2020 IndyCar Series
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| 2020 IndyCar season | |
|---|---|
| NTT IndyCar Series | |
| Season | |
| Races | 13 |
| Start date | May 9 |
| End date | September 20 |
| Awards | |
The 2020 NTT IndyCar Series will be the 25th season of the IndyCar Series and the 99th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event will be the 2020 Indianapolis 500. Josef Newgarden will enter the season as the defending National Champion. Honda will enter as the defending Manufacturers' Cup champion for the second consecutive season. It will be the first year of the Penske management after they took over in late 2019.
Series news[edit]
- On May 24, 2019, it was announced that IndyCar Series will schedule to introduce cockpit protection combining an Aeroscreen and the Halo used in Formula 1 from 2020 season onwards. The cockpit protection will be built by Red Bull Advanced Technologies in a collaborative effort with Dallara. The combination of aeroscreen and halo is designed to improve safety standards by deflecting debris away from a driver's head and was originally developed for use in Formula One and IndyCar before its application was expanded to other open-wheel championships.[1]
- On November 3, 2019, it was announced the Team Penske owner Roger Penske had purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar as a racing league. Penske also announced he will step down as full-time race strategist.[2] On January 6, 2020, IndyCar announced the transactions were formally complete. Penske officially becomes just the fourth owner in Indianapolis Motor Speedway's history and marks the first time since 1945 where ownership of the Speedway has changed hands.[3]
Contracted teams and drivers[edit]
The following teams and drivers have been announced to compete in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. All teams use a spec Dallara IR18 chassis with univeresal aero kit and Firestone tires.
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R Eligible for Rookie of the Year
Team changes[edit]
- Formula One team McLaren Racing announced on August 1, 2019 it would join the series in 2020 in partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports under the name Arrow McLaren Racing SP.[13] The team will field two full-time entries.[40] As a result of McLaren partnership, the team officially agreed to end its engine partner deal with Honda to allow Chevrolet to supply Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team as it was announced on August 9, 2019.[13] On October 25, 2019, the joint venture unveiled a new logo and confirmed the team's name as Arrow McLaren SP.[41]
- On December 24, 2019, DragonSpeed released a schedule of six races for 2020, including the 104th Indianapolis 500. While 2019 driver Ben Hanley had previously been tipped to return[42], the December announcement did not confirm any drivers.[22] On January 13, 2020, it was announced that Hanley would drive for DragonSpeed at the first round in St. Petersburg.[43]
- On September 21, 2019 it was announced that Andretti Autosport would field a fifth entry for Colton Herta under the name Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport, partnering with Mike Harding and George Michael Steinbrenner IV of the previously independent team Harding Steinbrenner Racing.[44]
- On November 8, 2019, Meyer Shank Racing, after competing part-time in 2017, 2018, and 2019, announced that they would expand to a full-time program in 2020 with Jack Harvey. The team retained its Honda power and entered a technical partnership with Andretti Technologies after 2 years partnering with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.[45]
- On December 19, 2019, Dale Coyne Racing announced a partnership with 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans winners Team Goh to run Álex Palou for the full season.[20]
- On January 7, 2020, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing revealed to RACER that they would be expanding to a 4-race program in 2020. Team owner Dennis Reinbold revealed that Sage Karam would be back with the team in 2020, but did not specify how many rounds, or which rounds, Karam would be entering.[23] On January 10, 2020, in an interview with IndyStar, Reinbold clarified that Karam would be driving their car in the rounds at St. Petersburg, Indianapolis, and Toronto.[25]
- On February 21, 2020, Citrone/Buhl Autosport, a partnership between Nick and Robert Citrone and Tom and Robbie Buhl, announced their intentions to partner with an existing team to enter the IndyCar Series at the GMR Grand Prix and attempt to qualify for the 2020 Indianapolis 500. On February 27, 2020, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced a partnership with Citrone/Buhl Autosport and Spencer Pigot will drive their entry in the GMR Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500.[46]
Driver changes[edit]
