PAUL TRACY

IndyCar Indianapolis GP Auto Racing Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, waits in the pits before a practice session for a IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, in Indianapolis. Organizers said ticket sales for Saturday's doubleheader — the IndyCar race and Xfinity's Pennzoil 150 — are ahead of last year's pace. The 28-car starting grid will be the largest for an IndyCar race, other than the traditional 33-car field for the Indianapolis 500, in a decade. “If this is successful it could pave the way for some really, really cool opportunities,” NBC analyst Jeff Burton said. Saturday’s races will be shown back-to-back on cable channel NBCSN while the NASCAR Cup Series race will be broadcast on network television Sunday.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the busiest track in motorsports this weekend.

Helio Castroneves walked into an empty, mostly quiet Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday morning. The four-time Indianapolis 500 winner knew it wouldn't last long. With drivers from NASCAR's top two series and the IndyCar Series all in town for a rare crossover weekend, Castroneves expected things to quickly shift into high gear at the busiest venue in motorsports.

Helio Castroneves earlier this year became the first foreign-born, four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

There was a special gathering in Indianapolis this week: Helio Castroneves, A.

NBC Sports is in the final year of its contract with IndyCar.

Jimmie Johnson will make his Indianapolis 500 debut this season but in the television booth and not on the racetrack.

FILE - In this June 26, 2006, file photo, Tony Stewart poses with the trophy after winning the Crown Royal IROC auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Paul Kizzle, File)CHARLOTTE, N.C. Remember the old IROC Series, where the best drivers from various disciplines raced each other in equally prepared cars? It ran for 30 seasons before Tony Stewart won its final championship and the series quietly went away. We envision a hybrid of all different series we dont see it looking like a crazy dunebuggyish type car, Evernham told the AP. Evernham believes drivers will arrive and draw for both their car and crew chief which Evernham hopes comes from a pool of noted industry veterans.