The Denver Gazette sports business insider is a reader’s guide to understanding the influence of money, politics and power behind their favorite leagues, teams and players.
Sports Business Insider: The IndyCar series is poised to return after a 20-year absence from the Mile High City.
Short version: The IndyCar series — the premier, high-speed open-wheel racing championship in North America — might come to Denver as soon as 2027, as first reported by The Denver Business Journal.
The city was pitched for a multi-day IndyCar Grand Prix event with a 1.8-mile circuit race around Empower Field. The event is reportedly backed by George Dennis, president of Zoom Motorsports, with the support of city officials.
The Denver Sports Commission, an affiliate of Visit Denver to attract high-profile sporting events, issued this statement to The Denver Gazette:
“Alongside the City and our venues, we regularly review opportunities to host large events and sporting competitions in Denver that boost the local economy and strengthen the city’s reputation. We assess feasibility, infrastructure needs and community impacts to determine what may be a good fit for the Mile High City. As with any large event, we are evaluating what is possible in Denver for INDYCAR Racing.”
Long version: The IndyCar series is rising in popularity with the emergence of Formula 1, the pinnacle of international racing for open-wheel, single-seat racing. A hugely popular Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive” and the Oscar-winning movie “F1” help prove its mainstream relevance.
IndyCar is riding the boom with historic TV broadcast ratings on FOX. An average of more than 1 million viewers watched the first three races of the IndyCar season for the first time since 2008. That represents an increase of 48% compared to last year.
The 2026 IndyCar series include races in 17 different North American cities: St. Petersburg (Florida), Avondale (Arizona), Arlington (Texas), Birmingham (Alabama), Long Beach (California), Speedway (Indiana), Detroit (Michigan), Madison (Illinois), Elkhart Lake (Wisconsin), Lexington (Ohio), Lebanon (Tennessee), Portland (Oregon), Markham (Ontario), Washington D.C., West Allis (Wisconsin) and Monterey (California).
It feels like a matter of when, and not if, that Denver will join the list.
Momentum started building last year when Mark Miles, the president and CEO of Penske Entertainment and IndyCar, told the publication AutoSport that Denver and Mexico were both “a work in progress” to land future races.
It now appears closer to reality.
Key context: It has been two decades since IndyCar last came to the Mile High City — the Denver Grand Prix — with a five-year run (2002-06) of Champ Car races around Ball Arena (formerly the Pepsi Center). It folded after problems with scheduling, promotion and funding. But IndyCar economics evolved over the next 20 years.
Last week, at the Grand Prix of Arlington, race organizers expected about 80,000 people to attend over three days. The estimated economic impact ranged between $50 million and $100 million, according to Penske Entertainment.
What’s next: We are entering a transformational age for professional sports in Denver.
The NWSL has arrived with Denver Summit FC. The Broncos will move into a new stadium in 2031. The Kroenke family is redeveloping the land around Ball Arena. The list goes on.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is a major proponent of those efforts. It seems logical that IndyCar would have political support to regain a foothold in Denver. Don’t be surprised if a formal announcement is made within the next year.