IndyCar’s showpiece event, the Indianapolis 500, has been officially postponed from May until August, it was confirmed on Thursday.
After recently calling off the first three rounds of the 2020 season, America’s premier single-seater series had hoped to begin with their signature ‘Month of May’ which sees IndyCar host the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course before switching to the oval for the 500.
However, now GMR Grand Prix will be an even more patriotic event on Independence Day, July 4, with the Indy 500 now on August 23, the first time it has not been held in May in its 109-year history.
“The Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is my favourite time of year, and like our fans, I am disappointed that we have had to reschedule the Indianapolis 500,” said IndyCar owner Roger Penske in a statement.
“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.”
This year’s GMR Grand Prix event will also now be a historic one as it will mark the first time IndyCar and NASCAR will compete on the same track on the same weekend, with the inaugural Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard also on Independence Day weekend.
“For very good reason, this historic pairing will be circled on the calendar of every motorsports fan,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said.
“We appreciate our friends at NASCAR for their flexibility and support in this matter and will work with them on a memorable, exciting weekend of racing action.”
Following the postponements of the Indianapolis events, IndyCar’s ‘Duel in Detroit’ double-header is now the first scheduled event this year on May 30/31.