The NTT IndyCar Series announced on Wednesday that a few of the series’ upcoming races will have adjusted start times.
The most consequential change is shifting the race at World Wide Technology Raceway, also known as Gateway, into an evening time slot for the first time since 2019.
Instead of the green flag waving just after 2:00 PM local time on Sunday, June 15, the race will begin at 7:00 in the evening and run well into the nighttime hours.
Gateway has been held as a late afternoon race for the past few years, although rain delays in 2022 pushed the end of the race fully into the darkness as well.
At that event, rookie at the time David Malukas put on a show in the closing laps to record his first ever podium in the series while racing with Dale Coyne Racing.
“This is a massive primetime showcase under the lights for the stars of the NTT IndyCar Series,” IndyCar President Doug Boles said.
“This is also a tremendous display of partnership from both FOX Sports and our friends at World Wide Technology Raceway, who’ve worked with us to generate this exciting opportunity for our sport.
“Race weekend in St. Louis is just a month away, and fans in venue and around the country are in for a real treat when IndyCar arrives in town.”
Four other races have also had their start times adjusted, though not nearly as much as Gateway’s timetable.
Road America has had it’s start time adjusted from 3:30 PM eastern to 1:30 PM. Mid-Ohio and the second race of the Iowa Speedway double-header have been moved forward one hour and will now begin at 1:00 PM eastern time.
The race on the streets of Toronto on July 20 has also been moved earlier, and will now start at noon eastern time.
With adjusted race times, IndyCar and TV partner FOX Sports hope to capture a wider audience by having fewer concurrent sporting events competing for fan’s attention.
