IndyCar Releases Revised 2020 Schedule, Indy 500 Moves to August

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

With COVID-19 concerns still wreaking havoc throughout the globe and taking a major foothold in the United States, the revered Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will have a different look to it this season.

On Thursday, IndyCar announced that the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the 104^th running of the Indianapolis 500 will not take place in May, but instead will be split up into two different weekends in July and August as part of a revised 2020 schedule.

The Grand Prix will join NASCAR during the Brickyard 400 weekend at IMS, running on July 4, which is the same date as the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the IMS Road Course.

As far as the Indianapolis 500, it moves to the weekend of August 23^rd, with practice, qualifying, and other pre-race activities taking place the week prior.

Practice for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” kicks off on August 12-13, followed by Fast Friday on August 14, and qualifying on August 15^th and 16^th. Race week begins on Thursday, August 20^th with pit stop practice and Indy Lights qualifying and practice. Carb Day will take place on Friday, August 21^st, followed by Legends Day on Saturday and the main event, the Indy 500, going green at an undisclosed time on August 23.

“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favorite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” Roger Penske said. “However, the health and safety of our event participants and spectators is our top priority, and we believe that postponing the event is the responsible decision with the conditions and restrictions we are facing.

“We will continue to focus on ways we can enhance the customer experience in the months ahead, and I’m confident we will welcome fans with a transformed facility and a global spectacle when we run the world’s greatest race.”

With Indianapolis taking precedence in Mid-August, IndyCar had to move the race weekends at Mid-Ohio and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway to accommodate the new Indy 500 dates. Mid-Ohio, which was originally scheduled for August 16 will now run the weekend prior on August 9, with Gateway now taking place the weekend following the Indy 500 on August 30.

The revised 2020 IndyCar schedule is now set to begin on May 30-31 with the doubleheader weekend in Detroit. The remainder of the schedule can be seen below.

Updated 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule

• Saturday, May 30 – Streets of Detroit Race 1
• Sunday, May 31 – Streets of Detroit Race 2
• Saturday, June 6 – Texas Motor Speedway
• Sunday, June 21 – Road America
• Saturday, June 27 – Richmond Raceway
• Saturday, July 4 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
• Sunday, July 12 – Streets of Toronto
• Saturday, July 18 – Iowa Speedway
• Sunday, Aug. 9 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
• Sunday, Aug. 23 – Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
• Sunday, Aug. 30 – World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
• Sunday, Sept. 13 – Portland International Raceway
• Sunday, Sept. 20 – WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca
• TBD Expected Finale – Streets of St. Petersburg