After Baltimore, IndyCar now goes dark for … a month

After successive races in Sonoma and Baltimore that were filled with crashes, angry drivers and unexpected names on the podiums, the Izod IndyCar Series disappears until Oct. 5-6, when it has a doubleheader on the streets of Houston. That hardly seems a recipe for building momentum and fan interest heading into the series' final three races of the year. After Houston, the finale is Oct. 19 on the fast, two-mile oval in Fontana. Mark Miles wants to eliminate this scenario next year and make sure there are no big gaps in the schedule at the end. Hence wanting to end by Labor Day.