INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MAY 29: Scott Dixon, driver of the #9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, … [+]
Coming off its best season on television in eight years, the 17-race 2023 NTT IndyCar Series schedule was created with television in mind to continue the momentum from 2022.
“We’re very excited for our 2023 NTT IndyCar Series schedule and to build on this past season’s viewership milestones,” said NBC Sports, VP, Programming Mike Perman. “In providing comprehensive coverage across NBC, Peacock and USA Network, NBC Sports is once again looking forward to telling the stories of these world-class drivers and this compelling series.”
For just the fourth time in the last 50 years, the IndyCar Series will have13 or more races on network television in the United States. The total appearances on broadcast television becomes 15 with the addition of PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying coverage, Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21, ahead of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The first seven events of 2023 will be featured on NBC, including the “500.” The season also finishes with six of the final seven races on network television. The 2023 season will include three races on USA Network and for the second consecutive year one exclusive race on Peacock. Peacock will present live simulstreams of all races on NBC, aswell as live coverage of all qualifying and practice sessions next season.
In partnership with NBC Sports, the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series was themost-watched season in six years and the most-watched across NBC Sports on record. Powered by NBCUniversal’s popular streamingservice, Peacock, the 2022 season also was the most streamed season on record.
Half of the 2022 season’s 16 races on television featured a TotalAudience Delivery (TAD) of more than 1 million viewers, the highest mark since 2008. Last year’s season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix ofSt. Petersburg Presented by RP Funding was the most-watched season-opener in 11 years.
“The NTT IndyCar Series is on an impactful upward trajectory, making progress at a pace that befits our thrilling style of competition,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “The 2023 season provides an opportunity to further build on this trend, bringingour sport and its stars to more markets and households and reaching newconsumers across the globe.”
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MAY 26: Mike Tirico and Danica Patrick broadcast for NBC prior to the 103rd … [+]
The 2023 schedule includes the diversity that has been the hallmark of the NTT IndyCar Series, the only open-wheel series on Earth that raceson ovals, street circuits and permanent road courses. Drivers willcompete in seven road course races, five street circuit events and five oval races.
After the 2023 season opens for the 13th time on the palm tree-linedStreets of St. Petersburg, Sunday, March 5, North America’s premier open-wheel racing series returns to Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 2 for the series’ 36th race on the action-packed oval.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach follows with its traditional mid-April date hosting the IndyCar Series on Sunday, April 16. It is the 39th time the IndyCar Series has been featured on the iconic streets of Southern California as the event hosts its 48th edition.
Barber Motorsports Park plays host to its 13th IndyCar race, Sunday, April 30 before the series moves into the traditional Month of May cadence at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: the GMR Grand Prix onSaturday, May 13, “500” qualifying weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21, and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, Sunday, May 28.
According to IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials, todate, tickets for the 107th edition of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”are moving at a near-record pace, after a near-sellout crowd of morethan 300,000 attended the 2022 race.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MAY 29: The Thunderbirds do a fly over during the playing of the National Anthem … [+]
The traditional early June date for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prixpresented by Lear returns in 2023, but at a brand-new site. The debut of the Streets of Detroit circuit, a move to the downtown site from its previous location at Belle Isle Park, takes place Sunday, June 4.
The nine-turn, 1.7-mile street circuit will provide unprecedented access with more than half of the event’s footprint open to the public. It is alsoa homecoming and a connection to the event’s heritage, which began on the downtown streets of the Motor City in 1982.
USA Network will feature the early summer swing on the classic American road courses of the Sonsio Grand Prix presented by AMR at Road America, Sunday, June 18, and The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, which returns for another Fourth of July weekend celebration, Sunday, July 2. Road America will feature a newly repaved 4.048-mile layout.Mid-Ohio matches Long Beach as it hosts IndyCar Series racing for the 39th year.
The 2023 season hits its stride with eight races in the final nine weeks. Peacock will, once again, provide an exclusive presentation of theHonda Indy Toronto on Sunday, July 16, for the series’ annual appearance in Canada’s largest city.
After that, six of the final seven races will be featured on NBCbroadcast television.
It begins with two events expected to be even bigger and better than in 2022: the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. The doubleheader at Iowa Speedway is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23. In 2022, with support from Hy-Vee,the wildly popular weekend featured world-class concerts and thrilling wheel-to-wheel action at “The Fastest Short Track on The Planet.”
IndyCar returns to the unpredictable Streets of Nashville on Sunday,Aug. 6. Last year, the fan-favorite event, marked by concerts and entertainment, featured the closest street circuit finish in IndyCar Series history when six-time series champion Scott Dixon edged Scott McLaughlin by a margin of .1067 of a second.
Scott Dixon leads the field on his way to his 53rd career victory in the Big Machine Music City … [+]
With the Brickyard Weekend returning to a traditional August date, theNASCAR-IndyCar tripleheader on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course features the NTT IndyCar Series’ Gallagher Grand Prix, Saturday, Aug. 12 on USA Network.
The series finishes the season with three races on three consecutiveweekends – all on NBC – beginning with the final oval of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, Sunday, Aug. 27.
From there, it’s the traditional two-race, West Coast swing featuringPortland International Raceway and the newly repaved WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The 29th Grand Prix of Portland is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3 whilethe 2023 NTT IndyCar Series champion will be crowned and receive the Astor Challenge Cup at the 26th Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 10.
Will Power celebrates the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Championship after the Firestone Grand Prix of … [+]
“We have worked hard to achieve date and venue equity, which has been an ongoing goal at IndyCar,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “Weare excited to return to downtown Detroit and the repaves at Road America and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca will add new challenges for the drivers and teams. The intensity level will also be at an all-time high as we conclude the season with three weekends in a row.
“As we build off the record-breaking 2022 season, we could not be moreenthusiastic to see how 2023 unfolds.”
The 2023 NTT IndyCar Series schedule includes no new tracks and no events subtracted from the 2022 season.
But there are a few tweaks to the 17-race schedule.
This year, the season began on February 28 in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Next season, that date shifts one week to Sunday, March 5 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
That event will kick off a North American schedule that is highlighted by the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 28. The season ends with a thrilling climax on Sunday, Sept. 10 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.
The journey to a championship includes a stretch of eight races in the final nine weeks of the season, giving fans action nearly every weekend.
Start times for the 2023 events will be announced at a later date.
2023 NTT IndyCar Series Schedule
Date Venue Television
Sunday, March 5 — Streets of St. Petersburg NBC, Peacock
Sunday, April 2 — Texas Motor Speedway NBC, Peacock
Sunday, April 16 – Streets of Long Beach NBC, Peacock
Sunday, April 30 – Barber Motorsports Park NBC, Peacock
Saturday, May 13 – Indianapolis (Road Course) NBC, Peacock
Sunday, May 28 – Indianapolis 500 NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 4 – Streets of Detroit NBC, Peacock
Sunday, June 18 – Road America USA, Peacock
Sunday, July 2 – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course USA, Peacock
Sunday, July 16 – Streets of Toronto Peacock
Saturday, July 22 – Iowa Speedway NBC, Peacock
Sunday, July 23 – Iowa Speedway NBC, Peacock
Sunday, August 6 – Streets of Nashville NBC, Peacock
Saturday, August 12 – Indianapolis (RC) USA, Peacock
Sunday, August 27 – WWTR Gateway NBC, Peacock
Sunday, September 3 – Portland NBC, Peacock
Sunday, September 10 – Laguna Seca NBC, Peacock
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucemartin/2022/09/27/2023-ntt-indycar-series-schedule-released-without-major-changes-but-a-few-tweaks/