2016 IndyCar Series
| 2016 IndyCar season |
|
| Verizon IndyCar Series |
| Season |
| Races |
16 |
| Start date |
March 13 |
| End date |
September 18 |
| Awards |
| Drivers' champion |
|
| Chronology |
| Previous season |
Next season |
| 2015 |
2017 |
The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season is the 21st season of the IndyCar Series and the 105th season of American open wheel racing. It includes the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, set for May 29. Scott Dixon entered as the reigning drivers' champion, while Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturer's champion.
Confirmed teams and drivers
Notes
- Katherine Legge was announced as the driver for a to be determined entry for newly formed Grace Autosport. The team will become the first all-female team in IndyCar history.[7]
- Bryan Clauson will attempt the Indianapolis 500 for the 3rd time for Jonathan Byrd's Racing. There has also been rumors of possibly running a 2nd oval race with the team as well. Clauson will attempt to race in more than 200 races in 2016 among IndyCar, sprint cars and midgets.[12]
- Ryan Hunter-Reay, Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti are signed with Andretti Autosport for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.[13]
- Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter will stay with Ed Carpenter Racing for 2016.[14]
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will only run one car full-time in 2016 with Graham Rahal and will also run Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot in three races (St. Petersburg, GP of Indy, and Indianapolis 500).[15]
- Team Penske returns with the same four drivers.
- Chip Ganassi Racing retains Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Charlie Kimball, but Sage Karam will not return with the team. While initially announcing that the team will scale down its opperations to 3 full-time cars, later confirmed the Ex-F1 driver Max Chilton, who had spent last season in Indy Lights, as their fourth entry.
- Schmidt Peterson Motorsports confirmed the return of James Hinchcliffe on team. Mikhail Aleshin returns to the team for the full season replaced James Jakes.
- The team PIRTEK Team Murray confirmed that the team will race the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 with driver Matthew Brabham. The team will have support from KVSH Racing.[9]
- KVSH Racing confirmed the return of Sébastien Bourdais with the team. Stefano Coletti will not return for the team.
- Dale Coyne Racing confirmed the return of Conor Daly to the team. Pippa Mann will return to the team for the Indianapolis 500.
- A. J. Foyt Enterprises confirmed the return of Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth on team.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing confirmed Sage Karam on Indianapolis 500.
- Lazier Partners Racing confirmed the return of Buddy Lazier on Indianapolis 500.
- Bryan Herta Autosport confirmed the return of Gabby Chaves on team.
- In an interview at Team Penske's 50th Anniversary Celebration, Kurt Busch said he has been in talks with Andretti Autosport about a possible Indianapolis 500 ride, although for now he said "it's on the backburner".[16]
Schedule
The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was announced on October 27, 2015.[17]
| Rd. |
Date |
Race Name |
Track |
City |
TV |
| 1 |
March 13 |
 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg |
Streets of St. Petersburg |
St. Petersburg, Florida |
ABC |
| 2 |
April 2 |
Phoenix Grand Prix 250 |
Phoenix International Raceway |
Avondale, Arizona |
NBCSN |
| 3 |
April 17 |
42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach |
Streets of Long Beach |
Long Beach, California |
NBCSN |
| 4 |
April 24 |
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama |
Barber Motorsports Park |
Birmingham, Alabama |
NBCSN |
| 5 |
May 14 |
Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course |
Speedway, Indiana |
ABC |
| 6 |
May 29 |
100th Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade |
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
Speedway, Indiana |
ABC |
| 7 |
June 4 |
Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit |
The Raceway at Belle Isle Park |
Detroit, Michigan |
ABC |
| 8 |
June 5 |
| 9 |
June 11 |
Firestone 600 |
Texas Motor Speedway |
Fort Worth, Texas |
NBCSN |
| 10 |
June 26 |
Grand Prix of Road America |
Road America[18] |
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
NBCSN |
| 11 |
July 10 |
Iowa Corn 300 |
Iowa Speedway |
Newton, Iowa |
NBCSN |
| 12 |
July 17 |
 Honda Indy Toronto |
Exhibition Place |
Toronto, Ontario |
CNBC |
| 13 |
July 31 |
Honda Indy 200 |
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
Lexington, Ohio |
CNBC |
| 14 |
August 21 |
ABC Supply 500 |
Pocono Raceway |
Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
NBCSN |
| 15 |
September 4 |
Grand Prix of Boston |
Boston Seaport District |
Boston, Massachusetts |
NBCSN |
| 16 |
September 18 |
GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma |
Sonoma Raceway |
Sonoma, California |
NBCSN |
Oval/Speedway
Road Course
Temporary Street Circuit
Schedule changes and notes
- The Grand Prix of Boston was announced in late May 2015. The race will be run on Labor Day Weekend on September 4, 2016. The street circuit will be based in the Boston Seaport District.[17]
- St. Petersburg will be run on March 11–13.[19]
- Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was also rumored to start the 2016 season with a race in February, but will likely be delayed until the 2017 season.[20]
- IndyCar will not return to NOLA Motorsports Park and the Milwaukee Mile in 2016 following financial difficulties exposed shortly after the 2015 running of the former event.[20] Auto Club Speedway at Fontana was also dropped for 2016.[20]
- Toronto returns in 2016 to its original July date, and will remain as a single race weekend.
