 | |
 | |
| IndyCar Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Circuit of the Americas |
| First race | 2019 |
| Last race | 2019 |
| Distance | 204.6 miles (329.3 km) |
| Laps | 60 |
| Most wins (driver) | Colton Herta (1) |
| Most wins (team) | Harding Steinbrenner Racing (1) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Chassis:Dallara (1) Engine:Honda (1) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 3.426 mi (5.514 km) |
| Turns | 20 |
| Lap record | Will Power (1:46.0177,Dallara DW12, 2019,IndyCar Series) |
TheIndyCar Classic was anIndyCar Series race that was held atCircuit of the Americas (COTA) inAustin, Texas. The only running of the race took place on March 24, 2019, and was won byColton Herta. In 2020, the race was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and it was not included on the2021 IndyCar Series schedule.
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) inAustin, Texas, was built toFormula One (F1) specifications to host theUnited States Grand Prix starting in2012.[1] Situated in the rolling hills southeast of the city, it is a 20-turn, 3.427-mile (5.515 km)road course.[2][3] In 2018,Phoenix was removed from the2019 IndyCar Series schedule, which opened up a gap in the calendar.[1] At the same time, COTA chairman and CEO Bobby Epstein emphasized the track's desire to be fully prepared for hosting a new event after previously concentrating on its F1 andMotoGP races.[1]
Furthermore, a territorial restriction agreement that the IndyCar Series had withTexas Motor Speedway (TMS) had previously prevented the series from running races at COTA or other venues inTexas. However, negotiations between IndyCar and TMS president Eddie Gossage resulted in the series giving the track a discounted sanction fee in exchange for TMS allowing the series to schedule other races in Texas.[4][5] At the time of the negotiations in August 2018, Jim Ayello ofThe Indianapolis Star speculated that the new deal between the series and TMS would allow IndyCar to run at either COTA or a newstreet circuit inSan Antonio.[5] Ultimately, the series scheduled a race in Austin as a replacement for itsformer Phoenix race.[4][6] While Gossage had previously expressed concern that Texas could not adequately support two IndyCar races, Epstein opined that TMS and COTA are far enough apart that their races will not adversely affect each other.[3]
The IndyCar Classic was one of two additions to the 2019 IndyCar Series schedule,[7] which officially revealed that COTA had obtained a race as part of a multi-year agreement when it was released on September 4, 2018.[3][8] COTA was joined on the 2019 schedule by a revivedGrand Prix of Monterey on September 22, the season finale and the first IndyCar race atLaguna Seca in 15 years.[7] COTA's IndyCar Classic was the second race of the 2019 season,[9][10] following the season-openingGrand Prix of St. Petersburg two weeks earlier on March 10.[3][6][10] The placement of the Austin race, as well as the forward shift of theGrand Prix of Alabama that followed it, reduced the number of long gaps in the early portion of the season.[3][6]
The 2019 IndyCar Classic was also the first time thatAmerican open-wheel cars and F1 raced at the same track during the same season since 2006, when the now-defunctChamp Car World Series and F1 both raced atMontreal.[10] In September 2018, COTA was considering modifying its track layout for the IndyCar Classic, similarly to what it had previously done for the Australian-basedV8 SupercarsAustin 400 race, but Epstein did not speculate about what modifications might be made.[11] In its F1 layout at 3.427 miles (5.515 km) in length, COTA was the second-longest track on IndyCar's 2019 schedule, trailing onlyRoad America at 4.048 miles (6.515 km) long.[3]
In late October 2018,Tony Kanaan andAlexander Rossi became the first IndyCar drivers to test at COTA.[1][10] The entire field of full-season drivers tested at the track for the series-mandated IndyCar Spring Training on February 12–13, 2019.[7][12] The second day featured an open period during which each team had 11 hours to test the performance of its cars, while there was also nearly 5 hours of testing forIndy Lights teams.[10]
RookieColton Herta described the racing at COTA as likely to be "spectacular" because of the overtaking opportunities it offers.[1] Rossi, who finished 12th in the2015 United States Grand Prix at COTA racing forManor Marussia, stated he was "very happy" that the IndyCar Series is "headed to the best road course".[2] He also described COTA as "unlike any other track...by far the smoothest, widest track that we have".[10]Andretti Autosport CEOMichael Andretti added that he had "been pushing for this race for a long time".[13]
The inaugural IndyCar Classic was held at COTA on March 24, 2019.[7][9] It was a 60-lap event that was won by rookieColton Herta ofHarding Steinbrenner Racing, who became the youngest race winner in IndyCar Series history at 18 years, 11 months, and 25 days of age.[14][15]
Muse played a headlining concert the night before the race, on Saturday, March 23.[1] Additional concerts (including one by local actAsleep at the Wheel) andRVcamping took place during the entire race weekend, between Friday, March 22, and Sunday, March 24.[1]
The 2020 race, which would have been renamed the IndyCar Challenge and would have been sponsored byAutoNation, was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[16][17] The race was not included on the2021 IndyCar Series schedule.[18]
| Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) | Report | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||
| 2019 | March 24 |  Colton Herta | Harding Steinbrenner Racing | Dallara | Honda | 60 | 204.6 (329.3) | 2:00:02 | 102.271 | Report | [19] |
| 2020 | April 26 | Canceled due to thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic | [18] | ||||||||
| Season | Date | Winning driver | Winning team | Chassis | Engine | Refs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | March 23 | Oliver Askew | Andretti Autosport | Dallara | AER | [20][21] | ||||
| March 24 | Oliver Askew | Andretti Autosport | Dallara | AER | [22][23] | |||||
| 2020 | Canceled due to thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic[24] | |||||||||
| Season | Date | Winning driver | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | March 23 | Blade Hildebrand | [25] |
| March 24 |  Matthew Brabham | [26] |
| Season | Date | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Canceled due to thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic | |