INDIANAPOLIS – The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series schedule was announced Sunday afternoon by series officials, with a return to Richmond Raceway serving as the highlight of the schedule.
Richmond Raceway will return to the NTT IndyCar Series schedule for the first time since 2009 and will be the only new addition on the 2020 schedule. The three-quarter-mile Virginia oval will play host under the lights on Saturday, June 27, and be the 11th race on the season.
“We are pleased to return to the Mid-Atlantic region, one we know to be full of INDYCAR fans,” IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said. “We’re also excited to return to historic Richmond Raceway, which was recently reimagined with a $30 million redevelopment project that modernized the infield for a better fan experience.”
The two-day race weekend will fall on the same weekend utilized for the previous nine NTT IndyCar Series races at Richmond dating back to 2001. The Richmond event replaces the race at Pocono Raceway that has been on the schedule since 2013.
“Richmond Raceway’s history in motorsports dates back to 1946 when the track hosted two AAA Championship Car events,” Richmond Raceway President Dennis Bickmeier said. “After hosting IndyCar from 2001-2009, we now look forward to the return of the NTT IndyCar Series for our fans at America’s Premier Short Track as part of a Mid-Atlantic festival of speed on June 26-27, 2020.”
The 2020 season marks the second full season with the NBC Sports Group, which will air the races live on NBC and NBCSN in addition to programming on NBC Sports Gold. The coverage will feature eight races on NBC, including a crescendo to the finish and NTT P1 Award qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. The remaining nine races will air on NBCSN.
The NTT IndyCar Series showcases a diversity of tracks with a schedule comprised of seven held on permanent road courses, five on temporary street circuits and five on oval tracks.
For the 10th consecutive year, the NTT IndyCar Series season will kick off on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Sunday, March 15. The opener on the scenic waterfront 1.8-mile temporary street circuit in the Gulf Coast city first hosted Indy cars in 2003 and has continuously since 2005.
The season will conclude for the second consecutive year at the historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca road course, where the championship-deciding race will be held Sunday, Sept. 20 – again on NBC.
The Circuit of The Americas race, which was the second race of this season, will move to the fourth slot and be held Sunday, April 26.
After running the oval race at Iowa Speedway (July 18), the series will have a three-week break as NBC and NBCSN focus on televising the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course returns to one of its traditional weekends, moving from Sunday, July 28, this season to Sunday, Aug. 16, next year. This will begin NBC’s crescendo to the finale, with three of the final four races on network television (Mid-Ohio, Portland and Laguna Seca).
The break between the final two races of the season will be reduced from two weeks to one. The Grand Prix of Portland will be held Sunday, Sept. 6, while the Monterey race is set for Sunday, Sept. 20. Both will air on NBC.
2020 NTT IndyCar Series Schedule
March 15 – Streets of St. Petersburg – St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 5 – Barber Motorsports Park – Leeds, Ala.
April 19 – Streets of Long Beach – Long Beach, Calif.
April 26 – Circuit of the Americas – Austin, Texas
May 9 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Road Course) – Indianapolis, Ind.
May 24 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Ind.
May 30-31 – Streets of Detroit – Detroit, Mich.
June 6 – Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas
June 21 – Road America – Elkhart Lake, Wis.
June 27 – Richmond Raceway – Richmond, Va.
July 12 – Streets of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario
July 18 – Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa
Aug. 16 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio
Aug. 22 – World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, Ill.
Sept. 6 – Portland Int’l Raceway – Portland, Ore.
Sept. 20 – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, Calif.