Hundreds of race fans celebrated more than just the Fourth of July on Thursday.
The reason : Indycar is back at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.
Fans filled the stands to get their first look at Indycar at Pocono, since 1989.
It's been 24 years since this racecar series has raced on the track and it's been that long for some fans waiting to see Indy back at Pocono.
"I'm just thrilled. I can't thank the Mattioli family enough. I know Mario Andretti and his family have been trying to get this back. We've been waiting and waiting and waiting," said Harrison Langley Jr. of Palmyra.
"The best thing is seeing the cars coming out of turn three down there. That's gonna be awesome when they start, that's going to be awesome seeing them come through there. No doubt about it," said John Creuz of Red Hill.
Hundreds of race fans came out to watch the Indycar drivers practice for free for the Pocono Indycar 400.
Other fans excited to see Indy back is Pocono Raceway CEO Brandon Igdalsky.
"It's my first Indycar race since '89. My first year working here was 1989. I was 13 years old. My childhood was coming to Pocono, to Indycar races. It's definately exciting to have them back," said Igdalsky.
Indycar goes about 40 miles an hour faster than NASCAR. That might not sound like a lot, but if you check out the scoreboard at the track, some speeds read 216 miles and hour, which is how fast some cars are going around the track.
While Newswatch 16 was at the track, the announcer told the audience one of the cars went around the 2.5 mile track in 40 seconds.
"They're essectially airplanes that are flying on the ground. Instead of lifting, they're being pushed to the ground. By the air pressure of the air over the wings. There's more technology and higher speeds because of it," said Langley.
The first Indycar race since 1989 is scheduled for this Sunday, July 7th, at 12:15 p.m. at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond.