IndyCar: 3 tracks that got absolutely screwed by the pandemic

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Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing, IndyCar, Circuit of the Americas (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Three tracks, including two that were on the original 2020 IndyCar schedule, got absolutely screwed by the coronavirus pandemic.

A new IndyCar season is upon us following a 14-race 2020 campaign that looked drastically different than initially scheduled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many tracks which regularly appear on the schedule did not host races in the 2020 season, including Barber Motorsports Park, the streets of Long Beach, the streets of Belle Isle, the streets of Toronto, Portland International Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

But this year’s 17-race slate resembles, or should resemble, by the time it wraps up in late September, something more along the lines of what you would expect a season to look like.

However, not all tracks which did not host races in 2020 are getting another chance.

Two tracks on the initial 2020 schedule will not host races in 2021, and another track, which was wiped off the calendar after the 2019 season as a byproduct of the addition of those two tracks, also won’t be hosting a race in 2021.

Take a look at the three tracks that got shafted a lot harder by the pandemic than others.

IndyCar tracks that got screwed: Circuit of the Americas

Does anybody remember 2020 preseason testing at this point? That time when IndyCar expected to begin in mid-March and had the cars test at Circuit of the Americas, which was supposed to host the fourth race of the season in late April, over a month before the season actually began?

If you said no, you’re not alone.

Circuit of the Americas joined the IndyCar calendar in 2019 after hosting Formula 1 races each year since 2012, and both IndyCar and Formula 1 ran at the venue two years ago. It was slated to be back in 2020, but its preseason test sessions, which ended up taking place roughly four months before the season actually started, marked its final IndyCar activity for 2020.

It did not make a return to the schedule in 2021, so the 2019 season ended up being a one-and-done.