By: Spencer Neff
September 30, 2020

While this weekend marks the debut of the Harvest GP in a doubleheader for the NTT IndyCar Series, 2021 will also have the debut of a new event.

During Wednesday’s announcement of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, a third event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was unveiled for the next IndyCar season. In addition to the GMR Grand Prix (May 15) and the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge (May 30), a new event will be run on August 14.

This year, the NASCAR Xfinity Series ran the 2.438-mile, 14-turn road course following the GMR Grand Prix on July 4, the Cup Series ran the oval. 2021 will mark the first time the Cup Series has run the road course.

In 1994, the Brickyard 400 became the first event outside the Indianapolis 500 to be run at IMS since the 1916 Harvest Classic. Due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, the GMR Grand Prix was moved from its original May 9 date and run without spectators.

“Our first NASCAR-INDYCAR weekend was a big success last July, with positive feedback from our loyal fans who watched the races on NBC and from the drivers, teams and participants involved,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles explained in today’s announcement.

“The Xfinity Series’ debut on the IMS road course provided exactly the kind of thrilling action from the green to checkered flags that we anticipated, so we know the teams and drivers of the Cup Series will put on a great show as they turn left and right for the first time at IMS.”

“We can’t wait to welcome back fans to see NASCAR and INDYCAR together during this exciting weekend as we add another memorable chapter in the long, storied history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

The remainder of the 2021 IndyCar Schedule will be announced at a later date, along with ticket info for the Brickyard Weekend.

Header Image By Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR