IndyCar back in St. Pete seven months later to finish season
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – IndyCar opened the second week of March giddy to finally start its season. The entire industry left St. Pete in March unsure how IndyCar could survive. Yet here IndyCar is, back on the St. Pete streets preparing to crown a champion in Sunday's season finale. Now this cruel 2020 season closes right back at St. Pete, the only street course to survive the schedule disruptions and where it all fell apart in March. Askew missed two races but returned for St. Pete, his final race in another unpopular firing by Arrow McLaren.
Power claims another pole at Indy, Dixon's woes continue
INDIANAPOLIS – Will Power will start from the pole Saturday at Indianapolis after posting the fastest lap in morning qualifying. It's his fifth pole this season and the 61st career pole, which is second all-time behind Mario Andretti (67). “We made a lot of changes last night," Power said, explaining he was not satisfied with Friday's car. And when Newgarden won Friday's race , with Dixon finishing ninth, the lead was trimmed to 40 points with two races remaining. “It will take more horsepower we'll use more in these conditions, where as in July it would have been easy to do a two-stop race," Power said.
Indy 500 to reduce capacity to 25 percent, lift blackout
FILE - In this May 26, 2019, file photo, Simon Pagenaud, of France, leads the field through the first turn on the start of the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)INDIANAPOLIS The Indianapolis 500 will limit fan attendance to 25% of capacity and lift a local broadcast blackout for just the second time in nearly seven decades when the postponed race is run next month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speedway officials released a detailed 88-page plan Wednesday for conducting the 104th edition of the race in the age of the coronavirus. Penske Entertainment chief executive Mark Miles acknowledged everything will be different about this year's race.Capacity will be limited to 87,500 fans at the massive speedway. Tickets will be distributed so that groups of fans are socially distanced and many ancillary events, such as Legends Day and the 500 Festival Parade, have been canceled.
Indianapolis 500 attendance limited to 25% capacity
Race driver Scott Dixon, of New Zealand, drives down the main straight in front of empty stands during the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, July 4, 2020. IMS is also encouraging fans over 65 to skip the race, will limit attendance in the infield and reduce suite seating. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the largest outdoor sporting venue in the world and the original plan would have permitted roughly 175,000 spectators for the race originally scheduled to run Memorial Day weekend. Now roughly 87,500 fans can attend, which would still make the Indy 500 the largest sporting event since the pandemic began in March. "Our outdoor facility is mammoth and with attendance of about 25% it will certainly look different this year, said Miles.
Dixon, Ganassi out to continue IndyCar domination in Iowa
The IndyCar series will welcome fans for the first time of the year during the REV Group Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, at Road America in Plymouth, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)NEWTON, Iowa Few people can appreciate the level of success that Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Scott Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist have had during the IndyCar team's pandemic-challenged 30th anniversary season more than Tony Kanaan. Then consider the 45-year-old Kanaan sees the 39-year-old Dixon in the gym almost every day, each pushing each other to stay fit and young. Dixon went on to win his third straight race after triumphs at Texas and on the road course at Indianapolis. All of it will take place Friday, with the first lap determining where drivers start in the opening race and the second lap where they start the second.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway slams door on fans at Brickyard
Eli Collins receives his Speedway High School diploma during a ceremony on the start/finish line at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader on the July 4 weekend without fans. Track officials had been optimistic IMS could be the first major sporting venue to have fans back in the stands this summer. Marion County -- - home to Indianapolis, the states largest city - only recently entered the third stage. IndyCar is set to open the season Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.
A Long Month For Penske At Indianapolis
It is finally May and time to declare this a crummy year to have purchased Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Then came the coronavirus pandemic and the IndyCar Series was suspended 48 hours before its March 15 season-opening race. Before sports shut down, IMS was scheduled to open this week for the GMR Grand Prix on the road course. Its new owner was determined to make the 111-year-old landmark Penske Perfect in time for the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend. When Penske was forced to reschedule the Indianapolis 500, he used an optimistic view in discussing the opportunities ahead of his staff.
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