Rio de Janeiro Mayor Marcelo Crivella excitedly announced Thursday that the Brazilian city will host an IndyCar race in 2020.
Crivella revealed the street race would pass through Rio’s iconic sambadrome, which is where the majority of 120,000 spectators and floats pass through during Brazil’s annual Carnival festivities.
There’s only one problem: no one from Brazil seemed to tell IndyCar about the race.
Perhaps looking to steal some of the thunder from Sao Paulo’s Brazilian Grand Prix Formula One race this weekend, Crivella’s announcement was made without any input from IndyCar.
When NBC Sports reached out to IndyCar regarding Crivella’s announcement, the sanctioning body released the following statement from Stephen Starks, IndyCar Vice President, Promoter and Media Partner Relations:
“We are always exploring first-class cities to host our events, and the sport has had exceptional races and racers from Brazil.
“However, at this point we are only exploring the possibilities that might exist in that country.”
IndyCar first raced in Brazil in 1996 at the Jacarapegua racetrack, where the Rio Olympic Park was later built upon.
IndyCar’s last Brazilian race was 2013 in Sao Paulo.
The city of Brasilia was slated to host an IndyCar race in 2015, but the event was cancelled shortly before it was to be held.
Still, it’s no secret that Brazil wants IndyCar back racing within its borders, particularly since three drivers of Brazilian heritage are currently competing in the series: Tony Kanaan, Matheus Leist and Pietro Fittipaldi.
Also, Helio Castroneves, who switched from a long career in IndyCar to IMSA for the 2018 season, is also a Brazilian native and major fan favorite.
It’s unclear where Brazil and IndyCar go from here.
