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# Podcast: Did IndyCar's non-championship race merit such criticism?
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/indycar/indycar-podcast-1million-dollar-thermal-club-experiment-review/
- Published: 2024-03-27T12:50:18.000Z
- Updated: 2024-03-28T09:59:09.000Z
- Description: After IndyCar's $1million non-championship Thermal Club race was widely panned, The Race IndyCar Podcast takes a deep-dive to discuss all the things that did - and didn't - work
- Author: The Race Team
- Tags: IndyCar, #image-bottom-center

IndyCar's $1million non-championship race at Thermal has been widely panned by fans, so The Race IndyCar Podcast does a deep dive into the event this week.

JR Hildebrand joins Jack Benyon to discuss the things we liked and disliked from the event.

The fact that it was seemingly so universally disliked - at least judging by the social media reaction - triggers a concern for Benyon that IndyCar will be scared to try more new things, something it has been criticised for not doing recently.

The venue, heat format, use of push-to-pass in qualifying, the prize money *not* being enough and addressing some of the wider problems with the event’s messaging all make up parts of the analysis.

You can contact the show with questions (by voicenote, if you prefer) and suggestions via our email address: podcasts@the-race.com.