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IndyCar: 2019 race at Circuit of the Americas looking more likely

By Asher Fair

AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 22: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB13 TAG Heuer leads Kimi Raikkonen of Finland driving the (7) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H on track during the United States Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on October 22, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 22: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing Red Bull-TAG Heuer RB13 TAG Heuer leads Kimi Raikkonen of Finland driving the (7) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H on track during the United States Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on October 22, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
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It is looking more and more likely that IndyCar will venture to Circuit of the Americas for the first time in the 2019 season.

Confirmed in June was the fact that the IndyCar race at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, which just returned to the scheduled ahead of the 2016 season, will not be returning to the schedule in 2019.

With IndyCar seeking a replacement for this race, the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Grand Prix, so that the schedule will continue to have 17 races like it did last season and does this season, Circuit of the Americas has emerged as a possibility to host its first IndyCar race next year.

Circuit of the Americas, the 20-turn, 3.427-mile (5.513-kilometer) road course in Austin, Texas that broke ground on December 31, 2010 and opened on October 21, 2012, currently hosts Formula 1‘s United States Grand Prix and Grand Prix motorcycle racing’s Grand Prix of the Americas.

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The emergence of Circuit of the Americas as a possible replacement race for the race on the four-turn, 1.022-mile (1.645-kilometer) ISM Raceway oval has taken place despite the fact that IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway agreed to extend the track’s contract with the series through at least 2022 on a recently signed four-year deal.

Eddie Gossage, the president of the four-turn, 1.44-mile (2.317-kilometer) Texas Motor Speedway oval in Fort Worth, Texas, had a non-compete “radius clause” in the track’s last IndyCar contract. This effectively meant that there could not be any other IndyCar races held within a certain radius of the track, which would mean the option for IndyCar to race at Circuit of the Americas would not have existed.

However, Gossage has compromised, which is evidenced by the fact that (a) Texas Motor Speedway is set to return to the IndyCar schedule for at least another four years and (b) talks with Circuit of the Americas are still going on despite this new contract between IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway having been confirmed.

In other words, expect the relatively new road course to host its first IndyCar race next year.

If Circuit of the Americas does end up hosting an IndyCar race in the 2019 season, it is believed that it would take the date (the weekend, at least) that the race at ISM Raceway was typically held on. The race was held on the first Saturday night in April, so the race at Circuit of the Americas would likely be held on the first Sunday in April. However, this has not been confirmed, and there are certainly other open dates throughout the season that could be possibilities.

Since returning to the schedule in the 2016 season, the race at ISM Raceway was only not held on the first Saturday night in April last year. This was the case because of the fact that the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four was held in Phoenix on the first Saturday night in April.

As a result, the race at ISM Raceway was bumped back to the final Saturday night in April. It is unknown whether or not this date (weekend) could also be an option on which to host a race at Circuit of the Americas.

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Will IndyCar race at Circuit of the Americas for the first time in the 2019 season? If so, will that be the last race that is added to next year’s schedule? If not, will a 17th race be added to next year’s schedule or will just 16 races be held next season? Expect to know more in the very near future with IndyCar trying to have the 2019 schedule solidified before the 2018 season ends in about two and a half weeks following the season finale at Sonoma Raceway.