2010 Indy Car Schedule Changes

IndyCar Series and TMS officials announced the move on Wednesday as part of adjustments to the 2010 schedule, eliminating what would have been a break for drivers after Indianapolis.

The Texas race has been moved up to June 5, a week after Indianapolis, because of a scheduling conflict with a NASCAR truck race that is part of the IRL weekend in Texas.

“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 IRL and Texas Motor Speedway,” track president Eddie Gossage said.

In the open-wheel series’ first nine seasons from 1997-2005, there had always been an off week between Indianapolis and Texas, the series’ top-drawing events. But there had been races the week between them for the past four years.

When the 2010 schedule was initially released last month, there was going to be a week off for the IndyCar Series after Indianapolis for the first time in five years. Now the break will come after Texas and before the series moves to Iowa on June 20.

Gossage said TMS wanted to keep the IRL and truck races on the same weekend as they have been since the track opened in 1997. The truck race will be on June 4, instead of June 11 as the track had originally announced.

IndyCar officials also said that the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi next year has been moved back one day to Sept. 19 to take advantage of a national holiday the following day, and confirmed the date of the Kentucky race on Sept. 4, the U.S. Labor Day weekend.

The 17-race IRL schedule begins on March 14 in Brazil. There will be five races before the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, and the series finale is on Oct. 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.