Pocono hopeful for good-sized crowd at IndyCar race

2013 crowd of 25,000

Pocono Raceway wants the IndyCar series to return. IndyCar drivers want to continue racing at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. So, what's the problem with IndyCar possibly not racing at Pocono next year?

Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono's president and CEO, says that whatever happens will be a business decision. If enough fans show up Sunday for the ABC Supply 500, IndyCar is expected to return to Pocono next year. Igdalsky won't say what the "enough" figure is.

"We're optimistic we'll have a good crowd," Igdalsky said earlier this week. "It probably won't be first-year numbers, though."

When IndyCar returned to Pocono two years ago after a 23-year absence, the Daily News estimated the crowd in the 20,000 to 25,000 range. That's less than half of what the NASCAR Sprint Cup races draw at Pocono, but was considered respectable. Last year's attendance, on Fourth of July weekend, was perhaps 15,000. Bill Flieschman/PhillyNews.com