$1 Million Challenge

Last updated
INDYCAR Thermal Challenge
Thermal Club IndyCar Track Map.svg
IndyCar Series
Location Thermal, California, U.S.
33°36′05″N116°09′16″W / 33.60139°N 116.15444°W / 33.60139; -116.15444
First race2024
Distance3.067 mi (4.936 km)
Laps20
Duration61.34 mi (98.72 km)
Circuit information
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.936 km (3.067 mi)
Turns17

The NTT IndyCar Series has raced at Thermal, California since 2024.

Contents

In 2024, the $1 Million Challenge [1] was a non-championship exhibition auto racing event held by the IndyCar Series on the permanent road course at the Thermal Club in Thermal, California on March 24, 2024. [2] It was designed to be a "made-for-TV" all-star event and is held at a 300-plus-acre private country club in a gated community in the Coachella Valley. [3]

IndyCar announced the 2025 schedule, the race will become a full championship points race.

Background

Championship car races have been held in Riverside County since 1967, when the Rex Mays 300 was held under United States Auto Club sanction from 1967-69 at Riverside International Raceway, which was located 72 miles (116 km) northwest of The Thermal Club. After the closure of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1980, Championship Auto Racing Teams moved the Ontario race to Riverside, where it was run as a 500 kilometer race from 1981 to 1983.

Over a decade before the first racing event, Thermal Club owner Tim Rogers hosted Randy Bernard, then the chief executive officer at Indy Racing League, LLC (then under Hulman & Co. ownership) at a ribbon cutting ceremony, and told The Indianapolis Star he had always wanted to host a race at the property. [4] Talks ramped up during the 2022 season about the club hosting IndyCar's preseason test in 2023, with the series in need of a consistent, warm-weather location for such testing. [4] During the test, Marcus Armstrong praised the circuit and expressed a desire to have a race there, but some other drivers including Colton Herta and Callum Ilott expressed concerns regarding overtaking and the safety of using Armco barriers. [5]

Following this test, in September 2023, IndyCar announced that 2024's test would be concluded by the $1 Million Challenge non-points race. [6]

In October 2023, a limited number of two thousand tickets were made available at $2000 each. [3] In January 2024, IndyCar offered $500 tickets to the first one hundred IndyCar Nation members that claimed them. [7] On March 5, 2024, the Thermal Club cut all ticket prices to $500 and issued partial refunds to those who had purchased at the earlier price. The reason given was that the county club had given permission to allow more people into the facility. [8]

On June 13, 2024, with the announcement of the 2025 schedule as part of the new Fox Sports media deal, the race was promoted to a full points-paying race. It is scheduled for March 21-23, 2025, with practice and qualifying on Fox Sports 1, and the race on Fox broadcast network. [9] The club-grade pit lane, which forced INDYCAR to run a non-championship format with no live pit stops in 2024, is being expanded to meet or exceed INDYCAR's minimum 35 feet (11 m) pit box standard and will carry a minimum of 30 cars.

Racecourse

The racecourse is a permanent road course with a length of 4.936 km (3.067 miles) and features 17 turns. The course is part of a 300-plus-acre private country club located in a gated community in the Coachella Valley. The event was designed to be a "made-for-TV" all-star event and has been well-received since its inception. [10]

Past winners

IndyCar Series

SeasonDateDriverTeamChassisEngineTiresRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed
(mph)		ReportRef
LapsMiles (km)
2024 March 24 Flag of Spain.svg Álex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda Firestone 2061.34 (98.72)00:39:3093.166 Report [11]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "$1 Million Challenge". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. ↑ Barnes, Joey (10 September 2023). "IndyCar to host $1m non-points race at Thermal Club in March". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 Brown, Nathan (October 20, 2023). "Want to attend IndyCar's $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club? It'll cost you thousands". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Nathan. "Inside The Thermal Club: What a $5.2 million membership gets you (and why IndyCar is testing)". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Nate (2 February 2023). "IndyCar drivers say Thermal Club could host race after successful opening day to test". NBC Sports . Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (10 September 2023). "$1 million IndyCar exhibition race set for The Thermal Club". RACER. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. ↑ Brown, Nathan. "After ticket shock for IndyCar's Thermal Club $1M challenge, some lucky fans will pay less". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Pruett, Marshall (5 March 2024). "Thermal Club slashes IndyCar ticket prices, partially refunds existing ticketholders". RACER. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Brown, Nathan. "IndyCar is moving to Fox. And with it, a new race schedule. 5 takeaways on 2025 slate". Indianapolis Star. Gannett. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
  10. ↑ "INDYCAR To Host $1 Million Challenge in 2024 at Thermal Club". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  11. ↑ "Palou Dominates Sprint for the Purse, Pockets $500,000". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
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