IndyCar Series returning to Houston at Reliant parking lot street circuit

Filed under: Motorsports



When the IRL and Champ Car reunited a few years ago, the fear among drivers from the latter series was that the calendar would remain dominated by oval speedways. But these days the resulting IndyCar Series races on more street circuits and road courses than it does speedways, and soon we'll be able to add one more as the series has announced its return to Houston, Texas.

Dubbed the Grand Prix of Houston, the race - scheduled for the first week of October, 2013 - will be held on the concrete parking lots of Houston's Reliant Park adjacent to the Astrodome (where the Astros played baseball and the Oilers played football) and Reliant Stadium (where the Houston Texans football team currently plays) - the same location where Champ Car raced in 2006 and 2007.

Drivers at the time criticized the track's rough surface for its devastating effect on tire wear, something that race organizers - who've outlined plans to use the same 1.7-mile, 10-turn layout as the previous races - will have to try and fix for next year. The event will be promoted by veteran open-wheel race organizer Mike Lanigan and title sponsored by Shell and Pennzoil, who are undoubtedly as eager as the series organizers to tap into the fourth largest market in the United States.Continue reading IndyCar Series returning to Houston at Reliant parking lot street circuit

IndyCar Series returning to Houston at Reliant parking lot street circuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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