- On October 8, 2019 Chip Ganassi Racing announced that Marcus Ericsson would join the team, leaving Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to drive the revived No. 8 car in 2020.[47]
- On October 28, 2019 Arrow McLaren SP relieved James Hinchcliffe of his driving duties and signed 2019 Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew and former Carlin driver and 2018 Indy Lights champion Pato O'Ward to fill their two seats.[14]
- On November 15, 2019, Ed Carpenter Racing announced that Spencer Pigot would not be returning to the team in 2020.[48] On November 20, ECR announced Rinus VeeKay had been signed to drive the No. 21 full time. [49]
- On November 22, 2019, it was announced that Sébastien Bourdais would not return to Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan due to a new need for funding.[50] The same day, Bourdais confirmed his exit from the IndyCar Series after signing to drive for JDC-Miller Motorsports in the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[51] On January 23, 2020, the team announced that Santino Ferrucci, who drove the No. 19 car for Dale Coyne Racing in 2019, would switch to the Vasser-Sullivan-supported No. 18 entry to replace Bourdais.[21]
- On December 9, 2019, Ed Carpenter Racing announced that Conor Daly would contest the road and street circuit races in the team's No. 20 entry with sponsorship from the United States Air Force, and would pilot a third entry for the team in the Indianapolis 500.[26] He replaces Ed Jones, who will drive for Audi Sport Team WRT in the 2020 DTM season.[52] Daly will also compete the four other oval events in Carlin's No. 59, replacing Max Chilton who quit racing ovals in 2019.[53]
- On January 22, 2020, A. J. Foyt Enterprises named Charlie Kimball the driver of their No. 4 entry, marking his return to full-time competition after running a partial schedule for Carlin in 2019.[4]
- On January 29, 2020, Tony Kanaan announced that 2020 would be his final season as a primary driver in IndyCar. He will race in the five oval events in the No. 14 for A. J. Foyt Enterprises.[6] On February 4, 2020 A. J. Foyt Enterprises confirmed that driving duties for the No. 14 on the road and street tracks would be split between Sébastien Bourdais and Dalton Kellett. Kellett will also drive the team's third entry in the Indianapolis 500.[54]
- On February 5, 2020, Team Penske confirmed that defending Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin (a driver for the Supercars team Penske co-owns) would make his IndyCar debut at the GMR Grand Prix on the Indianapolis road course. Hélio Castroneves, who drove a fourth Penske car at both Indianapolis races in 2018 and 2019, will only race in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 for Penske.[55]
- On February 19, 2020, Andretti Autosport announced that James Hinchcliffe would contest three events in the team's No. 29 entry with sponsorship from Genesys. He will be driving at the GMR Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and the Texas Indy 600.[10]
- On February 25, 2020, Fernando Alonso, who attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with McLaren Racing in 2019, announced that he would be driving for Arrow McLaren SP at the 2020 Indianapolis 500.[15]
- On March 10, 2020, Carlin announced that Felipe Nasr, who races full-time with Action Express Racing in the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, would make his IndyCar debut in St. Petersburg.[56]
Schedule[edit]
Provisional Schedule[edit]
The 2020 schedule was announced on September 1, 2019; there was one change from the 2019 IndyCar Series calendar with Pocono Raceway being replaced by Richmond Raceway, the latter track returning to the series for the first time since 2009. All start times listed are Eastern Daylight Time. All races are covered on the radio by the Pennzoil IndyCar Radio Network.[57]
[edit]
On March 12, 2020, it was announced that due to the threat of the coronavirus, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg would take place without spectators.[58] Later that day, the city of Long Beach cancelled or postponed all large scale events through the months of March and April, resulting in the postponement of the Grand Prix of Long Beach. It is unclear whether the event will take place later in the year, or be cancelled for the season.[59]
On March 13, IndyCar announced the cancellation/postponement of all races through the end of April, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.[60] This marks the first time since the 1957 season that the month of May will start the season.
O Short oval/Superspeedway
R Road/street course
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Fernando Alonso is considered a rookie in the IndyCar Series; however, he will not be a rookie in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 as he participated in the 2017 Indianapolis 500.
