Indycar announced today that Auto Club Speedway, the 2-mile oval in Fontana, Calif., will not return to the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule in 2016. Phoenix may be the oval to replace this withdraw.
IndyCar explored several options to retain the event as part of its 2016 calendar, including plans to race later in the season to comply with the track’s request to host the season finale. Ultimately the two sides were unable to identify a start time and broadcast window that would not adversely impact television viewership on the East Coast.
“There was a tremendous amount of effort put forth to keep Auto Club Speedway on the calendar. In the end, we could not identify a compromise for 2016 that was amicable for both parties,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We’re thankful to (Auto Club Speedway President) Dave Allen for his efforts in these negotiations. We mutually agreed that our inability to identify a date for next year doesn’t preclude us revisiting these conversations in the future.”
IndyCar Press Release