The NTT Data IndyCar Series has confirmed its season will get back underway on June 6th with the Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The race will be held without fans in attendance and will feature a compacted schedule that will see practice, qualifying and the race all occur on the same day.
In a statement, IndyCar president Jay Frye said the series has been working with the team at Texas Motor Speedway to ensure the event is safe for the drivers, teams and other personnel that will be in attendance.
“We’re excited and ready to kick off the NTT IndyCar Series season at Texas Motor Speedway,” Frye said in a statement. “We’ve worked closely with (TMS preisdent) Eddie Gossage, the entire TMS team and public health officials on a plan of action that will ensure the safety of our event participants alongside an exciting return to competition for our drivers, teams and viewers tuning in from around the world.”
TMS has also laid out how it plans to keep attendees safe during the Genesys 300 weekend. The track perform health screening checks as drivers, teams and other personnel enter the track and will provide PPE such as face masks and gloves. It will also put in place strict social distancing guidelines.
Practice for the race will begin at 1:30 PM ET, followed by qualifying at 5 PM ET and the race at 8:45 PM ET.
The 2020 IndyCar Series season will continue with the REV Group Grand Prix from Road America on June 21st, followed by the Indy Richmond 300 from Richmond Raceway on June 27th. It’s currently not clear if these races will be held with fans in attendance. The series also plans to host the Indianapolis 500 on August 24th after its usual May date was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TMS president Eddie Gossage expressed excitement for the event in a prepared statement, despite the fact the track will not be able to host any fans.
“America needs live sports and they are not going to believe what they see when the Genesys 300 storms into their living rooms on TV from Texas,” said TMS president Eddie Gossage. “One of the world’s greatest sporting events, the Indy 500, has been postponed until August by coronavirus, so all of that pent-up energy, anticipation, frustrations and anxiety will be pounding through the drivers’ nervous systems. Typically, the Genesys 300 results in a 220mph photo finish.”
Last year’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, the DXC Technology 600, was won by Chevrolet Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden.
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Comment
INDY racing at Texas Motor Speedway; makes me think of something I had heard by an INDY racer several years ago where he said with enough boost, he thought it possible to achieve 300 mph during a race.