- ^ Felipe Nasr was entered in the No. 31 at St. Petersburg, but the race was cancelled before Nasr could compete.
- ^ Ben Hanley was entered in the No. 81 at St. Petersburg, but the race was cancelled before Hanley could compete.
- ^ Dreyer and Reinbold have previously used the No. 48, but that number was bought by Arrow McLaren SP on March 5, 2020.
References[edit]
- ^ "INDYCAR Announces Plan For Cockpit Protection Innovation". IndyCar.com. IndyCar Series. May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "INDYCAR, IMS Acquired by Penske Corporation". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ^ "Penske Corp. completes acquisition of INDYCAR, IMS and IMS Productions". IndyCar.com. IndyCar Series. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Charlie Kimball and Novo Nordisk join A.J. Foyt Racing for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Season". www.foytracing.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Brown, Nathan (February 4, 2020). "Sebastien Bourdais, rookie Dalton Kellett to join Tony Kanaan in A.J. Foyt Racing's No. 14 car in 2020". Indystar.com. Gannett Company. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ a b "Kanaan looking to sign off on a high note". www.racer.com. 2020-01-30. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ "Zach Veach signs with Andretti Autosport through 2020". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ "Rossi and Honda re-sign with Andretti Autosport". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
- ^ "Andretti Autosport re-signs Ryan Hunter-Reay, DHL". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ a b "Andretti Autosport | JAMES HINCHCLIFFE RETURNS TO ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT FOR THREE INDYCAR RACES". Andretti Autosport. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "Herta to join Andretti in fifth Steinbrenner-backed entry in 2020". Racer.com. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ Fair, Asher (August 16, 2018). "IndyCar: Marco Andretti to return to Andretti Herta Autosport in 2019". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ a b c Malsher, David (August 9, 2019). "McLaren returns to IndyCar full-time partnering with Arrow SPM". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
- ^ a b c "ARROW MCLAREN SP CONFIRMS O'WARD, ASKEW FOR 2020 SEASON". IndyCar.com. INDYCAR. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "Arrow McLaren SP and Fernando Alonso join forces for 104th Indianapolis 500". Arrow McLaren SP. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
- ^ "#INDYCAR He's backkkkkk! We're thrilled to announce that @maxchilton is back for his 5th @IndyCar season w/ @GallagherGlobal piloting the No. 59 #GallagherRacing @TeamChevy on all road/street courses in 2020 and the 104th Running of the #Indy500 at @ims! See you soon, @COTA!". February 7, 2020.
- ^ "#INDYCAR Welcome back, @ConorDaly22! We're excited to announce that Daly will be back w/Carlin in 2020 competing on all ovals except the #Indy500 in the No 59 @GallagherGlobal @TeamChevy w/teammate @MaxChilton already confirmed for all road/street courses &the 500 in the 59!". March 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Chip Ganassi Racing to Field Third NTT IndyCar Series Entry with Marcus Ericsson in 2020". October 8, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
- ^ "Dixon to stay with Ganassi for 2019". RACER. August 13, 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-13.
- ^ a b "Alex Palou joins Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh for 2020 IndyCar Season". Dalecoyneracing.com. Dale Coyne Racing. December 19, 2019.
- ^ a b "Ferrucci to Drive No. 18 SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Entry for 2020 NTT IndyCar Season". January 23, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (December 24, 2019). "DragonSpeed to run six-race IndyCar program in 2020". Racer.com.
- ^ a b "Dreyer & Reinbold expands IndyCar program for 2020". RACER. January 7, 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-07.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (February 21, 2020). "UPDATED: Citrone/Buhl Autosport plan IndyCar return". RACER. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
- ^ a b Brown, Nathan (January 10, 2020). "Dreyer and Reinbold Racing increasing IndyCar race count: 'We've got a lot to learn'". IndyStar. Retrieved 2020-01-10.
