INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series will debut in Long Beach and Toronto next year.
The Grand Prix of Long Beach in California will be run on April 19. The 35-year-old event has hosted Formula One, CART and Champ Car World Series races. This season, Champ Car ran its final event there after its merger with the IRL, but awarded the drivers IRL points. Next year, it becomes a full-fledged IRL event. The agreement is through 2015.
The IRL will hold the Streets of Toronto race on July 12. It will make up for the loss of the Nashville event, which was dropped after efforts to negotiate an agreement for a 2009 race there failed.
"We don't think it's a perfect schedule, but we think it's progress towards a much improved schedule," Terry Angstadt, president of the IRL's commercial division, said in a teleconference.
Angstadt said the IRL was interested in expanding into Cleveland and Houston, as well as sites in the northeastern and northwestern United States.
The IRL has taken steps to expand globally. The league will run its first IndyCar Series event in Australia this season with the Gold Coast Indy 300 scheduled for Oct. 26 in Surfers Paradise. The race also could be added to next year's calendar.
"We are in active conversations with them for '09," Angstadt said. "We are keeping a couple of slots open for them. We are hopeful we can get them included."
HVM Racing Team owner Keith Wiggins said the updated schedule, and specially the expansion in Canada, was good for the IRL.
"When you race at venues like St. Petersburg, Toronto and Texas, along with Indianapolis, it naturally creates a better environment and greater interest," Wiggins said in a statement. "This can only move our sport and, therefore teams like HVM Racing, to the next level."
Speedway Motorsports president Marcus Smith had hoped the IRL would expand even more.
"We are very pleased that Texas Motor Speedway and Infineon Raceway will be returning to the lineup of tracks hosting IndyCar Series events in 2009," Smith said in a statement. "However, we are disappointed that the Indy Racing League chose not to add dates for Las Vegas Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Those two first-class facilities would have been excellent additions for the league and race fans next year."
Angstadt didn't rule out a move to those locations in the future. Las Vegas and New Hampshire host NASCAR races.
The season opener will be a road race in St. Petersburg, Florida on April 5. The season finale will be on Oct. 11 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where this season began.
The 2009 schedule features 10 oval races, three permanent road courses and five temporary circuits.
The Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan was shifting to Sept. 19 after running in April since 2003.
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 will be on May 24.
