Baltimore GP was doomed by scheduling conflicts
Big crowds be damned, IndyCar could not find a way to make Baltimore work. However, they could find a way to embarrass themselves in front of empty grandstands at Fontana |
The IndyCar Series wanted to continue coming to Baltimore but couldn't deal with annual uncertainty over dates for the race, said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., which owns IndyCar. The event was held on Labor Day weekend in 2011 through 2013, but that conflicted this year with a Navy football game at M&T Bank Stadium. The race course ran through downtown near the Ravens and Orioles stadiums, making it always subject to scheduling conflicts.
"Think about what it means if one year it's Labor Day weekend and the next year they are the week before that," Miles told Foxsports.com. "It's not just about them, because somebody else also has to switch. What if they are two weeks before Labor Day? Now, it's musical chairs being played among three races. … We just don't think that's the way to make the schedule. … That is the reason why we have parted company." Maryland Daily Record