The delayed IndyCar season will kick off at Texas Motor Speedway for a night-time race to be held on June 6 without any spectators.
The Texas race was the next one on the IndyCar calendar that had yet to be postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and while it will still go ahead on the date initially planned, changes will be made to ensure the safety of all participants.
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Most significantly, practice, qualifying and the race will all take place on the same day. The race itself will also be shortened from 248 laps to 200 laps of the 1.5-mile oval venue in Fort Worth, Texas while broadcast coverage will be provided by NBC Sports via NBCSN, Crash reports.
Restrictions will be placed on the number of personnel at the race while organizers will also employ a health screening system. PPE equipment will also be provided to everyone entering the facility and social distancing protocols will be in place and carefully maintained.
“We’re excited and ready to kick off the NTT IndyCar Series season at Texas Motor Speedway,” IndyCar president Jay Frye said. “We’ve worked closely with Eddie Gossage, the entire TMS team and public health officials on a plan of action that will ensure the safety of our event participants alongside an exciting return to competition for our drivers, teams and viewers tuning in from around the world.”
“America needs live sports and they are not going to believe what they see when the Genesys 300 storms into their living rooms on TV from Texas,” added Texas Motor Speedway president and general manager Eddie Gossage. “One of the world’s greatest sporting events, the Indy 500, has been postponed until August by coronavirus, so all of that pent-up energy, anticipation, frustrations and anxiety will be pounding through the drivers’ nervous systems. Typically, the Genesys 300 results in a 220-mph photo finish.”
