IndyCar has called off its season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, with the series announcing that all races through April have been canceled.
Friday’s announcement covers the first four races of the 2020 season. The next scheduled race is the GMR Grand Prix on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 9.
“After careful consideration, including regular communication with our event promoters, health officials and the city administrations in our respective race markets regarding COVID-19, we have made the decision to cancel all NTT INDYCAR Series events through April,” IndyCar said in a statement. “… Although we are disappointed to delay the start to this INDYCAR season and will miss our incredible fans who support us each year in St. Petersburg, Birmingham, Long Beach, and Austin, the safety of our fans, participants, staff, partners, and media will always remain our top priority. We will continue to coordinate with public health experts and government officials as we determine the appropriate plans for resuming our schedule.”
The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg had been scheduled for Sunday. The three-day event typically draws more than 130,000 fans, but IndyCar had previously announced that the race would be held without spectators because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach, scheduled for April 19, had already been postponed because of a ban on large-scale gatherings in the California city.