Race Weekend Central

Report: IndyCar Boston Grand Prix Cancelled

The Verizon IndyCar Series’ hopes of running in Boston have been dashed.

As first reported by the Boston Herald, the promoters of the Boston Grand Prix have canceled the event after failing to provide promised financial commitments.

The announcement brings an end to the much-contested Labor Day weekend event, which would have seen the stars of IndyCar competing on the Seaport District of Boston, Massachusetts. The planned course was a 2.2-mile temporary circuit around the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

By agreement, the Boston Grand Prix organizers must pay a $1.5-million dollar fine to the national IndyCar group.

“The City of Boston will always be open to opportunities that will positively showcase our city, however as we continued to work with Boston Grand Prix they were unwilling or unable to meet the necessary requirements to hold an event of this size,” said Patrick Trophy, chief operation for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, in a statement. “The Mayor feels strongly in protecting the taxpayers and limiting the impact to residents, and we are not shy that we held them to very high standards.”

It is unknown at this time if IndyCar plans to replace the Labor Day event with another venue. The absence of a race on the Sept. 2-4 weekend would be a major blow for the series, dropping the tour to just 15 races.

The race’s absence would also create an absence of nearly a month between the 2016 championship’s final two rounds. IndyCar plans to compete at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 21. Without Boston on the schedule, the series won’t compete again until the Sept. 19 season finale at Sonoma Raceway.

No statement from IndyCar has been released at this time. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

About the author

A graduate of Ball State, Aaron rejoins Frontstretch for his second season in 2016 following a successful year that included covering seven races and starting the popular "Two-Headed Monster" column in 2015. Now in his third year of covering motorsports, Aaron serves as an Assistant Editor for Frontstretch while also contributing to other popular sites including Speed51 and The Apex. He encourages you to come say hi when you see him at the track.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.

Share via