2016 IndyCar Schedule (Update 11)

UPDATE #8 Below, is AR1's updated 2016 IndyCar schedule .

08/18/15 Here is our updated 2016 IndyCar schedule thread

08/14/15 INDYCAR announced today that Auto Club Speedway, the 2-mile oval in Fontana, Calif., will not return to the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule in 2016.

INDYCAR explored several options to retain the event as part of its 2016 calendar, including plans to race later in the season to comply with the track's request to host the season finale. Ultimately the two sides were unable to identify a start time and broadcast window that would not adversely impact television viewership on the East Coast.

"There was a tremendous amount of effort put forth to keep Auto Club Speedway on the calendar. In the end, we could not identify a compromise for 2016 that was amicable for both parties," said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We're thankful to (Auto Club Speedway President) Dave Allen for his efforts in these negotiations. We mutually agreed that our inability to identify a date for next year doesn't preclude us revisiting these conversations in the future.".

Too bad, IndyCar ran the greatest race in the history of motorsports there this year. Even when IndyCar wins it loses.

08/13/15 Below, is AR1's updated thread on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. Since our last update, the series confirmed its return to Road America, and appears to have a date with Phoenix International Raceway We'll continue to keep you updated as information becomes available.

08/04/15 Rumor has it NASCAR has taken all the good dates and times for 2016 on NBCSN so IndyCar is scrambling to find time slots for their races. NASCAR has their act together and reserves their slots early leaving IndyCar to feed off the breadcrumbs because they do not have their act together and never know until the last minute what their schedule will be.

08/04/15 The only 2016 IndyCar schedule that makes sense was proposed by AR1 weeks ago. Some of the dates have already been confirmed.

08/04/15 This TampaBay.com article says next year's Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will be March 11-13.

Traditionally, the St. Pete race has been held the last weekend of March. However, that is Easter weekend in 2016, hence the new date.

With St. Pete in early March, there are now 5 weeks between St. Pete and Long Beach. We wonder what race will fill in the gap between those events. Below, is our updated schedule thread.

Others mentioned:

Mexico City – we’re skeptical due to F1 now being there
Laguna Seca – often mentioned but not sure the date
Homestead – would be ideal early in the year
Phoenix – we’ve heard conflicting reports. Great track but difficult to squeeze between two NASCAR dates

07/02/15

IndyCar will return to Barber Motorsports Park in 2016.

Below, is AR1's first 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule thread. While the previous incarnation of this rumor is an outline of what AR1 thinks should happen, below is what we believe will happen.

A few things that will make 2016 different than previous years.

1. Easter is early (March 27, 2016). This is the traditional St. Pete date, which we imagine will move up a week. Also, Easter usually effects the dates of Long Beach and Barber. Long Beach's date is confirmed. Barber will return but no date as yet. Not sure if/where NOLA will fit in

2. There are five Sundays in May. This will probably allow the teams a break on May 1, and also allow IMS to have a long buildup for the 100th Indianapolis 500.

3. Labor Day is late again (September 6th)

4, Mark Miles has noted the schedule will go beyond five months. Whether that means an earlier start or later finish is not yet known, but we'll guess the latter.

As usual, this will take various forms and there will probably be changes as we go. But take this as a broad outline, organizing what is known, what is likely, and how everything will sort out in 2016.

Enjoy!

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07/01/15 IndyCar appears to have a mental block when it comes to developing a race schedule that works for everyone, so we took a few minutes and put together the perfect 19-race 2016 IndyCar schedule that spans 8 months. 8 Ovals, 6 Road Courses, 5 Street Races that happen pretty much every 2-weeks with just four back-to-back weekends to reduce strain on crew members. And all races must be on ABC guaranteeing a minimum of 1 million viewers per race. This isn't rocket science.