RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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WASHINGTON — IndyCar made history Sunday with the Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C. IndyCar president Doug Boles doesn’t believe the series will return to Washington next year.
“I just think we have to get through this one -- make sure it delivers. We hope it delivers, which is a really cool way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country, and a way to showcase the IndyCar brand,” Boles told the Sports Business Journal on Saturday. “And then we can sit down and look at it. But I think at this point in time, if you were saying, ‘Hey, which way do you think it goes?’ I think this is probably a one-off.”
Boles said Freedom 250 being a one-time event was the “intent when (we) started it.” Race chairman and Penske president Bud Denker told IndyStar in July the race will happen “once.” Sports Business Journal reported president Donald Trump’s administration has “shown interest” in IndyCar returning to the nation’s capital for “at least a second year.”
During a late July press conference, Washington mayor Muriel Bowser expressed excitement for Washington’s first IndyCar race and shared her desire for it to be “followed by second and third.” Boles said Bowser “probably more than anybody led the effort (to return).”
The race cost Penske founder Roger Penske $35 million. Over 250,000 were able to attend Freedom 250 weekend since it was a privately attended event. But the hefty price tag makes a return to Washington uncertain. Even if it doesn’t return, Denker hopes what’s now a “one-off” experience draws new fans to the sport.
“It’s not so much ratings, but the experience we provide that they will take away and tell their friends about,” Denker told IndyStar. “Success would be them saying, ‘I was lucky enough to be able to celebrate our country’s history at an IndyCar race.’”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why IndyCar president Doug Boles believes Freedom 250 will be a ‘one-off’
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