Discord was the defining term to describe the motorsport communities reaction to the NTT IndyCar Series' inaugural $1 Million Challenge at the Thermal Club. By the end of Sunday's (March 25) race, X (née Twitter) was alight with frustration from many industry veterans, while drivers were much more receptive to the event, the first the series has held at the private, racing-themed community in Riverside County, California.

Frontstretch's own Jack Swansey just so happened to be on the ground for the weekend, and naturally made time to appear on The Pit Straight to reflect on his experience and ponder what implications the event, and its reception, may carry for INDYCAR moving forward. Whether the event will return in 2024 remains to be seen, but the opinions are anything but unclear in this week's episode.

.IRPP_kangoo , .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text-area { min-height: 100px; position: relative; } .IRPP_kangoo , .IRPP_kangoo:hover , .IRPP_kangoo:visited , .IRPP_kangoo:active { border:0!important; } .IRPP_kangoo { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #eaeaea; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -o-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.17); } .IRPP_kangoo:active , .IRPP_kangoo:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #FFFFFF; } .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl , .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { background-position: center; background-size: cover; float: left; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo .postImageUrl { width: 30%; } .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { width: 100%; } .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text-area { float: right; width: 70%; padding:0; margin:0; } .IRPP_kangoo .centered-text { display: table; height: 100px; left: 0; top: 0; padding:0; margin:0; } .IRPP_kangoo .IRPP_kangoo-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0 10px 0 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .IRPP_kangoo .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #34495E; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: .125em; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .IRPP_kangoo .postTitle { color: #000000; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo .ctaButton { background-color: #FFFFFF; margin-left: 10px; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .IRPP_kangoo:hover .imgUrl { -webkit-transform: scale(1.2); -moz-transform: scale(1.2); -o-transform: scale(1.2); -ms-transform: scale(1.2); transform: scale(1.2); } .IRPP_kangoo .imgUrl { -webkit-transition: -webkit-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -moz-transition: -moz-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -o-transition: -o-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; -ms-transition: -ms-transform 0.4s ease-in-out; transition: transform 0.4s ease-in-out; } .IRPP_kangoo:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } See alsoInside IndyCar: 3 Areas to Improve the $1 Million Challenge

The Pit Straight is Frontstretch‘s open-wheel racing podcast, available during the racing season weekly on Tuesdays on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and right here on the web.