INDIANAPOLIS — The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ DNA is faster and louder. With that said, these sleek cool machines look their best under the lights. There’s just something about seeing an Indy Car ripping around an oval under the lights. They’re already fast, but they look faster. They seem louder. The aroma is intoxicating.

However, in a day-and-age of racing shifting to more Sunday afternoon’s rather than Saturday night’s in primetime, it left this past season with zero races under the lights.

Many have wanted to see Iowa return to a nighttime event. Even the World Wide Technology Raceway event was better under the lights. However, TV numbers said the opposite. Better TV numbers mean better money which means more TV control.

This past year’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 as an example averaged 1.132 million viewers on NBC. Last year’s was nowhere close to that number. However, it was originally supposed to run on a late Saturday afternoon but rain delayed to finish under the lights. This year was strictly on a Sunday afternoon without any weather interruptions.

While TV says one thing, the fan base and paddock say another. The fans in person would rather watch at night. The drivers would prefer to race under the lights too.

“Yes, like 3,000 percent I want a night race,” David Malukas said heading into the World Wide Technology Raceway race weekend this past year. “That was like the coolest experience ever. I mean, it just feels so much faster, and we also get to activate “party mode” on our pit stand, where my number ends up lighting up. For me it’s just like a win-win-win-win-win-win on every standpoint ever, so yeah, please, a night race, I would love that.”

Conor Daly agreed.

“I love this track. It’s a great track. Man, I wish we were racing here at night, but that’… It is what it is,” Conor Daly said this past year.

Now, they get their wish. Next year’s race at the World Wide Technology Raceway will be on Saturday night, Aug. 17.

Still, it’s not as easy as just move it. There are several factors at play here. One of which is moving the race weekend. The final weekend of August is always going to be the NASCAR regular season finale and with Daytona being that cut race, it will run under the lights on a Saturday night. You don’t want to go head-to-head with them.

So, a new weekend needs to be secured which possibly means moving another race.

Another is TV. If you’re going to be on network NBC, they’d prefer to be with better ratings during a Sunday afternoon. If you run in primetime, it’s likely going on USA. By running there, you risk diminishing your TV numbers.

Which is why this is such a difficult balance.

“That’s a really good question, and it is balance,” Mark Miles told me on Monday afternoon. “So there are lower HUT levels generally speaking for sports on Saturday nights, and that’s a factor, but we think it’s incredibly appealing sport when INDYCAR can race under the lights. That’s on the other side of the coin.

“Then you look at the other things going on on those days. Do you want to compete against Big Ten football head-to-head on a Saturday during the day?

“So there’s just lots of considerations.”

So, INDYCAR went to NBC Sports to see what could be done. Iowa will run both races on network NBC meaning in the middle of July, they get a Saturday night primetime slot on NBC. With Gateway in the middle of August, a primetime slot wasn’t as easy to get accomplished. So they’ll move to USA.

But Miles says that he goes back to what’s compelling for them as a series and the best show they could put on is under the lights.

“But I think maybe the most compelling thing is that we just love our racing on short ovals under the lights,” he said.