IndyCar race changes for 2017

Long Beach will be 5 laps longer

The Verizon IndyCar Series has also made a few updates for 2017 competition.

There will be five laps added to the race length in Long Beach, taking it from 80 laps to 85 laps.

In Phoenix and Gateway, there will be two one-hour practice sessions Friday night with qualifying and the race being held Saturday. This allows more on-track action for the fans race day.

The Grand Prix of Indianapolis will only see two days of track activity (Friday and Saturday) rather than three days from years past (Thursday, Friday Saturday). Three laps will also be added to the race length, making 85 total laps.

The Raceway at Belle Isle Park will eliminate knock-out qualifying on Friday and will use the same qualifying procedures on Saturday and Sunday. This will consist of two 30-minute sessions, with the field divided evenly between the two groups. Each group will receive 12 minutes on track with a six minute break between the two sessions.

The track surface at Texas Motor Speedway has undergone a repave to help reduce the moisture absorbed into the track after rainy weather conditions.

There will be no warm-up on race day at Road America and an addition five laps will be added to the race length, for a total of 55 laps.

Five laps will also be added to the race length at Mid-Ohio, totaling 95 laps.