The race is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, August 26, 2017, with practice and qualifying on Friday, August 25. Additionally, plans are already underway to incorporate a weeklong celebration leading up to the race.
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“It’s a great day for St. Louis, a great day for Curtis Francois and a great day for the wonderful race fans of the St. Louis area, ” Francois said.
For years, the IndyCar Series has been plagued by scheduling problems and has often had difficulty getting its schedule released by the end of the previous year. I think we started from the pole and led a lot of laps.
The IndyCar Series on Thursday announced a largely familiar 17-race schedule for its 2017 season, with an exception being a new event at an old venue-Gateway Motorsports Park.
The track also has a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, and the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series runs at the facility. Anyone who purchases a ticket to the fair will receive $5 off entry to this year’s IndyCar event on Labor Day weekend.
Watkins Glen International, a replacement venue for the canceled Boston race this year, will host the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen this season on September 4. Drivers were asked during the most recent test if they would like to see Watkins Glen return to the series on a full-time basis. “They like the track and they appreciate the enthusiasm and energy of the fans”.
Gateway is in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis. “St. Louis is a sports town through and through”. “More than a dozen track operators around the country sought an IndyCar date for their communities”. Carpenter had run at Gateway during his younger days and wasn’t disappointed by what he found when he returned a little over a year ago.
In fact, it can be argued open-wheel racing has the most year-over-year schedule stability and continuity it’s had in more than a decade, and easily longer when considering there was a 12-year period when there were two sanctioning bodies. “From the showing and turnout that we have here today (Thursday), I expect it to be a strong event”. The last IndyCar event was held at Gateway in 2003. It’s a unqiue track and one that we don’t have right now on the circuit, ” Carpenter said. Francois says his team is already in talks with potential race sponsors and he’s encouraged by the early support.
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Simon Pagenaud is followed closely by Indy Lights driver Dean Stoneman getting some laps in Ryan Hunter-Reay’s vehicle, Thursday morning during testing at Watkins Glen International.
