The Racing Capitol of the World

A bold claim, for anywhere in the world. But who really is the racing capitol of the world? Well, unofficially it is Indianapolis, Indiana. Its literally the nickname. But do you agree? Disagree? Could it be elsewhere? Mooresville, North Carolina or Silverstone in England? What about Italy, tracks like Monza and Imola, the home of Ferrari in Maranello? What about Daytona? Hosts legendary races, attracting crowds and drivers from all over the world. We are going to settle this once and for all.

Plain and simple, The answer is Indianapolis, Indiana. Well, kind of, more like the metro area of Indy.

For starters, Speedway, Indiana, a west side enclave of Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis 500. A race that needs no introduction. A race so legendary it is apart of the Triple Crown of racing. Ran 109 times. It is THE race, and the track itself is just as incredible. (It's the real 8th wonder of the world.) But, Speedway has more to offer than just the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the races it hosts.

A bustling small town of around 15,000. Speedway is also home to the premier indoor karting track in Indiana, Speedway Indoor Karting. It is home to Juncos Hollinger Racing from the NTT IndyCar series, Abel motorsports from IndyNXT, The corporate headquarters of the NTT IndyCar series and IndyNXT, as well as an office of Dallara (the company that makes the chassis for IndyCar, F2, and other series) Known as the Dallara IndyCar factory. An office for A.J Foyt racing, and his wine vault. And the Corporate headquarters of Performance Racing Industry. You cannot miss the racing heritage that runs through the veins of this town. The local High School will even have the IMS logo at midfield in their new football stadium. Oh, and the mascot of Speedway High School? The Sparkplug.

But Speedway is not the only racing community of The Indy Metro Area. A new addition to the Indy area is PREMA. An Italian outfit with massive success in the European series, Started an IndyCar team. Basing the headquarters in Fishers, Indiana, a mere 35 minute drive north of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fishers will also be the home to the very soon to be Cadillac Formula 1 team.

There is also Zionsville, Indiana. Sitting 25 minutes north of IMS, it is home to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Home of the RLL IndyCar and IMSA teams. A legendary name in American Autosport, the Rahal family also hosts a Ducati Dealership, and other car and racing related businesses from Zionsville.

Now, I know what your thinking. "Oh, Indianapolis really likes IndyCar."

And while you may be correct, Indianapolis Metro area hosts way more than just IndyCar teams. Even though Chip Ganassi, Arrow Mclaren and Andretti Global all have headquarters around 71st and Zionsville Rd on the west side. There is one more MAJOR racing town.

Welcome to Brownsburg, Indiana. A town of 33K straddling the border of Indianapolis. A mere 10 minute Drive to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brownsburg hosts a track of its own. The Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Lucas Oil Raceway Park has been known by many names throughout its 65 year history. It has hosted many races. It has been known for many things. But, just like her big sister in Speedway, she hosts a legendary race. The NHRA US Nationals. One of the premier Drag Race events in the world. Hundreds of thousands flock to the event every year.

Outside of Lucas Oil, Brownsburg also plays host to many race teams. For starters, our buddies at HMD Motorsports, the uber successful IndyNXT team, are headquartered on Main Street. But, Brownsburg also plays hosts to teams like Wayne Taylor Racing, Cruz Pedregon Racing, Don Schumacher Racing, oh and a small team name John Force Racing. They are kind of a big deal.

It would take forever to dive into the racing heritage that Indianapolis and the surrounding area have. But one thing will always remain true. There is only one "Racing Capital" and that will always be Indianapolis, Indiana.