At the time of writing, it is the beginning of the final weekend of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. One thought that has been on my mind throughout these Olympic Games is Auto Racing and how it could possibly fit within the Games. Now Auto Racing was up for admission into the Olympic Games as recently as last year, but the IOC struck it down. If your wondering why, its quite simple. The IOC’s 2001 Charter clearly states, “Sports, disciplines or events in which performance depends essentially on mechanical propulsion are not acceptable.” Though this exact quote has since been removed it still is perfectly understandable reasoning as to why auto racing may never be in the Olympics again. The Olympics are of course the truest test of the athletic capability of human beings, not cars.
Notice that i said that auto racing will never be in the Olympics again. Because Auto Racing has been in the Olympics before. Though it has never been considered an Official Olympic Sport. In 1900, at the World’s Fair, Auto Racing was held like all other Olympic events. French Driver Alfred Veghle won the lead class in a grueling race from Paris, France to Toulouse and back. A man by the name of Louis Renault (Yes, that Renault) won the second class. The race took an incredible 26 Hours and 44 Minutes to complete the 916 Mile journey.
In the century and a quarter since, there have been a couple unofficial rally events. As well as Karting being featured in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018. But it does not appear that we should be expecting Auto Racing in the Olympics anytime soon.
What If It Was?
Just because we shouldn’t get our hopes up about Auto Racing in the Olympics, doesn’t mean we can’t picture what it might look like. I have set out to create an entirely hypothetical depiction of what Auto Racing would look like if it were to take place at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Auto Racing in the Olympics would consist of 6 Races of equal distance. That distance being 125 Miles, regardless of track shape or size. A field of 32 Drivers that would be determined through qualifying races held before the Games begin. As for keeping track of standings, while a points format would work just as well, I have decided to go with a standings format similar to that of which might be found in the Tour de France. Whoever completes the 6 Races in the shortest amount of time would be crowned champion.
Is It Fair?
Before I get into the meat of this hypothetical event, I want to touch on something else. This is something that i fought with a lot. Is it fair? If it’s not, how could you make it fair. It seems like a simple question at face value, but when you dig down a little further, not so much. For example, if you put all of the drivers in Stock Cars, any Stock Car Driver would have an advantage. The opposite can be said for Open Wheel Drivers.
Moreover, a similar thing could be said about the tracks themselves. Formula 1 Drivers only race on Road and Street Courses, they would be at a significant disadvantage on ovals. Drivers from Sportscar Racing Series like IMSA or WEC would also be at this disadvantage. The best way I can think to subvert this disadvantage would be to just include multiple types of tracks.
As for the car, that might take the brains of engineers to design some kind of perfectly neutral car. One that probably doesn’t exist yet. But I am not knowledgeable enough to really provide any type of input.
The Events
The schedule would consist of 6 Races:
- Long Beach Street Circuit: The first would be Long Beach. This would admittedly be the toughest to organize from a logistical standpoint. But I would have a hard time not including one of the Most Iconic Street Circuits of all time. Especially when its just about 20 Miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. This race would be 64 Laps around the 1.968 Mile Course.
- Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca: Continuing the visits to iconic California Racetracks, the next stop is Laguna Seca. The 2.238 Mile circuit in Monterrey, California holds within it, one of the most iconic and challenging corners in all of racing. The Corkscrew. Just that complex alone is worth the tracks placement in this series. This race would be 56 Laps.
- Sonoma Raceway: This track has been a mainstay on the NASCAR Calendar for decades. For this event, the layout of choice would be the Long Circuit with the Carousel. This would be 50 Laps around the 2.533 Mile Circuit.
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track: This will undoubtedly be the most controversial inclusion within this series. But here is why I have chosen to include it. How can you tell who the best driver is if you don’t put them in an uncomfortable situation? The best drivers will be able to adapt to the dirt or to any new situation for that matter and that, I feel, is the only real explanation that’s needed to defend this decision. This race would be 250 Laps around the 1/2 Mile Dirt Track.
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway: The penultimate race in this series would take place on the 1.5 Mile Oval in Las Vegas. A regular stop on the NASCAR calendar and one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR calendar as well. This race would be 84 Laps.
- Irwindale Speedway: The Series Finale returns to Los Angeles and Irwindale Speedway, a 1/2 Mile Oval located about 15 Miles outside of Downtown Los Angeles. Irwindale has hosted NASCAR Weekly Series racing and ARCA West racing for years even through the tracks future being somewhat in flux. This race would be 250 Laps.
The Team
It’s hard to say who would make the team for other countries, so I won’t speculate. I will focus on who I think would make Team USA for this series. But it is important to note that under this format, not every driver for a country’s team will qualify. Similar to how Olympic Qualifiers work for Track & Field and Swimming. So just because I include a driver in this hypothetical Team USA done not mean I think they’d make the cut.
Kyle Larson: Alright, the most obvious choice ever. There could not be a Team USA for Auto Racing without Kyle Larson. He is arguably the best race car driver in the world at the moment.
Josef Newgarden: I feel like this is a somewhat obvious choice as well. Newgarden is a 2-Time INDYCAR Champion and the 2-Time defending Indianapolis 500 Champion.
Jordan Taylor: This is where I can start getting a little more creative. Larson and Newgarden are Oval aces. But Taylor is a great road racer and has proven to be adaptable in his career. In Taylor’s lone NASCAR Cup Series Start he qualified 4th, though the race proved tougher. He also made an Xfinity Series start at Portland International Raceway and had race winning speed before suffering a mechanical issue.
Connor Zilisch: This is a tricky one because Zilisch is just 18-Years Old, but already has a remarkable resume. Including winning the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in the LMP2 class at 17-Years Old and running the anchor stint in both. Not to mention winning the pole in his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Circuit of the Americas and if not for a significant mistake on Lap 1, he may have won that race. But with that said, this choice really relies on where I think Zilisch could be in the future.
Conclusion
We may never see Auto Racing in the Olympics. But it’s very fun to speculate about. It’s impossible to say what would actually happen in this scenario. Who knows, a more likely possibility might be separating drivers into different disciplines. But either way, this is just my take on it all. I am very open to other suggestions of what it might look like, so if you’re reading this and have some thoughts of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Header Image: Denny Hamlin’s Gold Medal from the LA Clash 2024. Credit: Patrick Vallely.