- The much anticipated return of Road America to American open-wheel racing was announced on August 8, 2015. The race will be run on June 26, 2016.[21]
- It was announced that Indycar will return to Phoenix International Raceway in 2016.[22]
- IndyCar officials are exploring the possibility of returning to Gateway Motorsports Park, but it will not happen for 2016; the track will be used for team testing and aero kit testing.
- Texas Motor Speedway confirmed that the Verizon IndyCar Series will run on June 11, 2016.[23]
- IndyCar is set to return to Pocono Raceway in 2016, the date is confirmed for August 21.[24]
- In an interview with Mark Miles, Iowa Speedway was said to be set for July 10.[17]
- In a November 2 press release, IndyCar announced a two-day promoter test at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled for February 26-27, in preparation for the series’ return to the 1-mile oval.[25] The Phoenix promoter test in February is the only one not in conjunction with a typical race weekend schedule. The other promoter test days are: March 11 at St. Petersburg, April 22 at Barber Motorsports Park, May 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, June 24 at Road America, July 29 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and September 16 at Sonoma Raceway.
Footnotes
See also
References
- 1 2 Klein, Jamie (December 16, 2015). "Foyt retains Sato, Hawksworth for 2016". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ↑ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (November 17, 2015). "Andretti retains Carlos Munoz for 2016". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ↑ Straw, Edd (February 1, 2016). "Ex-F1 driver Max Chilton joins Ganassi for 2016 IndyCar season". Autosport.com. Haymarket Media Group. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- ↑ Malsher, David (December 11, 2015). "Dale Coyne signs Conor Daly and Bryan Clauson". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ↑ Hembree, Mike (January 21, 2016). "Gas Monkey Garage to sponsor Sage Karam in Indianapolis 500 bid". USA Today (Charlotte, North Carolina: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc.). Retrieved January 21, 2016.
- 1 2 "INDYCAR: Carpenter, Fisher confirm split". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
- 1 2 James, Brant (May 15, 2015). "Grace Autosport becomes first all-female team in IndyCar history". USA Today (Indianapolis: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc.). Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- ↑ Pruett, Marshall (December 2, 2015). "INDYCAR: KVSH considering single entry in 2016`". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- 1 2 "INDYCAR: Brabham secures Indy 500 drive". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ↑ Lewandowski, Dave (October 20, 2015). "American force: Pigot joins Rahal for 2016 races". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ↑ "INDYCAR: Aleshin confirmed at Schmidt". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
- ↑ Miller, Robin (August 14, 2015). "INDYCAR: Indy part of Clauson's 200 race bid". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ↑ Olsen, Jeff (August 22, 2015). "Michael Andretti says he hopes to field four cars in 2016". USA Today (Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc.). Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ↑ Larson, Mike (September 23, 2015). "Josef Newgarden to stay with Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing for 2016". Autoweek.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ↑ Malsher, David (September 29, 2015). "Rahal to remain a one-car team in 2016". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ↑ Weaver, Matt (January 21, 2016). "NASCAR's Kurt Busch wants to run Indy 500 again". Autoweek.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "New events, extended season highlight 2016". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ↑ Kallmann, Dave (August 7, 2015). "Road America will get IndyCar race in 2016". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Journal Media Group). Retrieved August 7, 2015.
- ↑ Stanley, Kameel (August 3, 2015). "City: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be in early March 2016". Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida: Times Publishing Company). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Pruett, Marshall (August 2, 2015). "IndyCar: Big changes coming to 2016 schedule". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
- ↑ "IndyCar racing returns to Road America in '16". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. August 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ↑ Miller, Robin (August 14, 2015). "IndyCar: Fontana out; Phoenix closer to return". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Texas Motor Speedway Announces 2016 Racing Schedule". catchfence.com. Fort Worth, Texas: Citizen Journalist Media Corps. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ↑ Miller, Robin (October 13, 2015). "INDYCAR: Pocono set to return in 2016". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Test to set stage for Phoenix; incentives added". IndyCar.com. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
External links
