IMS race moves back to July as part of new NASCAR schedule

INDIANAPOLIS – The Brickyard 400 overhaul continues.

According to a NASCAR source, the Brickyard 400 will be held on Fourth of July weekend, beginning in 2020.

Less than two years after announcing the once iconic stock car race would bask in the cool temperatures of September, NASCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway appear to be yo-yoing the race back beneath the summer sun. The change would give the Brickyard 400 its third different date on the calendar in four years.

The move would come as part of a schedule makeover for NASCAR, which plans to unveil its full calendar later today.

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Fourth of July weekend had traditionally been the time slot for an event at Daytona International Raceway. However, that race is rumored to be headed to the end of the schedule as the regular-season finale, according to Associated Press reporter Jenna Fryer.

For IMS, the move to Fourth of July weekend would add some welcome prestige to a race that has no doubt lost its luster since the inaugural event in 1994. Despite valiant efforts in recent years – including condensing the on-track schedule, big-name concerts, amped up marketing and implementation of a dirt track race – IMS and NASCAR have been unable to stem the tide of plummeting attendance figures. A race that once attracted hundreds of thousands of fans to IMS now routinely brings in just around 30,000. 

The series and speedway must be hoping that this latest change can help get the Brickyard back on its feet.

However, there’s no overlooking that a move like this would fly in the face of what the speedway has preached since its now short-lived move to September – that one of the race’s biggest problems and their fans’ top complaint was the sweltering July heat.  If indeed the race is moving back to July, heat will once again be a substantial issue. However, the added prestige of racing on the holiday weekend must have been a tradeoff Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles and NASCAR were willing to make. The new spot on the calendar will give IMS a chance to market itself as Indianapolis’ premier destination on Fourth of July weekend.

Additionally, the move would prevent the Brickyard from going head-to-head with the Indianapolis Colts on NFL’s kickoff weekend as it did last year – though rain pushed that race to Monday – and will again this year.

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram: @jimayello.