MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Formula 1 is back in the United States for the first time in six months and the first stop is the Miami Grand Prix, the race that was supposed to be the American showpiece.

But the sparkling debut of Las Vegas last November was rated as one of the best races of the 2023 season, and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, is a stalwart event that caters to passionate F1 fans.

Miami was the big party when it debuted in 2022 but the question is: Has its status fallen enough that Sunday’s race is simply just the first of three events in what has traditionally been NASCAR country?

Tyler Epp, president of the Miami Grand Prix, acknowledged ticket sales for the third running of the event have been “soft” but felt there would be an uptick ahead of Sunday’s race. Epp believes the U.S. can handle three events because they are so different.