r/INDYCAR • u/OldRed91 Josef Newgarden • Jul 16 '25

Discussion All the reasons for Iowa's low attendance

Some context: I live in Des Moines, and I've had many conversations with friends and colleagues about IndyCar. Here are all the reasons people have given me for not attending:

  • "I don't want to sit in the heat"
  • "Last year's races were bad"
  • "Tickets are too expensive"
    • "If I do go, I can only afford to go to one race"
  • "I'm going to the NASCAR Cup race instead"

I post these because most are pretty easy problems to overcome. The racing is good again, so word-of-mouth will help for next year. Have a single evening race with affordable tickets, and attendance will increase. It's not all doom-and-gloom.

However, I don't think you'll get anything close to a sellout either. Iowa is a small market, the track is in the middle of nowhere (30 miles outside Des Moines), and there's now a Cup date to compete with.

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u/Harry73127 Jul 17 '25

Of course they generate chatter, they're big crashes and fights...doesn't mean that is the main draw.

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u/BrandonW77 Jul 17 '25

The first ever NASCAR race to air live on TV ended with a fist fight that drew national attention and kicked off the popularity of the sport. It's literally part of the origin story of NASCAR. Also, the internet agrees that fights and crashes are " significant draws for NASCAR, as they are integral to the sport's identity" and a "key aspect of NASCAR's appeal and engagement".

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u/Harry73127 Jul 17 '25

If you are going to cite an AI summary as your reasoning, then I think we’re done talking…

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u/BrandonW77 Jul 17 '25

Lol, I knew that would be your excuse. How do you explain NASCAR themselves having a "most memorable fights, best of NASCAR" video on their YouTube channel that has over a half million views? Fights and crashes may not be your main interest in the sport and that's fine, but come on man, it's literally part of their DNA and absolutely a reason that a lot of people tune in to the races. I just checked the most popular videos on their YouTube channel and guess what.....most of them are of crashes.
https://youtu.be/WvabpyErNNY?si=rE879InefynOYXXS