Arlington landed INDYCAR, so what's next for Texas Motor Speedway?
FORT WORTH, Texas — There are about 250 events on Texas Motor Speedway's 1,500-acre campus each year, but general manager Mark Faber wants to put more on the venue's calendar.
New attractions don't need to have four-wheels, either, Faber said. He won't rule out anything.
Faber says efforts to schedule more races, concerts, sporting events, and festivals at the massive venue are part of a broader vision for Texas Motor Speedway's "evolution."
"We see increased sales, we see increased sponsorship, and increased premium seating ticket sales for events coming here," Faber said. "We see growth. That's why we want to bring new events and expose new fans to what we have here at this iconic venue."
Though Faber says his staff has always treated this pursuit with a sense of urgency, it is perhaps more important than ever to put new fans in the stadium's seats.
For the first time since opening in 1997, Texas Motor Speedway hosted just one major league racing event in 2024. Chase Elliott won that NASCAR Cup Series race in April.
There was no INDYCAR race at the speedway in 2024. Texas Motor Speedway has hosted an open-wheel race each year since 1997, including during the pandemic.
There is no INDYCAR race scheduled at TMS in 2025, and Arlington officials announced this month that the city's entertainment district will host an INDYCAR street race in 2026.
"When NASCAR shifted from the fall to the spring, we were just limited on date and availability and we couldn't have INDYCAR," Faber said. "We are disappointed we could not agree on a mutually agreeable date for INDYCAR."
Ultimately, Texas's heat is to blame for the scheduling conflict. Cooler temperatures make the spring preferable for racing, leaving a tighter window when competing leagues can schedule their races.
For the foreseeable future, Texas Motor Speedway will host one premiere race each year.
"We're open for business," Faber said. "We're open for new events and new ideas."
Faber aims to recreate the major league race attendance numbers in the aggregate with "tentpole events," he says. Such occasions draw fewer attendees than a NASCAR Cup Series race but still draw thousands.
This year, Texas Motor Speedway hosted for the first time a Super Motocross playoff round. The Speedway also held a Hispanic Heritage Festival.
Faber has pitched TMS for a 2026 FIFA World Cup celebration.
"We've let people know we can play soccer here," he said.
In 2025, Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves will play the Cincinnati Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway.
There's enough space to accommodate just about anything on the Texas Motor Speedway's grounds, Faber said. New events don't have to be outdoors on the infield or in parking lots.
The Speedway Club, which overlooks the Texas Motor Speedway's quad-oval, already accommodates large conventions. Its ballrooms rival those of a major hotel.
"During the summer, can we have corporate events? Can we have track rental events that don't mind those hotter temperatures?" Faber asked. "We'll work through that."
Still, the key to the venue's evolution may have more to do with its location than scheduling or racing.
The speedway sits in a booming portion of the metroplex, at the intersection of Interstate 35 and Highway 114. Newly built homes and apartments are visible from the grandstands.
There is a Buc-ee's across the street, next to the Tanger Outlets mall. Roanoke, Justin, Southlake, Trophy Club, and Fort Worth are all expanding into the stadium's footprint.
"When this was opened in 1997, there was no development out here," Faber said. "You look around here now: there's retail, there's homes, there's mixed-use, and there's commercial out here."
Texas Motor Speedway leaders have had conversations about developing their own property.
"What can we imagine here to be a multi-purpose facility?" Faber asked. "We're already a multi-purpose facility for business. What else can we do for entertainment?"
As Faber and others consider those big questions, they have taken smaller steps to make the speedway more enticing when there are no public events scheduled.
This summer, the speedway moved its Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame display from inside the Speedway Club to the outdoor circle drive, allowing visitors to see the pedestals year-round.
In five years, Faber said he envisions a speedway that's added new events and drawn new visitors.
"Continuing to focus on the core of motorsports, which is at the heart of our facility," he said. "We'll always be respectful of that, but create and bring new events to this area that may not have been here before."
