- 2017 schedule positions INDYCAR for continued growth in attendance, television ratings and viewership
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Multi-year agreements put in place for a new event at Gateway Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen International
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All venues where INDYCAR competed in 2016 return to the 2017 calendar, which features races on six ovals, six permanent road courses and five temporary street circuits
SONOMA, Calif. (Aug. 25, 2016) - The Verizon IndyCar® Series will conclude its season in the Sonoma Valley for the third consecutive year, as the 2017 season will come to a close at the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, Sept. 15-17, officials announced today.
INDYCAR announced a 17-race season that provides continuity, adds a new event at Gateway Motorsports Park and confirms a multi-year agreement with Watkins Glen International. The series calendar features the return of all venues on the 2016 schedule and consists of a total of six events on ovals, six on permanent road courses and five on temporary street circuits.
The 12-turn Sonoma Raceway road course served as a perfect setting for the conclusion of the 2015 season, as Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon claimed his second consecutive Sonoma victory and second Verizon IndyCar Series championship title in dramatic fashion. Dixon ultimately won the title as the result of a tiebreaker based on season victories after Juan Pablo Montoya finished sixth in the double-points finale. The series will conclude the 2016 season Sonoma in a few short weeks, Sept. 16-18.
"Sonoma Raceway is the ideal venue to crown the Verizon IndyCar Series champion," said Sonoma Raceway president & general manager Steve Page. "The thrill of watching these cars battle on our road course, combined with the unparalleled backdrop of Wine Country and the San Francisco Bay Area adds up to an amazing weekend for fans, visitors, sponsors and everyone who follows and supports the series."
For the sixth consecutive season, the INDYCAR schedule will open on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (March 12), in 2017 and conclude at Sonoma Raceway (Sept. 17).
"The release of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule continues to build upon the success INDYCAR has experienced the last three years and establishes continuity and consistency in our event calendar," said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "As a series we are working diligently to create long-term relationships with our promoters to establish date equity and to provide them with the opportunity to initiate ticket renewals and event promotions earlier, which is pivotal to continuing the increase in attendance at our events."
All events on the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule will be broadcast by longstanding television partners ABC and NBCSN. The final TV schedule will be released later this year.
The addition of Gateway Motorsports Park (Aug. 26) marks a return for the Verizon IndyCar Series, which last competed at the venue outside St. Louis in 2003. The track has hosted seven Indy car races, in CART from 1997-2000 and the Verizon IndyCar Series from 2001-03. Watkins Glen International, a replacement venue for the canceled Boston race this year, will host the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen this season on Sept. 4. The permanent road course, steeped in open-wheel racing history, will return on Labor Day weekend again in 2017 under a new multi-year agreement with INDYCAR.
Tickets for the 2016 GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma, including preferred parking, garage access, pit and pre-race passes, are now available for purchase at www.sonomaraceway.com/indycar or 800-870-7223. Kids 12 and under are admitted FREE all weekend and parking is FREE.
2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Schedule*:
March 12 -- Streets of St. Petersburg
April 9 -- Streets of Long Beach
April 23 -- Barber Motorsports Park
April 29 -- Phoenix International Raceway
May 13 -- Grand Prix of Indianapolis
May 28 -- Indianapolis 500 Mile Race
June 3 -- Raceway at Belle Isle Park
June 4 -- Raceway at Belle Isle Park
June 10 -- Texas Motor Speedway
June 25 -- Road America
July 9 -- Iowa Speedway
July 16 -- Streets of Toronto
July 30 -- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Aug. 20 -- Pocono Raceway
Aug. 26 -- Gateway Motorsports Park
Sept. 3 -- Watkins Glen International
Sept. 17 -- Sonoma Raceway
*Schedule subject to change.
