The IndyCar Classic was an NTT IndyCar Series race held at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The only running of the event took place on March 24, 2019, as the second race of the 2019 season.
Background
Circuit of the Americas, a 20-turn, 3.426-mile (5.514 km) road course built to Formula One specifications, had hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012. Following the removal of Phoenix from the 2019 IndyCar Series schedule, a gap opened in the calendar. A territorial restriction agreement between IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) had previously prevented the series from running races at COTA or other venues in Texas. Negotiations between IndyCar and TMS president Eddie Gossage resulted in a discounted sanction fee in exchange for allowing the series to schedule other races in Texas. The IndyCar Classic was officially announced as part of a multi-year agreement when the 2019 schedule was released on September 4, 2018.
2019 Race
The inaugural IndyCar Classic was a 60-lap, 204.6-mile (329.3 km) event. Rookie Colton Herta of Harding Steinbrenner Racing won the race, becoming the youngest race winner in IndyCar Series history at 18 years, 11 months, and 25 days of age. He drove a Dallara DW12 chassis with a Honda engine. Will Power (Team Penske) led the first 45 laps before retiring with a mechanical issue, while Herta led the final 15 laps. The margin of victory was 2.718 seconds over Josef Newgarden, with Ryan Hunter-Reay finishing third. The race featured one caution period (Laps 44–49) for an incident involving cars #5 and #10 in Turn 20.
Cancellation
The 2020 race, which had been renamed the IndyCar Challenge and was to be sponsored by AutoNation, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The race was not included on the 2021 IndyCar Series schedule and has not been held since.
Support Events
The 2019 weekend featured support races from Indy Lights (won both races by Oliver Askew of Andretti Autosport) and Stadium Super Trucks (won by Blade Hildebrand and Matthew Brabham).
Race Results
| Season | Date | Winner | Team | Chassis/Engine | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | March 24 | Colton Herta | Harding Steinbrenner Racing | Dallara/Honda | 60 laps (204.6 mi) |
| 2020 | April 26 | Cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | — | — | — |
