IndyCar finally returns to real action this Saturday with the Genesys 300 from Texas Motor Speedway. The first race of the season will take place behind closed doors and with reduced personnel on site.
Nearly three months after the planned start to the season, drivers and teams will have to be prepared as they compete in a marathon day of on-track action, with practice, qualifying, and the race all taking place across a single day.
24 drivers from ten teams will contest the 300-mile race on the high-banked 1.5-mile oval. Drivers and crew members alike will battle high temperatures and fatigue as they pack a full weekend of action into the condensed schedule.
Take a look at the revised IndyCar schedule here.
When and where
Coverage in the UK is being presented on Sky Sports F1, with all sessions being shown live. The race takes place in the evening, so race time is actually early Sunday morning in the UK. Times of the sessions are below:
| Session | Time (BST) | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Practice | 18:30 | Sky Sports F1 (406) |
| Qualifying | 22:00 | Sky Sports F1 (406) |
| Race | 01:00 | Sky Sports F1 (406) |
For those watching in the US, sessions will be shown across the NBC Sports family with the race being shown in primetime on local NBC affiliates. Times and locations of the sessions are below:
| Session | Time (PST) | Time (EDT) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice | 10:00 | 13:00 | Streaming on NBC Sports Gold |
| Qualifying | 14:00 | 17:00 | NBCSN |
| Race | 17:00 | 20:00 | Local NBC station |
What to watch out for…
Drivers will have to shake off the cobwebs as they contest their first race in over eight months. The originally scheduled first race of the season on the streets of St. Petersburg was called off last-minute due to the emerging COVID-19 threat.
Defending series champion and 2019 Texas Motor Speedway winner Josef Newgarden will look to hold off a strong field of past winners, with Scott Dixon, Will Power, Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter, and Tony Kanaan all taking part.
IndyCar’s new protective Aeroscreen will make its race debut, with all cars having the titanium addition surrounding the cockpit. Factors such as the change in center of gravity and a larger slipstream effect will have the teams looking to quickly chase down an optimal setup.
Teams will be employing different pit strategies than usual for the race due to an imposed 35-lap tire stint limit. Teams will be using tire compounds from last year that have not been fully tested with the new forces brought about by the Aeroscreen.
With many different unknown factors to challenge the drivers, tomorrow’s race will be a thriller to watch.
