After the promoters canceled the August IndyCar event in Qingdao, China, CEO Randy Bernard decided not to find a fill in for the race with a hastily organized replacement.
“After carefully considering all possible options for an additional race, we felt it was in our best interest to keep our schedule at its current 15-event lineup,” Bernard said on ‘NBC Sports’ during Saturday’s Iowa race. “We want to make sure that when we add events to our roster they have long-term potential and are given every opportunity to be successfully promoted. The more we explored, the more we felt like we were rushing what could be good, long-lasting opportunities for the sport.”
IndyCar’s contract with series sponsor Izod calls for a minimum of 16 races per season. Mike Kelly, executive VP of PVH Marketing, which handles Izod, told indycar.com, “As the entitlement partner of the series, we agree that it is in the best interest of the series to focus on a long-term strategy for the future schedule instead of a quick fix for this year.”
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