Possible replacements for failed Boston GP (3rd Update)
05/03/16 As predicted by AR1.com, you can remove Providence, RI from the list of possible replacements below. Despite reports linking Providence to a potential stop on the IndyCar circuit, city and state officials say they have not heard any interest from race organizers in Indianapolis.
Unrealistic media reports out of Boston and Indianapolis instantly mentioned Providence as a backup location for the Sept. 4 race. However, as of Monday, no contact with the city or state has been made.
“We haven’t been in touch with IndyCar," said Evan England, spokesman for Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza. “We’d be open to seeing if it was right for us but that’s the same as with any event looking to come to Providence."
John Gibbons, the executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission, said he hadn’t spoken with any IndyCar officials either. Gibbons did say that Indy looked closely at running a 2.2-mile race in downtown Providence a few years ago but decided to target Boston instead. IndyCar officials met with then-Gov. Lincoln Chafee and Mayor Angel Tavares as far back at 2012 but the effort ended in May 2014, Gibbons said.
"We had them in for a site visit a few years ago but I haven't heard from anyone. As far as I know, Providence is not in play," Gibbons said.
Officials from IndyCar, which is based in Indianapolis, did not return a request for comment. Providence Journal
04/30/16 We added Watkins Glen to our table below. AR1.com spies saw Watkins Glen President Michael Printup going to a meeting in Phoenix when IndyCar is in town. Our sources tell us the topic of an IndyCar race at The Glen was on the agenda.
04/30/16 Now that the Boston GP has been cancelled as predicted by AR1.com, let's look at possible 11th hour replacements:
| Venue | Comments |
| Laguna Seca | Event would not draw flies and IndyCar would have more egg on its face |
| Gateway | Event would not draw flies and IndyCar would have more egg on its face |
| Providence RI | Too late to get all the city approvals/permits, sponsors and to sell tickets |
| Montreal | A good alternative, but it has to be announced within weeks. Bernie Ecclestone could stop it from happening. Too late to sell many tickets. |
| Indy Speedway | This is where the Labor Day weekend race should have been in the first place. A 400-miler at a venue IndyCar can control its own destiny and the cars race well there. It would be spectacular. Late to do it now. 2017 makes more sense, but because this race would be the 2nd biggest event on the calendar behind the Indy 500, IndyCar will never do it. They prefer to get egg on their face at the mercy of another hapless promoter. They'll run any other event they can at IMS to dilute the mystique of IMS and IndyCars. The only thing they haven't tried is swamp buggy racing. |
| Mont Tremblant | A good alternative, but it has to be announced within weeks. Too late to sell many tickets. |
| Oklahoma City | Too late to get all the city approvals/permits, sponsors and to sell tickets |
| Watkins Glen | Recall our exclusive rumor during the Long Beach weekend that Watkins Glen President Michael Printup was in Phoenix during the IndyCar weekend for a meeting. Was it about an IndyCar race? The Glen has nothing going on Labor Day weekend, but it's late to start selling tickets so the place will look deserted. They could invite students from nearby Cornell and Ithaca College for a big party, say at $5 per head. Classes begin August 23rd so students will be back from summer break. |