INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday — Aug. 26, 2009 - Indy Racing League officials today confirmed the date for the 2010 IndyCar Series event at Kentucky Speedway and announced changes to the dates for the 2010 IndyCar Series races held at Texas Motor Speedway and Twin Ring Motegi.
"We worked with our promoter partners to ensure they had race dates that fit their needs and worked for the series as well," said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division of the Indy Racing League, sanctioning body of the IndyCar Series."Both Texas Motor Speedway and Twin Ring Motegi came to us in recent weeks looking to make adjustments based on various factors and we were happy to work with them to make the appropriate changes."
The Texas 550k IndyCar Series race will shift its 2010 date up a week to Saturday night, June 5, the weekend immediately follow the Indianapolis 500 to help Texas Motor Speedway keep the IndyCar Series and NASCAR Trucks doubleheader weekend intact.
"I have always been a proponent of that off week between Indy and us, but we hope the back-to-back races create even more momentum for the IndyCar Series and Texas Motor Speedway,'' Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said. "It was important for us to keep this combination weekend together because it has been a tradition at Texas Motor Speedway since we opened in 1997. We looked at a variety of options, but felt this was the best for our fans and we are appreciative of the IRL's flexibility."
The Kentucky race, which was announced as a Labor Day weekend event, will be held on Saturday night, Sept. 4, while the Indy Japan 300 will be held on Sunday, Sept. 19.
"We think we can take this race and make it even better, so we were happy the holiday weekend date was available," said Kentucky Speedway general manager Mark Simendinger. "We're thrilled with the history we've had with the IndyCar Series and next season will be no different as our event begins the closing three-race stretch of the season. With the investment we've made and will make in amenities such as camping, we think our event will make an excellent destination weekend."
The Indy Japan 300 will shift one day later to help Twin Ring Motegi take advantage of a national holiday on Sept. 20.
The complete 2010 IndyCar Series schedule:
Date Location Venue
Sunday, March 14 Brazil TBA
Sunday, March 28 Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. 1.8-mile street course
Sunday, April 11 Barber Motorsports Park 2.38-mile road course
Sunday, April 18 Streets of Long Beach, Calif. 1.968-mile street course
Saturday, May 1 Kansas Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, May 30 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 2.5-mile oval
Saturday, June 5* Texas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, June 20 Iowa Speedway .875-mile oval
Sunday, July 4Watkins Glen International 3.37-mile road course
Sunday, July 18 Streets of Toronto 1.721-mile street course
Sunday, July 25 Edmonton City Centre Airport 1.973-mile airport course
Sunday, Aug. 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 2.258-mile road course
Sunday, Aug. 22 Infineon Raceway 2.245-mile road course
Saturday, Aug. 28* Chicagoland Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Saturday, Sept. 4* Kentucky Speedway 1.5-mile oval
Sunday, Sept.19 Twin Ring Motegi 1.5-mile oval
Saturday, Oct. 2 Homestead-Miami Speedway 1.5-mile oval
* Denotes night race
Schedule Subject to Change
***
The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues Aug. 29 with the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 9 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. A one-hour qualifying show will be telecast by VERSUS at 6 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 28. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Chicagoland 100 on Aug. 29 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race will be telecast at 4 p.m. (EDT) on Aug. 31 by VERSUS.
