Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Sperber bullish on IndyCar as ‘new Phoenix’ groundbreaking begins

04cj6264

Chris Jones-IMS/IndyCar Photo

AVONDALE, Ariz. - As groundbreaking began for the new Phoenix Raceway today, track president Bryan Sperber said maintaining the momentum from the Verizon IndyCar Series’ return here last year is just as important to carry through alongside the track’s NASCAR races before 2018.

Sperber said the awareness of having a first comeback for IndyCar last year, plus the fact the event occurs several weeks later after the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race compared to last year, should help the IndyCar crowd for this year’s race.

“Oh I think it helped a lot,” Sperber told NBC Sports in an interview at Phoenix.” There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the IndyCar Series coming to Phoenix Raceway.

“Obviously Phoenix is an iconic track on the IndyCar calendar for decades, and not having IndyCar here for 10 years was really tough on everybody.

“I think being able to bring the series back last year was incredibly exciting for our staff, for the drivers, the teams, the IndyCar Series itself. Everywhere we went, people were really enthusiastic, so I think it was a great debut if you want to call it that, or return.

“And that’s given us a tremendous amount of momentum going into 2017. I think the date change will be a positive as well, so we’ll have more date separation from the NASCAR weekend. And I like that time of year, the late April timeframe will be really nice under the lights, it will be very pretty here at that time of year.”

Last year’s race was called the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix, and while that entitlement sponsorship has not yet been confirmed by the track yet, Sperber said he “anticipates that will be the case” again in 2017.

Today though marked a new beginning for Phoenix, as construction has begun for the new $178 million “new Phoenix Raceway” construction and enhancements project, powered by DC Solar.

To kick off the occasion, Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves took to a Caterpillar excavator to begin the construction process.

“When I got invited to come… ordinarily they tell me not to break things, and this is the first time they tell me to break things!” Castroneves joked.

“It’s a fun fact. The first time I came to Phoenix, it was my first short oval ever. So this place is so special for me, when I came for Indy Lights.

“I’m excited to be here. Phoenix is an amazing place. They’ve been coming for so many years.

“The progress is incredible! At PIR, they’re giving back to the community, and the marketing is so incredible. For that machine... I’d do some great damage with this.”

Phoenix’s grandstands and current configuration will continue through April 2018, ahead of the third IndyCar race installment, which Sperber says will be the last with that configuration.

“It will be cool. I think the IndyCar race in 2018 is the last race with the old start/finish line, if you call it the old race track,” Sperber said.

“They’ll close out quite a long chapter in terms of history at Phoenix Raceway. It’ll be here before you know it. We’re already looking forward to April next year.”

While Sperber is optimistic for how IndyCar will run this year, drivers have stressed the need for a more entertaining show compared to last year.

It’s been said in the past the second year of an event is often a more important barometer for future success than the first year.

In that case, the Verizon IndyCar Series’ upcoming return to Phoenix for its second race on April 29 (9 p.m. ET, NBCSN) after returning to the schedule last year for the first time in 11 years is going to be key to watch.

“Our first objective as a series, but mostly as drivers, is to make a better show for the fans,” said Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay. “It’s better for us. It’s more fun for us. When it’s more entertaining for you, it’s fun for us, and we wanted to do something. When we have a last year when it takes 30 laps to pass a car, it becomes frustrating and we know that that’s not what the fans come here and want to see.”

Added defending race winner Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, “I think it’ll be better. It’s always a fine line and something that’s very tough to achieve and takes multiple attempts, I think, at doing it. Right now is a very tough time, too, because this is a non-development year and everything has stayed stagnant, it’s very hard for Honda to change any of the parameters because this is -- basically nothing is meant to change.”

Follow @TonyDiZinno