Insider: Will IndyCar return to Phoenix?

INDIANAPOLIS -- Will Indy cars return to ISM Raceway or was Saturday night’s Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Phoenix Grand Prix the last gasp of a dying race? That’s the question on most everyone’s minds as the series leaves the historic track without a contract to return next year.

As of Sunday, the official answer to that questions is: TBD.

“Both parties would like to continue,” IndyCar CEO Mark Miles told IndyStar. “But there will be more discussion as we finalize next season’s calendar. We need to understand what (track president) Bryan’s (Sperber) expectations are and what more we can do to grow the event.”

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There is not doubt that if IndyCar and ISM decide to renew their relationship, they must figure out how improve the event's poor optics. While Saturday night’s crowd appeared to be a tad larger than the one at last year’s event, attendance was still sparse. Who's to blame? It’s tough to point fingers.

You can’t blame Phoenix-area fans for not showing up for what has been a bland race the past two years.

You also can’t really fault ISM, which is undergoing extensive renovations to improve fans’ experience, while Sperber appears to be doing everything in his power to keep Indy cars coming to the track. He and ISM promoted the heck out of the celebration of Mario Andretti’s 25th anniversary of his final victory, and Sperber continues to work with the series to find ways improve the on-track product.

So, in the blame game, that just leaves IndyCar, but it’s hard to find fault with the series, either. IndyCar knows the races it put on the past two years stunk and went to great lengths to try and improve upon them. IndyCar President of Competition and Operations Jay Frye and company believed the 2018 Indy cars would eliminate the follow-the-leader racing -- which they mostly did -- but they also tried dragging tires around the high line of the track to create a second groove. Of course, that second lane never really materialized Saturday night, but credit to IndyCar and ISM for giving it a shot.

Also credit Frye and his team for building a car that was more interesting to watch on this track. While passing was still a challenge for everyone not behind the wheel of the Andretti Autosport No. 27 rocket ship (Alexander Rossi), there was still more on-track action than in the past two years. The race also set new standards for lead changes (12) and number of leaders (nine), but to be frank, the show was rather pedestrian until the finish.

“I hope it was a good race,” said winner Josef Newgarden. “I hope people enjoyed it. It was challenging from the driver's seat, no doubt. If that translated to TV, to the audience, I don't know. … But if it wasn't a good race, I hope we saved it there at the end with a huge mix-up and a little bit of fun to the finish.”

There’s no question that the Newgarden-Robert Wickens shootout at the end somewhat salvaged Saturday night’s race, but was enough it enough to salvage the event entirely and prompt IndyCar's return next year? We'll soon find out.

The emergence of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports

Something special is brewing at SPM. And it goes beyond what super rookie Robert Wickens is doing -- though he’s obviously a big part of the team’s early season magic.

After two wildly different races, one on the streets of St. Petersburg and the ISM short oval, one of the few common threads that connects both races is the success of SPM.

Start with Wickens. It doesn’t take a whole lot of squinting to see that he was a twist of the wind away from the greatest to start to an IndyCar career the sport has ever seen. A month ago at the opener, he stunned the IndyCar world by winning the pole for his debut race, and if it hadn’t been for Rossi’s ill-fated pass attempt in the final laps at St. Pete, Wickens would have walked away a winner after leading a race-high 69 laps.

A month later, Wickens arrived in Phoenix having never raced on an oval before, and he again stunned the IndyCar community by looking as quick and confident as anyone. He qualified on Row 3, and on the race’s final restart, if the green flag had come out just a little later, Wickens might have been able to stave off Newgarden for what would have been a win no one could have predicted. Not even his boss.

“He’s been unbelievable,” said SPM co-owner Sam Schmidt. “People don’t believe me, but I thought we would have these kinds of results midway through the season. After a few races, after a few tests sessions, but for him to literally have one day of practice on an oval, and for him to come out and do this is unbelievable.”

Because of Wickens’ incredible start, the team’s superstar has been a bit ignored, but James Hinchcliffe is off to a stellar start as well. He’s fifth in the championship and is one of four drivers to have finished in the top six in the first two races -- Rossi, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the others.

Considering the sweeping changes and struggles the team endured in the offseason, Hinchcliffe is thrilled at the way the team has performed so far.

“Man, we made a lot of changes, and we didn’t really know what to expect heading into Race 1,” Hinchcliffe said. “To be honest, testing in offseason wasn’t the smoothest. .... This team, we have a no-quit attitude right now. I think we were all a little surprised at some of the bad tests early, but I think it made us all dig deep and bring this whole operation up to speed. It’s been incredible to see. It’s really nice that after two very different race tracks, we’re very much in the mix.”

Hinchcliffe warned that despite SPM’s early success, it’s not as if the team can put the season on cruise control until Sonoma and expect to win a championship. Newgarden isn’t going to give up his crown without a fight. Neither will the rest of Team Penske, for that matter. Dixon isn’t going anywhere, and neither are Rossi, Hunter-Reay or Sebastien Bourdais.

However, as the series heads to Long Beach, the site of Hinchcliffe’s greatest triumph last season, SPM looks like more than just a contender at this point. It looks like the team to beat.

Follow IndyStar Motor Sports Insider Jim Ayello on Twitter and Facebook: @jimayllo.