Eddie Gossage estimated around 900 people would be on hand for race dayGETTY IMAGES
IndyCar will start the season at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6, but "no fans will be allowed to attend," and it will be a "one-day made-for-TV event with practice and qualifying during the day, and racing at night," according to Drew Davison of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. Most competitors are "expected to fly in and out on the same day." To accommodate the one-day schedule, the race is "being shortened to 300 miles (200 laps) rather than the 248 laps originally scheduled." Davison notes other guidelines and protocols the track will follow include "strict access guidelines limiting the number of personnel on site" as well as a "health screening system administered to all participants." PPE equipment also will be "provided to everyone entering the facility" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/8). TMS President Eddie Gossage "estimates 900 people will be on-hand to allow the one-day event [to] run as smoothly as possible." IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said of starting the season, "We've learned a lot, frankly, watching how NASCAR approached the reopening, and we're accessing really good people to make sure we're doing all the right things" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/8).
BETTER TOGETHER: Gossage previously said that TMS "wouldn't hold the IndyCar race without fans unless part of a NASCAR doubleheader." But Gossage confirmed that there "will be no NASCAR doubleheader (he expects Texas' postponed Cup race from March will happen during the summer)." Gossage added that he "reached a deal with IndyCar Owner Roger Penske for an unspecified reduction in the track's sanctioning fee this season." Gossage said, "We were able to sort something out. Obviously we're going to lose money. We wanted IndyCar to know they're a good partner. So we're paying them some money. Not as much. But we're paying them some money. And they're taking less, so it shows their partnership." Additionally, Gossage said that the track is in the "second of a five-year deal with IndyCar." SMI Chair Marcus Smith said it was "the right thing to do" to honor the agreement for '20 (NBCSPORTS.com, 5/7).
