AUSTIN,Texas -- From the time the first piles of dirt and rock were moved to start paving a new Formula One track in Texas, the owners of the Circuit of the Americas eyed a future with IndyCar.
It may have taken longer than fans had hoped, but they finally have one. And with the first IndyCar Classic this weekend, the mission now is to develop what organizers hope will be the second-biggest race of the IndyCar calendar.
"I think it can happen," track President Bobby Epstein said. "It just has to get bigger every year."
Epstein has insisted the IndyCar Classic will make a splash in its debut as the second race of the 2019 season, including a unique $100,000 bonus if the driver who wins the pole position also wins the race.