Will Buxton: “INDYCAR and NASCAR doubleheaders are a great idea”

Will Buxton loves Pato O’Ward, but he may not agree with the Arrow McLaren driver’s No. 5 Chevrolet. O’Ward opposed the idea of ​​doubleheader weekends – events that hold both INDYCAR and NASCAR in the same location, in the same time frame. “I’m tired of INDYCAR being treated like a support race,” O’Ward said. “INDYCAR should not become a sideshow.” That’s often what happens when there are doubleheaders in places like St. Petersburg, which hosted the INDYCAR season opener Sunday morning and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday. Plus, there’s this weekend at Phoenix Raceway, with INDYCAR’s Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday (3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) and NASCAR’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). However, Buxton, the FOX Sports INDYCAR play-by-play announcer, views these doubleheaders as an “opportunity.” “An opportunity for INDYCAR fans to fall in love with NASCAR and for NASCAR fans to fall in love with INDYCAR,” Buxton said on Monday’s episode of “SPEED With Harvick And Buxton.” “[It’s] for racing fans on both sides to gain a new understanding and respect for championships they might never have watched, or always believed they shouldn’t. Do you want people to remember you? Play the best fucking concert of your life. INDYCAR simply needs to do what it does best, which is be the fastest racing in the world. That’s how you make fans. And that’s how INDYCAR becomes the headliner. “Look, I love Pato,” Buxton added. “I like the fact that he is honest and speaks from the heart. And while I know exactly where he’s coming from, I think there’s a bigger picture to see here.” [INDYCAR OPENER: 4 Takeaways From Alex Palou’s Victory at St. Pete] Double titles mean more eyeballs, more fans, more chances for Tyler Reddick fans to fall in love with Alex Palou and vice versa. “The INDYCAR and NASCAR dual events are a great idea because they shouldn’t be about anyone but the fans,” Buxton said. “It has to be about what’s good for them and how the championship can maximize welcoming new fans to a racing product that we all love. And the best way to do that is simply to continue with what INDYCAR does best: putting on a spectacle. The fastest race in the world.” INDYCAR will have the platform to do it this weekend in Phoenix.