$1 Million Challenge: Difference between revisions
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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Over a decade before the first racing event, Thermal Club owner Tim Rogers hosted then IndyCar CEO [[Randy Bernard]] at a ribbon cutting ceremony, and told ''The Indianapolis Star'' for a 2023 feature that he had always wanted to host a race at the property.<ref name="IndyStar2023Jan31">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=Inside The Thermal Club: What a $5.2 million membership gets you (and why IndyCar is testing) |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2023/01/31/thermal-club-what-5-2-million-membership-gets-you-in-lavish-racing-club/69852811007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> Talks ramped up during the [[2022 IndyCar Series|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.<ref name="IndyStar2023Jan31" /> Following this test, in September 2023, IndyCar announced that 2024's test would be concluded by the $1 Million Challenge non-points race.<ref name="Racer2023Sept10">{{cite news |last1=Pruett |first1=Marshall |title=$1 million IndyCar exhibition race set for The Thermal Club |url=https://racer.com/2023/09/10/1-million-indycar-exhibition-race-set-for-the-thermal-club/ |access-date=11 March 2024 |work=RACER |date=10 September 2023}}</ref> |
Over a decade before the first racing event, Thermal Club owner Tim Rogers hosted then IndyCar CEO [[Randy Bernard]] at a ribbon cutting ceremony, and told ''The Indianapolis Star'' for a 2023 feature that he had always wanted to host a race at the property.<ref name="IndyStar2023Jan31">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=Inside The Thermal Club: What a $5.2 million membership gets you (and why IndyCar is testing) |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2023/01/31/thermal-club-what-5-2-million-membership-gets-you-in-lavish-racing-club/69852811007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> Talks ramped up during the [[2022 IndyCar Series|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.<ref name="IndyStar2023Jan31" /> 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 concers regarding overtaking and the safety of using Armco barriers.<ref name="NBCSports2023Feb02">{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Nate |title=IndyCar drivers say Thermal Club could host race after successful opening day to test |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/motor-sports/news/indycar-drivers-thermal-club-host-race-opening-day-test-callum-ilott-marcus-armstrong-colton-herta |website=NBC Sports |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=2 February 2023}}</ref> |
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Following this test, in September 2023, IndyCar announced that 2024's test would be concluded by the $1 Million Challenge non-points race.<ref name="Racer2023Sept10">{{cite news |last1=Pruett |first1=Marshall |title=$1 million IndyCar exhibition race set for The Thermal Club |url=https://racer.com/2023/09/10/1-million-indycar-exhibition-race-set-for-the-thermal-club/ |access-date=11 March 2024 |work=RACER |date=10 September 2023}}</ref> |
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In October 2023, a limited number of two thousand tickets were made available at $2000 each.<ref name="IndyStar2023Oct20">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=Want to attend IndyCar's $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club? It'll cost you thousands |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2023/10/20/indycar-tickets-1-million-challenge-thermal-club-two-thousand-dollars-made-for-tv-all-star-race/71255536007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=October 20 2023}}</ref> In January 2024, IndyCar offered $500 tickets to the first one hundred IndyCar Nation members that claimed them.<ref name="IndyStar2024Jan26">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=After ticket shock for IndyCar's Thermal Club $1M challenge, some lucky fans will pay less |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2024/01/26/indycar-offers-500-tickets-for-1-million-challenge-at-the-thermal-club-all-star-race-ticket-price/72366376007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> 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 had given permission to allow more people into the facility.<ref name="Racer2024Mar05">{{cite web |last1=Pruett |first1=Marshall |title=Thermal Club slashes IndyCar ticket prices, partially refunds existing ticketholders |url=https://racer.com/2024/03/05/thermal-club-slashes-indycar-ticket-prices-partially-refunds-existing-ticketholders/ |website=RACER |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=5 March 2024}}</ref> |
In October 2023, a limited number of two thousand tickets were made available at $2000 each.<ref name="IndyStar2023Oct20">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=Want to attend IndyCar's $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club? It'll cost you thousands |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2023/10/20/indycar-tickets-1-million-challenge-thermal-club-two-thousand-dollars-made-for-tv-all-star-race/71255536007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=October 20 2023}}</ref> In January 2024, IndyCar offered $500 tickets to the first one hundred IndyCar Nation members that claimed them.<ref name="IndyStar2024Jan26">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Nathan |title=After ticket shock for IndyCar's Thermal Club $1M challenge, some lucky fans will pay less |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2024/01/26/indycar-offers-500-tickets-for-1-million-challenge-at-the-thermal-club-all-star-race-ticket-price/72366376007/ |website=The Indianapolis Star |access-date=11 March 2024}}</ref> 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 had given permission to allow more people into the facility.<ref name="Racer2024Mar05">{{cite web |last1=Pruett |first1=Marshall |title=Thermal Club slashes IndyCar ticket prices, partially refunds existing ticketholders |url=https://racer.com/2024/03/05/thermal-club-slashes-indycar-ticket-prices-partially-refunds-existing-ticketholders/ |website=RACER |access-date=19 March 2024 |date=5 March 2024}}</ref> |
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==Race course== |
==Race course== |
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Revision as of 08:07, 19 March 2024
| IndyCar Series | |
|---|---|
| Standort | Thermal, California, U.S. 33°38′25″N 116°08′32″W / 33.64028°N 116.14222°W |
| First race | 2024 |
| Distance | 3.067 mi (4.936 km) |
| Laps | 20 |
| Duration | 61.34 mi (98.72 km) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 4.936 km (3.067 mi) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Lap record | ( , , 2024, IndyCar) |
The $1 Million Challenge[1] is an exhibition auto racing event scheduled to be held by the IndyCar Series on the permanent road course at the Thermal Club in Thermal, California on March 24, 2024.[2] The race is designed to be a "made-for-TV" all-star event and will be held at a 300-plus-acre private country club in a gated community in the Coachella Valley.[3]
Background
Over a decade before the first racing event, Thermal Club owner Tim Rogers hosted then IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard at a ribbon cutting ceremony, and told The Indianapolis Star for a 2023 feature that 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 concers 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 had given permission to allow more people into the facility.[8]
Race course
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024) |
Past winners
IndyCar Series
See also
References
- ^ "$1 Million Challenge". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (10 September 2023). "IndyCar to host $1m non-points race at Thermal Club in March". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ a b 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 19 March 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (10 September 2023). "$1 million IndyCar exhibition race set for The Thermal Club". RACER. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (5 March 2024). "Thermal Club slashes IndyCar ticket prices, partially refunds existing ticketholders". RACER. Retrieved 19 March 2024.