dailynewsnblog
IndyCar’s return to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018 came in collaboration with NASCAR for what was deemed a “Desert Double” weekend. For the first time, IndyCar and NASCAR shared an oval, with IndyCar having its Good Ranchers 250 race on Saturday and the NASCAR Cup Series holding the Straight Talk Wireless 500 on Sunday.
For so long, division existed between the two series due to a tug-of-war for the title of the United States’ most popular auto-racing series. But after this weekend’s races and four doubleheaders at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course from 2020 to 2023, the two series may join forces more frequently in the future.
Advertisement
“To see two completely different forms of motorsport on one ticket is such a wonderful concept,” Ed Carpenter Racing driver Alexander Rossi said Tuesday. “I think every team and driver enjoyed the experience. I think that the majority of the fans did, as well. I hope that’s a template for the future and something that we can do not only at Phoenix — hopefully we’re going back to Phoenix — but other ovals on the calendar, as well.”
Talks of the doubleheader arose days before last year’s Brickyard 400, at the NASCAR IMS dinner. From there, the plans were put in place for the series to link up and for IndyCar to come back to Phoenix Raceway.
Saturday’s IndyCar race drew an average of 1.247 million viewers, a 391% increase from IndyCar’s last race in Phoenix (254,000 viewers), albeit the race in 2018 was on cable (NBCSN) while this year’s race was on network television (Fox). It was also a 77% increase from the second race of the season in 2025.
IndyCar president Doug Boles feels it “makes sense” for IndyCar to continue racing on Phoenix Raceway’s 1.0-mile short oval, although a deal to return in 2027 hasn’t been finalized.
Advertisement
“We started racing Indy cars there from the moment the track was built,” Boles told IndyStar. “From the Unsers, the Foyts, the Andrettis – you think about the names of people that have competed there are such strong, historic IndyCar names.”
Several IndyCar drivers stuck around on Sunday to watch the NASCAR Cup race on Sunday, and a good portion of the NASCAR grid was in attendance on Saturday. These are two series that, although different, contain drivers and team personnel who have developed kinship through the years. Putting both series in the same place for a weekend gave fans a chance to recognize both, even if they don’t regularly follow one of them.
“Both should complement each other,” Josef Newgarden said after winning the Good Ranchers 250. “If you’re a motorsport fan, you’re just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top two motorsport championships together on the same weekend. I don’t see why we can’t do a little more of this. I think it’s good for everybody.”
“I think it’s beneficial for both sides,” Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon said. “… Hopefully, some of the crossover can happen. And I think all of us would be welcome to adding more doubleheaders down the road.”
Advertisement
Boles wanted to get through the weekend before deciding whether to continue going to Phoenix and collaborating with NASCAR, but after witnessing this past weekend, he feels both are worth continuing. Boles had preliminary conversations with Phoenix Raceway president Latasha Causey about returning over the weekend, and he and Penske Corporation president Bud Denker spoke with NASCAR executive vice president Ben Kennedy about having another doubleheader weekend.
Conversations will continue throughout the coming weeks, but Boles claims there’s a “mutual desire” to move forward with the doubleheader idea. If IndyCar and NASCAR continue the doubleheader, Phoenix Raceway appears to be the most feasible site for the joint weekend.
“We wouldn’t be opposed to looking at other oval tracks where we could partner together,” Boles said. “The biggest challenge in it is (the) schedule and finding a date on the schedule that works for both NASCAR and IndyCar.”
In Phoenix, NASCAR was still the main event, despite respectable TV ratings and fan attendance for the IndyCar race. The Straight Talk Wireless 500 drew 2.841 million viewers at Phoenix Raceway, which NASCAR has owned since 2019. What was seen as applaudable IndyCar viewership was still less than half the audience that watched the NASCAR Cup race the day.
Advertisement
Some IndyCar diehards have scoffed at the idea of taking a backseat to NASCAR, even if it’s for only a weekend. Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward initially wasn’t thrilled with the idea of the doubleheader.
Ahead of IndyCar’s first race, the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, O’Ward said, “I’m already tired of IndyCar being like the support race. I know that every time we race with them, we are always the side show. It’s great for the fans, but not for us.”
Following some online backlash, O’Ward further explained his comments in Phoenix, saying, “When you see the viewership, I get it. I’m not saying that it’s wrong, it’s just I don’t think it’s the best look for the series.”
While O’Ward wants IndyCar to develop its own identity, Boles doesn’t have the same concerns about IndyCar being the second fiddle if doubleheader weekends like this continue.
Advertisement
“I think, if chosen correctly, and if it’s something that we do on a limited basis, I don’t think it hurts either NASCAR or IndyCar to be the opener, if you will, for the other,” Boles said.
Two-time NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson hopes to do more of these weekends in the future. Larson, who drove as O’Ward’s Arrow McLaren teammate in the last two Indy 500s, wouldn’t mind doing a doubleheader where IndyCar is the main draw.
“I think it would be pretty neat to kind of go to their neck of the woods, maybe with like a street course or a road course, kind of let them be the premier division,” Larson told Fox59. “Those guys deserve it, they put on great racing. Would love to do it again, but the crossover’s great.”
So long as negotiations don’t falter, it appears IndyCar and NASCAR will continue to do doubleheaders. The locations and schedules for these future doubleheaders may eventually change, but the two series finally seem aligned with one another, which could benefit both.
Advertisement
Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why IndyCar and NASCAR doubleheaders could be here to stay
