a private, gated-community and nestled near Palm Springs, California. If the famed golf course designer Pete Dye had become a motorsports enthusiast, this is exactly the type of facility he would build. A 3.067 mile course surrounded by multi-million dollar homes will be the battleground on Sunday (March 24).
So Many Firsts
There is no way to predict what is going to happen this weekend, much like the series first race at St. Petersburg.
Among the firsts for the event:
- First time racing on this circuit.
- First time running an exhibition, prize money race under this sanctioning body.
- First time qualifying will have push-to-pass.
- First time points won’t be up for grabs.
How the field races under all these circumstances will determine if the race is entertaining, as the series hopes, or ends up being an event folks don’t enjoy. Or worse, not even watch.
Teams tested at Thermal Club last year, and raved about how wonderful the experience was, but it leaves one to think, was the environment with its posh, fancy homes and millionaires the reason for the acclaim, or the track itself? Who wouldn’t want to be at the attention of a community of some of the richest folks in the country, while professional drivers showed how to go fast on their private, backyard race track?
That response is great for the owners looking for more partners to jump onboard with the series, but not much is known as to how 27-cars will run on the track. And, after examining the format, it won’t even be the full lineup racing on the three mile road course at one time.
Let’s dive into how this is going to play out
The Format
Hang with us here, as this isn’t simple. Like Indianapolis 500 qualifying, the process that IndyCar has put in place for this event takes a bit of explaining. The event breaks down this way: a qualifying session; two heat races; the main event; cash falling from the sky onto the winner.
A random draw will arrange the field into two respective qualifying groups, the same split as any other road or…
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