Road to Gateway not taken: Did IndyCar miss opportunity by giving finale to Laguna Seca?

Jim Ayello | IndyStar

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INDIANAPOLIS — The deed is done. IndyCar has a new locale for the series finale, and it’s where most most everyone was expecting. On Tuesday, IndyCar announced it will return to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the next three years, including 2019 when it will serve as the season-ender.

In summary: Sonoma Raceway’s out; Laguna Seca’s in, as the finale moves 150 miles down the Northern California coast to Monterey, Calif.

Ultimately a good move? Time will be the judge, but as of right now, it's difficult to say.

On one hand, Laguna Seca is a historic track with a treasured IndyCar lineage. Half the paddock harbors fond memories of racing there, while Alex Zanardi’s “The Pass” in 1996 remains one of the most memorable moments in Indy car racing history. A finale at Laguna Seca also keeps the series in scenic Northern California, a densely populated area from which it's possible to attract big crowds (though that's been a challenge lately). Lastly, and perhaps most importantly to the Verizon IndyCar Series paddock, a NoCal finale keeps the series racing near the homes of its corporate partners and provides an ideal setting for teams to wine and dine those partners at some of the one most beautiful locales in the country.

"It's a great place to entertain, so making it the finale really checks that box for us," Miles said. "It's a place we know our paddock and our broadcasters and all of our IndyCar stakeholders and our sponsors want to entertain, which they especially like to do at the finale."

See? It all sounds pretty good, and yet, one can’t help but wonder: Did IndyCar miss an opportunity here? With Sonoma’s contract expiring, wouldn’t this have been an ideal time to finally bring the championship race back to IndyCar country: the Midwest. More to the point, should IndyCar have looked a bit harder at Gateway Motorsports Park, located just 3.5 hours southwest of racing’s mecca?

The 2017 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park was a smash hit in its debut. The series, track, drivers and promoters put on a heck of a show in front of a capacity crowd, which can in part be attributed to drawing well from IndyCar's Midwestern base.

Meanwhile, the Speedway Motorsports Inc.-owned Sonoma Raceway is a gorgeous track within a picturesque landscape and is outfitted with good promoters, yet the IndyCar finale has failed to draw significant crowds in recent years. There are few who’d disagree breakout star Josef Newgarden’s champagne-popping celebration lacked the luster it deserved, as he was cheered on by hundreds, but probably not thousands.

A championship celebration at Gateway, however, likely would have packed the proper punch. There’s little doubt the series believed as much, as IndyCar CEO Mark Miles confirmed the two sides had spoken at length about the idea of moving the series finale from Wine Country to the oval just outside of St. Louis.

Miles and company were no doubt intrigued by the possibility of a championship race at Gateway's oval, as was Chris Blair, general manager and vice president of the track. In fact, Blair told IndyStar on Tuesday he thinks the finale ultimately belongs in the heart of the IndyCar country.

“Here’s how I look at it,” Blair started. “These are your diehard fans. They’re reading everything (about IndyCar) they can. These people are what I like to refer to as the IndyCar Nation. They are the lifeblood of the series.

“It’s kind of a shame that they're having to go all the way across the country to see a finale. ... Here, you’re talking about enthusiastic fans getting excited for a finale and performing in front of a packed grandstand and the magic of the show being under the lights."

Envision this instead, if you will: The Road to Gateway. Immediately following the 2019 Indianapolis 500, Blair said, Indy-area fans would be bathed in promotions for a series finale a couple hundred miles away from the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Everyone talks about the momentum following the Indy 500, well, Blair wanted to capitalize on it:

“The Road to Gateway,” Blair said. “That’s the concept. It all comes down to Gateway, and getting those (Midwestern) fans engaged where they’re excited about what’s coming down the road. That way you don’t have the big lift in May and then it kind of dies off. It gives those fans something to be excited about. I think it would be fantastic.”

But what about wining and dining the series sponsors?

It might not be Wine Country, but St. Louis has some fantastic steakhouses, Blair said. Great hotels, too.

“I think it’d be a fantastic experience for the teams, their sponsors, and more importantly the fans. I think we need to be looking at these diehard fans and giving them what they want.”

Alas, it was not in the cards. Honestly the logistics would have been tough to figure out, anyway. The Bommarito Automotive 500, which was so successful on a Saturday night in late August would likely have had to move to an early-September Sunday to both serve as finale and fit within NBC’s network window.

That would also meaning taking the big risk of ditching its prime location on an August weekend when most schools were either still out of session or just started and when it doesn't have to compete with NHRA or a NASCAR Cup race. It also shouldn't be forgotten that racing on Saturday night is important to fans who travel, Blair said. If the race was late Sunday afternoon — leading into NBC’s “Sunday Night Football," as Laguna Seca likely will —some fans outside the St. Louis area would find it difficult to attend the race with school and work the next day.

It should also be noted IndyCar already has the Midwest fairly well covered. With the two Indianapolis races, Detroit, Road America, Iowa, Mid-Ohio and Gateway, the centralized fan base can get its fill.

So maybe things worked out for the best. Northern California is doubtless an important region to IndyCar, and the series re-demonstrated its commitment to making a race work out there with Tuesday's announcement. Sure Sonoma hasn't drawn big crowds, but maybe WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and its promoters will find better success breaking into the market.

As for Blair, Gateway and the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, they will continue to try to build on one of IndyCar's biggest 2017 success stories.

"Our goal now is to make our race the best oval finale we can," Blair said. "That's what we're focused on."

Maybe this was the way things were supposed to happen. Maybe the finale belongs on the West Coast. Then again, maybe IndyCar missed a big opportunity.

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