(Reuters) – IndyCar cancelled two more races on Thursday, forced to tweak its schedule due to restrictions put in place by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Races in Toronto on July 12 and Richmond, Virginia on June 27 were cancelled while REV Group Grand Prix at Road America was rescheduled from June 21 to July 11-12, making a double-header at the icon road course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
The Ontario government last week banned large events through August while the Canadian government on Tuesday extended the closure of the Canada/U.S. border to non-essential travel for another 30 days.
“Our teams and athletes are ready to get back on track and will deliver world-class action at Texas Motor Speedway and the Racing Capital of the World,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President & CEO Mark Miles said in a statement.
“We appreciate the opportunity to begin our season during these unprecedented times, and I’m confident we’ll put on a great show.”
The IndyCar season is scheduled to open on June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway and will feature 14 races with the series finale on Oct. 25 at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.
The series signature race, the Indianapolis 500, which traditionally would have been run this Sunday as part the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend, has been rescheduled for Aug. 23.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto, Editing by Ed Osmond)
