A Texas oval double-header is among the changes to the 2021 IndyCar calendar, while Richmond has been removed without having run a race after its cancellation in 2020 and the Circuit of the Americas is also absent.
For the 10th year in a row, the season is pencilled in to start with St Petersburg, whicd has been rescheduled from the start of the season to the end of the year in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. That means it will host the last race in ’20 as well as the first in ’21.
The wait is over. The 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule is here.
Clear your calendars because you won't want to miss any of the on-track action.
Full Schedule: https://t.co/dgV9ZuZhpQ#INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/Vz9ojxf3X7
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) October 1, 2020
The new Nashville street race is confirmed, while Barber, Long Beach, Detroit, Toronto, Portland and Laguna Seca all return having been lost to the pandemic in 2020.
Texas was the new start of the 2020 season in June, and has now moved to the beginning of May to provide an oval round before the Indianapolis 500.
Richmond had been due to return to the schedule for the first time since 2009 in June, but was cancelled amid the pandemic and then dropped from the 2021 edition.
The Circuit of the Americas has reportedly been up for sale and was another venue to have have a race cancelled in 2020, although McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris took an impromptu win there on his IndyCar debut in the series’ official lockdown iRacing series.
Also losing its place on the calendar is the Iowa oval, which hosted a double-header this year due to the pandemic.
The Indianapolis road course maintains its boosted position on the calendar, holding two races in 2021 with the second in August pairing up with NASCAR on the same weekend.
After it was delayed into August, the Indianapolis 500 returns to a more traditional May 30 date.
