IndyCar's Detroit Grand Prix brings 50% boom to local business sales

IndyCar is eyeing the Detroit Grand Prix lined up ahead this weekend, and local businesses are readying up for the economic boom. Local businesses in Downtown Detroit are expecting about a 50 percent increase in revenue in the upcoming days, helping the small ventures.

Since 1989, the street race in Detroit has been part of three different spans on the IndyCar calendar. Despite the on-and-off nature of the race, it has been a staple on the calendar since 2012.

Moreover, with FOX Sports signing a new deal with IndyCar this year, the promotional campaigns for the sport have garnered mass attention among fans. This helped in a sudden peak in the viewership and the attendance of the season opener in St. Petersburg, where the city witnessed a $40 million economic boom.

With the latest Indy 500 being a sold-out weekend, the premier open-wheel racing series in the United States is on a roll. The next Grand Prix will be held in Detroit, and business owners are already expecting an increase in turnover due to the presence of racing fans, as a Detroit restaurant, 'Locos Tex-Mex', manager, Alexis Odom, revealed (via Fox):

"Yeah, at least, at least about 40% to 50% of an increase on the days that they are here."

Meanwhile, the IndyCar grid is gearing up to take on the nine-corner street course with full determination.

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Alex Palou reveals the tough nature of the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix

Alex Palou after winning the Borg Warner trophy at the 109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

The nine-turn circuit has a convoluted structure of corners. The street course has the majority of its corners at a 90-degree angle, which promotes overtaking but increases the difficulty owing to the bumpiness of the track.

Talking about how the 1.645-mile track is super bumpy and narrow with its intricacies troubling drivers, reigning champion Alex Palou said (via Detroit Free Press):

"It's just, like, super bumpy. It's really short and really narrow. So for us to be on the limit and not end up in the wall, it just makes it very, very challenging. In some areas, it's very narrow. In some others, you have different tarmacs in different corners, and it just makes it challenging to feel the grip of the car. Hopefully, we get to do the same this weekend."

On the other hand, Palou has been the driver to beat on the IndyCar grid for the past few years. The Spaniard won his second championship in 2023 and has never looked back since.

Moreover, questions raised against his calibre for oval racing were quashed at the Indy 500 this year, where he won his first oval race. This helped him secure his fifth victory of only six races held so far, and amass a massive 112-point lead.