SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Now that he’s in charge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Roger Penske isn’t wasting any time making changes.
On Wednesday morning, Penske announced the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on July 4 this year will be run on the IMS road course, rather than the oval.
The race will also be sponsored by Pennzoil.
“We want our fans to look at this, and see if this is something they want, so we can grow this in the future,” Penske said.
Penske says he believes the change to the road course will make the 4th of July weekend even more exciting for fans.
“Not that the oval wasn’t good, but as we’re evolving in the sport, the fans, and the fan experience is the most important part,” Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier said. “We’re all going to be excited to be the first NASCAR road race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we’re all going to want to win that first race.”
The Big Machine Vodka 400, the NASCAR Cup Series race formerly known as just the Brickyard 400, will remain on the IMS oval and be on Sunday, July 5.
The festivities will start earlier that week with the BC39 dirt track race. After the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, popular country band Florida Georgia Line will perform at the track on Saturday night, followed by the Big Machine Vodka 400 on Sunday.
(PHOTO: IMS/Chris Owens)
