Why not a new track SIMILAR to IMS

[NSRSBoiler]

I have always wondered why not making a track similar to IMS somewhere in the US. I know they had one in Cali years back and it has since come and gone.

Look at the ovals built over the past 15 years. They are all D shaped ovals: Cali, Las Vegas, Kansas, Kentucky, Nashville, Texas, and even Atlanta was re-designed to look like Charlotte and Texas.

I think it would be an awesome idea to make a 2 mile oval with 4 corners. Put the banks at 14 degrees maybe. At least that way the Nascar die-hards could justify it and hope for a decent races with that series as well.

They keep talking about building tracks in the Seattle area and New York City area. I think a track SIMILAR to Indy would be super cool.

[Truth Detector]

Been done.

Didn't work.

[sabin_24]

Homestead was originally that way, although it had low banking, like IMS. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a disaster as the angles caused big hits, one of which killed John Nemechek in a NASCAR Truck.

[indyracefan]

...I would imagine the sightlines, or lack of them would be one of the biggest drawbacks.

[c7]

Been done.

Didn't work.

ditto ....

homestead-miami version 1 had 4 distinct corners. iirc al jr was somehow consulted/involved at some point during the design process.

this was before the SAFER barrier and there was at least 1 if not 2 fatalities at Homestead. the extreme angle of impact was certainly at contributing factor.

as a result the track was re-configured to have just a more 'traditional' oval layout to help with this issue, this was homestead version 2.

the version you see today is version 3 (add'l progressive banking added).

[Gomer Simpson]

I know they had one in Cali years back and it has since come and gone.

Does anybody have any pictures of that?

[boomer]

I like the idea of Indy being unique

[richie]

Does anybody have any pictures of that?

[Gomer Simpson]

Cool, thanks. Looks like a great crowd. How many years was it open?

[NSRSBoiler]

John Nemechek died in a Truck race in 1997 at the Homestead version 1 track layout. I do like the idea of Indy being unique, but I would love to see a track with 4 corners and perhaps more banking. I think it would provide unbelievable racing. I wouldn't want to make or call it a mini-Indy, but I am sick and tired of these cookie-cutter D-shaped ovals made to satisfy Nascar. I think it could provide great racing for many series, and maybe add a road course portion for the ALMS crowd

[NoviVespa]

Maybe not four corners, but how about three? Pocono.

[AdamM]

The impact angles at IMS are very dangerous, so you'd never want to recreate it knowing what we do today about track design.

[boomer]

I do like the idea of Indy being unique, but I would love to see a track with 4 corners and perhaps more banking. I think it would provide unbelievable racing. I wouldn't want to make or call it a mini-Indy, but I am sick and tired of these cookie-cutter D-shaped ovals made to satisfy Nascar. I think it could provide great racing for many series, and maybe add a road course portion for the ALMS crowd

I get tired of the cookie cutter tracks as well. That's why I enjoy Iowa, Richmond, Nashville, Phoenix and tracks like them

[dalz]

Nemecek's accident acually occured on Homestead version 1B. The true original layout had even sharper corners. Both CART and NASCAR complained that it was like racing around a city block. So the inside edges of the corners were moved in, without changing the walls, which made for very dangerous impact angles.

I find Ontario intruiging; I wish it could have hung on for another year or two and it might have made it as Indycar had an upswing and NASCAR kept growing. It was wider and slightly higher banked than Indy, right? That would be the way to go if someone tried it again. Pit lane was also a drag strip where the NHRA World Finals were held every year.

[Sea Fury]

Ontario was wider and had a slight bit more banking, and IIRC the back stretch was elevated just slightly so it had better sightlines than IMS-and also didn't have as many buildings and such in the infield. It was built in 1970 or thereabouts and held its first race in 1971. At first it was well-attended, but then the 1970s and all that entailed (fuel crunches, inflation, increased competition from other forms of entertainment, tree-hugging, Jimmy Carter) hit and the crowds started thinning. It barely made it through the decade and closed in like 1980 or '81. The kicker is, it was almost literally right across the street from Fontana (well, a few miles across the street, which is an interstate highway). If Ontario hadn't have closed, Fontana wouldn't have been built.

The problem with a modern Indy clone would be that backers and today's imagination-deficient "promotors" would want a track that would be a good NASCAR venue. One look at the snooze-fest that is the Brickyard 400 should make the problem perfectly clear: while the IMS layout is perfect for Indy cars, it's just about the worst possible configuration for tin-tops this side of a tight street course. Those big heavy lummoxmobiles just don't do well on a track like that from a racing standpoint. Consequently almost every oval track built in the last 30 years has been built with big, round, high-banked, stock-car-friendly turns, and the ones that weren't built that way originally ended up getting re-configured that way like Homestead.