In the hours before the dispute of the penultimate round of 2021, The IndyCar Series has officially confirmed the schedule for the upcoming 2022 season, which faithfully follows the estimates made by various media in recent days. After two years of great variations due to COVID-19, the category seeks to stabilize the dates of its regular events, in a calendar that stands out for the Already announced return of the Iowa Oval as a double event, as well as that of the Toronto urban race after two cancellations.
Despite this, there are quite striking changes with respect to what has been seen in recent seasons. One of the most notable is the early start of the season, which will take place in St. Petersburg on February 27. Thanks to an offer from NBC, the category’s television partner, to broadcast the race on its main channel, the city council this week approved the event to be moved one week earlier than its usual date. This will mark the fourth season in modern IndyCar history to have races in February, after 1971 (USAC), 2003 (Champ Car) and 2004.
Maintaining Roger Penske’s claim to have an oval before the Indy 500, Texas further advances the date of its event, which will once again be a single appointment after experimenting with a dual format this year. The race will be held on March 20, being the earliest oval event since 2005, but this change has drawn much criticism for coincide with the 12 o’clock Sebring celebration date, in which several drivers and championship teams compete. Again, NBC has played an important role in this regard by dictating the most optimal date. Long Beach was postponed this year until it was the last race of 2021, but in 2022 it will return to its usual place in April, ahead of a two-week delayed Alabama Grand Prix that will be held outside of April for the first time in its history.
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Usually, the first four races will be separated from each other by two weekends without competition. After the May appointments in Indianapolis, with May 29 being the scheduled date for the 500 miles, the other notable novelty is the simplification of the Detroit Grand Prix to a single race, having adopted a dual format since 2013. Because the Road America appointment has been moved forward a week, Detroit returns to its usual date after the Indy 500, with the high number of consecutive weeks with competition (five since the Indy GP ) the main reason for the single event together with the claim to maintain a number of 17 races.
Serving the Mid-Ohio race as the focal point of the season, the last eight races will be held in a hectic nine-week stretch, with up to four consecutive career weekends. In that section, a week after the planned return from Toronto, the Iowa double race will take place, and the Brickyard Grand Prix in which the category accompanies NASCAR is advanced two weeks at the end of July, this time preceding the second. Nashville Grand Prix edition. From there, the end of the season will be the standard, ending the action in Gateway, Portland and the final fireworks in Laguna Seca on September 11. In total, the calendar will be comprised of 12 circuit races (seven in permanent, five in urban) and five in ovals.
In addition to a solid fit with NASCAR dates and the start of football in September, the category has prioritized the largest possible television exposure in the United States at the time of making the calendar. This season’s remarkable viewership data has been key to an improved deal with NBC allowing record broadcasts of up to 14 of the 17 events on the main channel. Only three races will not enjoy this greater audience potential: after the future disappearance of NBCSN, Detroit and Gateway will be broadcast on the USA Network, while the Toronto race will only be able to be seen in the US through the Peacock streaming service. which also broadcasts the entire season.