IndyCar unveils 17-race calendar for 2017
A largely unchanged calendar has been announced for next year's Verizon IndyCar Series, featuring the return of Gateway Motorsports Park alongside previously established events.
Start: Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske Chevrolet leads
Foster Peters
The season will again span from early March to early September, kicking off with the St. Petersburg round on March 12 and concluding at Sonoma Raceway on September 18.
The order of the events has remained largely unaltered from 2016, although the Phoenix race - which had been second in the 2016 schedule - has now been moved to after Long Beach and Barber.
This means that the largest gap between any two rounds of the season will separate the St. Petersburg opener and the second race at Long Beach, the two events scheduled almost a month apart.
The returning Gateway race is penciled in the weekend between Pocono and Watkins Glen - a slot that initially wasn't occupied in the 2016 IndyCar schedule, but was eventually taken up by the Firestone 600 at Texas that had been postponed from June.
"The release of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule continues to build upon the success IndyCar has experienced the last three years and establishes continuity and consistency in our event calendar," said Mark Miles, CEO of IndyCar's parent company Hulman & Company.
"As a series, we are working diligently to create long-term relationships with our promoters to establish date equity and to provide them with the opportunity to initiate ticket renewals and event promotions earlier, which is pivotal to continuing the increase in attendance at our events."
Watkins Glen gets multi-year deal
Iconic venue Watkins Glen, which was picked up for 2016 in place of the initially announced Grand Prix of Boston, has now signed a multi-year with the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Next year, the New York track's IndyCar race will again be scheduled for Labor Day weekend.
"Watkins Glen is an iconic American road course that is revered by our fans, drivers and teams," Miles said.
"Our goal from the beginning was to establish a long-term agreement and we're thrilled that we've been able to extend this relationship for the future."
2017 IndyCar calendar
Date | Type | Venue |
March 12 |
Street Circuit |
St. Petersburg |
April 9 | Street Circuit | Long Beach |
April 23 | Road Course | Barber |
April 29 | Oval | Phoenix |
May 13 | Road Course | Indianapolis GP |
May 28 | Oval | Indianapolis 500 |
June 3 | Street Circuit | Detroit |
June 4 | Street Circuit | Detroit |
June 10 | Oval | Texas |
June 25 | Road Course | Road America |
July 9 | Oval | Iowa |
July 16 | Street Circuit | Toronto |
July 30 | Road Course | Mid-Ohio |
August 20 | Oval | Pocono |
August 26 | Oval | Gateway |
September 3 | Road Course | Watkins Glen |
September 17 | Road Course | Sonoma |
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