The Indy Racing League’s IndyCar Series will debut in Long Beach and Toronto next year.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach in California will be run on April 19. The 35-year-old event has hosted Formula One, CART and Champ Car World Series races. This season, Champ Car ran its final event there after its merger with the IRL, but awarded the drivers IRL points. Next year, it becomes a full-fledged IRL event. The agreement is through 2015.
The IRL will hold the Streets of Toronto race on July 12. It will make up for the loss of the Nashville event, which was dropped after efforts to negotiate an agreement for a 2009 race there failed.
“We don’t think it’s a perfect schedule, but we think it’s progress towards a much improved schedule,” Terry Angstadt, president of the IRL’s commercial division, said.
There were also major schedule alterations for some 2009 events compared to their 2008 staging, notably the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi, which will shift to September 19 after being staged in April since 2003.
That will make the Japan event, won this year by Danica Patrick in the first Indy-car triumph by a woman, the penultimate event on next year’s schedule, followed only by another 1.5-mile oval race on October 11 at Miami.
The 2009 slate features 10 ovals, three road courses and five temporary circuits.
“While we are disappointed that the IRL was not able to accommodate Houston in 2009, we are very optimistic about the prospects for 2010,” said Mike Lanigan, CEO of MJ Promotions.
“We were very impressed by the presentation, and we are confident that Houston could be a great market for the IndyCar Series,” said Terry Angstadt, Indy Racing League’s president, commercial division. “However, due to contractual obligations and our desire to grow the schedule in a way that will work for all involved, it was impossible to add all of the races we would have liked for 2009.
“We are looking forward to continuing to work with Mike Lanigan and MJ Promotions on the possibility of racing at Reliant Park in the future.”
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