» IndyCars: 2013 schedule finalised, with plenty of changes…

IndyCar Series organisers have revealed a radically overhauled calendar for the 2013 season, unveiling a 19-race schedule that includes three double-header events. The series also returns to Houston and Pocono Raceway.

The new calendar features a more even mix of road, street and oval circuits, with the addition of two events, and the loss of the race at Edmonton Airport.

Three of next year’s events – at the Detroit, Toronto and Houston street circuit rounds – will have races on Saturday and Sunday. These three rounds will also see the introduction of a concept truly foreign to IndyCar fans: the standing start…

Detroit will also revert to the 2.3-mile track layout formerly used between 1998-2001 after this year’s return event was marred by a major track break-up during the race.

Houston’s Reliant Park street circuit layout will host its first open-wheel race since the Champ Car Series last raced there in 2007, while Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway has spent even longer on the sidelines – it hasn’t hosted a round of the IndyCar Series since 1989!

The 400-mile race at Pocono will be one of three long-distance oval races – the others being the traditional Indianapolis 500 and the season-ending Fontana 500 – that will form part of the reinstated ‘Triple Crown’. Should a driver win all three races, they will pocket a $1 million bonus; if they win two, then they’ll earn $250,000.

The addition of these extra races means that next year’s season will finish a month later than the now-finished 2012 campaign.

The 2013 IndyCar Series calendar reads as follows:

Date	Event	Venue
24 MAR	Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg	Streets of St Petersburg, Florida
07 APR	Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama	Barber Motorsports Park, Alabama
21 APR	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Long Beach, California
05 MAY	Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300	Streets of São Paulo, Brazil
26 MAY	97th Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana
01 JUN	Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix (Race 1)	Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan
02 JUN	Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix (Race 2)	Belle Isle, Detroit, Michigan
08 JUN	Firestone 550	Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
15 JUN	Milwaukee IndyFest	Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wisconsin
23 JUN	Iowa Corn Indy 250	Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
07 JUL	Pocono 400	Pocono Raceway, Pennsylvania
13 JUL	Honda Indy Toronto (Race 1)	Streets of Toronto, Canada
14 JUL	Honda Indy Toronto (Race 2)	Streets of Toronto, Canada
04 AUG	Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio	Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio
25 AUG	Go-Pro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma	Sonoma Raceway, California
01 SEP	Grand Prix of Baltimore	Streets of Baltimore, Maryland
05 OCT	Shell Grand Prix of Houston (Race 1)	Reliant Park, Houston, Texas
06 OCT	Shell Grand Prix of Houston (Race 2)	Reliant Park, Houston, Texas
19 OCT	American REALTV 500	Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California

The calendar could expand further to include a possible street circuit event in the Rhode Island town of Providence – which is reportedly still under negotiations – while rumours continue to swirl that the championship could make a return to its traditional Australian home at Surfers Paradise.