- ^ a b "Daly lands ECR road course seat". RACER. December 9, 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ Vording, Ronald (November 20, 2019). "Officieel: Van Kalmthout debuteert volgend jaar in IndyCar". Motorsport.com. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Malsher, David (November 9, 2019). "Meyer Shank goes full-time for 2020 with Andretti alliance". Motorsport.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (August 7, 2019). "RLL closing in on third car". Racer.com. Racer.com. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- ^ "Rahal extends contract with RLLR in five-year deal". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ "RLLR retains Sato for 2020 IndyCar season". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (February 27, 2020). "Pigot returns with Rahal, Buhl for Indy GP and 500". RACER. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- ^ Brown, Nathan (February 27, 2020). "Spencer Pigot lands with Rahal Letterman Lanigan, Citrone/Buhl for two-race month of May deal". IndyStar. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
- ^ Fair, Asher (October 2, 2018). "IndyCar: What we know about the 2019 driver lineup". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ "McLaughlin to make IndyCar debut at IndyGrandPrix". Teampenske.com. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (January 2, 2020). "Confirmed by @h3lio: he's a go for Indy road course, 500 and will test windscreen at COTA next month".
- ^ Malsher-Lopez, David (January 14, 2020). "Penske considering McLaughlin for IndyCar races in 2020".
- ^ Fair, Asher (October 2, 2018). "IndyCar: What we know about the 2019 driver lineup". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- ^ Malsher, David (May 27, 2019). "Penske confirms Indy 500 winner Pagenaud will stay on in 2020". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
- ^ Fair, Asher (August 1, 2019). "IndyCar: Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to continue with two full-time cars in 2020". Beyond the Flag. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- ^ Malsher, David. "Arrow McLaren SP approaches IndyCar with "humility and ambition"".
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (August 30, 2019). "DragonSpeed targeting 10 IndyCar races in 2020". RACER.
- ^ "Hanley, DragonSpeed set for St. Pete race". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
- ^ "Andretti Autosport confirms Herta/HSR deal". Racer.com. September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- ^ "AutoNation, SiriusXM and Meyer Shank Racing Ready for Full 2020 NTT IndyCar Season". Retrieved 2019-11-08.
- ^ "Spencer Pigot to Compete in the GMR Grand Prix and Indy 500 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing With Citrone/Buhl Autosport". Rahal.com. February 27, 2020.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (October 8, 2019). "Ericsson confirmed for third Ganassi IndyCar in 2020". Racer.com. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Malsher, David (November 15, 2019). "Pigot loses his ride with Ed Carpenter Racing". Motorsport.com.
- ^ "VeeKay confirmed at ECR". 2019-11-20.
- ^ "Bourdais out at Coyne". RACER. November 22, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (November 22, 2019). "Barbosa, Bourdais to Drive JDC-Miller Cadillac DPi". SportsCar365.com. John Dagys Media, LLC. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
- ^ Errington, Tom (December 11, 2019). "WRT Audi adds IndyCar racer to all-new DTM line-up". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Eubanks, Michael (March 10, 2020). "Conor Daly to run four races for Carlin in expansion to full season". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "Bourdais,Kellett complete Foyt driver lineup". IndyCar.com. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ "Supercars star McLaughlin set for Indy GP with Penske". RACER. 2020-02-05. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ "Nasr completes Carlin IndyCar line-up for St Petersburg". RACER. 2020-03-10. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "IndyCar 2020: Richmond part of 17-race schedule". IndyCar Series. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- ^ Miller, Robin (March 12, 2020). "IndyCar St Pete to run behind closed doors; condensed schedule". Racer.com.
- ^ "Long Beach Cancels All Large Scale Events Through April 2020". City of Long Beach. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "Official Statement From INDYCAR". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway road race lands title sponsor".
- ^ "Texas' INDYCAR race adds Genesys sponsorship".
- ^ TORONTO NOTES: HONDA CANADA EXTENDS SPONSORSHIP THROUGH 2020
- ^ https://racer.com/2020/03/13/long-beach-gp-still-chasing-rescheduling-options/
- ^ https://www.cuetoems.com/indy_2020/Tickets.aspx
- ^ "TICKETS". Circuit of the Americas. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "Circuit of the Americas Welcomes AutoNation INDYCAR Challenge April 24-26, 2020 | COTA Blog".
