IndyCar released a revised 2020 racing schedule Thursday, creating the first planned doubleheader with NASCAR’s national series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway over Independence Day weekend.
The Roger Penske-owned sanctioning body rescheduled several races as the world deals with the public-health impact of the COVID-19 virus. Those changes include new dates for the Indianapolis 500, which moves from May 24 to Aug. 23, and its preliminary events.
The GMR Grand Prix for the IndyCar Series has been rescheduled from May 9 to July 4 on the Indianapolis venue’s road-course layout. That race will tentatively be held just before the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ debut on the Brickyard’s 2.41-mile, 14-turn circuit that same Saturday.
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“For very good reason, this historic pairing will be circled on the calendar of every motorsports fan,” said J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s president. “We appreciate our friends at NASCAR for their flexibility and support in this matter and will work with them on a memorable, exciting weekend of racing action.”
Tony Stewart, an Indiana native, three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and the 1997 IndyCar champion, plans to enter the Xfinity Series’ Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard. Matt DiBenedetto tested a Team Penske Xfinity Series car at the Indianapolis road course Jan. 22 in an effort to confirm the track configuration.
