Why Indy threw F1 out

MotoGP’s open approach to disclosing attendance figures finally gives us a clear view on the revenue generation of an Indianapolis Motor Speedway event. IMS President Tony George and his legion of lieutenants is among the most secretive when it comes to attendance figures. They won’t even disclose the capacity’s venue.

MotoGP officials on the other hand were only happy to tell media members that the IMS’ first MotoGP race at Indianapolis drew 91,064. Conservatively, that means the race brought in $6 million in ticket revenue alone. Friday’s practice drew 30,978 and Saturday’s qualifications attracted 52,010. Add in revenue from those two days, parking, concessions and other ancillary sales, and the first Red Bull Indianapolis GP brought in an easy $9 million. Subtract the $1 million to $2 million sanctioning fee and operating expenses for the track, and George likely came out at least $6 million ahead. Again, this is a conservative estimate. And only four arrests over the long weekend means the event wasn’t nearly as taxing on area law enforcement agencies as the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400. IBJ.com

[Editor's Note: Compare and contrast this to the F1 race where the Speedway took a financial bloodbath and you understand why F1 will never be back and MotoGP can only make even more money for the Speedway in the future.]