Why did IndyCar stop racing in Australia? Here's the story of the once-iconic Gold Coast Indy 300

IndyCar has been growing its fanbase worldwide but does not host any races outside North America. However, this was not the case over a decade ago, when the series used to race in Japan, Brazil, and Australia.

The race in Australia appears to be an outlier as it was initially hosted back in 1991. Since then, 18 editions of the Grand Prix have been held, and 17 different drivers have been crowned the winner.

The race in down under took place in Queensland, Australia on a 2.7-mile track surrounded by a beach on one side of the track. It featured four chicanes with long straightaways.

However, the race was headed toward its eventual shutdown in the early 2000s. Champ Car and Indy Racing League (IRL) competed for viewership across race weekends.

Though Champ Car had a more international racing calendar, the majority of the viewership was still amassed from the United States. This led to its eventual decline in viewership, which started causing troubles.

To solve the waning popularity of American open-wheel racing, Champ Car and IRL merged in 2008. This on-paper solved the problem that curtailed many venues as the economic burden seemed to be getting the better of racing.

Despite this, the last edition of the Gold Coast Indy 300 (Nikon Indy 300 in 2008) took place on October 26, 2008. It was an exhibition race, where home hero Will Power bagged pole.

However, the Aussie did not finish the race after a crash on lap 17, and Ryan Brisoe took home the victory. He was the only Aussie winner in the history of the race being held in Australia.

On the other hand, over the years, the premier open-wheel racing series has looked at including international venues in the series again, with Australia often forming part of the list.

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McLaren Racing CEO suggests IndyCar changes before going international

Zak Brown at the Indycar Series Test - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Roger Penske might be looking to get Australia on board the IndyCar calendar, according to the championship's international ventures. However, McLaren's Zak Brown is against the idea of introducing international races.

The 53-year-old has visited Australia on multiple occasions for McLaren's F1 efforts. Though Brown is happy with F1's Australian Grand Prix, he doesn't envision an international calendar for IndyCar due to the series' audience outside the US, and he said (via Speedcafe):

"I’m not a fan of IndyCar going outside of the Americas. I know it’s Aussie [readers] here, and I love Aussie, and I’ve got a Supercar team, and I love the F1 race in Australia, and I’ve got an Australian driver, so it has nothing to do with Australia, but IndyCar needs to grow its own market before it starts going international outside of America."

The only international race on the 17-race calendar, which is in Toronto, Canada, is scheduled to take place on July 20, 2025.