2006 Season Cut to 14 Races

Officials have announced next year's calendar will be squashed into a shorter timeframe and will lose three events at Pikes Peak, California Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway.

The compacted schedule allows the series to run 14 events in a period of 25 weeks, eight weeks shorter than the early March to mid-October schedule that has been used in recent seasons.

Chicagoland will be used for the season finale, and the Watkins Glen road course race, due to be run for the first time this weekend, will become the first race after the Indianapolis 500 in June. Homestead will open the campaign for the fifth consecutive season.

IRL said they were 'open' to holding a race at the lost venues in the future, but they would not be returning in time for next season.

Ken Ungar, senior vice president of business affairs, IRL said: "Scheduled races on a consistent basis in a compacted time frame will lead to consistent media coverage, easier promotion for all the tracks on our schedule, consistent television promotion and will keep fans and potential fans in-tune with the league and its drivers.

Brian Barnhart, the IRL's president and chief operating officer said that the schedule had received the support of the teams: "We worked closely with the IndyCar Series teams to evaluate the impact of this type of schedule on the drivers, crews and sponsors and received a great deal of enthusiasm."

2006 IndyCar Series Schedule:

March 26    Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
April 2     St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile street course
April 22    Twin Ring Motegi, 1.5-mile oval (Japan)
May 28      Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile oval
June 4      Watkins Glen International, 3.37-mile road course
June10      Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval (Night)
June 24     Richmond International Raceway, .75-mile oval (Night)
July 2      Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
July 15     Nashville Superspeedway, 1.33-mile oval
July 23     The Milwaukee Mile, 1-mile oval
July 30     Michigan International Speedway, 2-mile oval
Aug. 13     Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Aug. 27     Infineon Raceway, 2.4-mile road course
Sept. 10    Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval