XM Satellite Radio to sponsor the IRL season opener

XM Satellite Radio will be the sponsor of the IndyCar Series season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Drivers in the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 will take the green flag at 8 p.m. (EST) March 24. The race can be heard on XM Satellite Radio’s IndyCar Channel 145 and will be televised by ESPN2. It will be the first time that a major North American motorsports sanctioning body has opened its season at night. A post-race concert also is planned.

“The only thing more spectacular than watching these cars race at more than 200 miles per hour is watching them race at night," Homestead-Miami Speedway president Curtis Gray said. “South Florida is famous for its fast-paced nightlife, so it was only fitting for the Speedway to host this event under the lights for the first time."