Why did IndyCar stop racing outside the US? Everything you need to know

IndyCar has been around since the 1920s. It has mainly been a sport that has taken place in America, but, it has, on occasion, been held in countries all over the globe. Canada, Japan, Australia and Brazil have hosted the sport's races.

The last race to take place outside of America was in São Paulo, Brazil. The event took place in 2013 at a temporary 4.081 km track in São Paulo City.

On that note, here are the reasons why America's highest class of open-wheel racing has never ventured outside the US since then.

#1 Huge cost

The first reason behind the sport not racing outside the US since 2013 is the cost involved in shipping cars and equipment overseas. The cost involved in regularly staging races all over the globe are huge, and the budget for the sport just doesn't allow for it to frequently take place outside the US.

#2 Sponsorships

Next up on this list are sponsorships. Most IndyCar sponsors are based in America, which doesn't allow for a favorable environment for them to generate solid revenue from staging races outside the country.

#3 Primary focus on North America

The third reason behind the sport not going global is its fan base in America and Canada. This is one of the main reasons why the decision makers have put most of their effort toward growing it in these parts rather than staging races all over the globe.

#4 Financial situation of IndyCar

While America's highest class of open-wheel racing is growing steadily under Penske Entertainment, it's still not at the level of a global motorsport like Formula 1.

Formula 1 enjoys major support to stage races all over the globe via huge sponsorship deals and broadcasting rights, while IndyCar doesn't have that kind of international commercial support.

That makes it immensely difficult to have Grand Prixs outside the US. Additionally, an IndyCar team can run with a budget of $7-14 million per car, while the same is around $135 million in F1.

#5 Time zone constraints

Next up is the time zone issues the sport faces. Being an American sport, the races are usually held during daylight hours to maximize viewership in the country, but that causes issues in developing an international fan base.

#6 Strong competition

Other than the aforementioned factors, strong competition in motorsports doesn't allow IndyCar to stage races outside the US.

Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of motor racing, while IndyCar faces tough competition from NASCAR (stock car racing) as well, which can limit the potential of IndyCar to become a global motorsport.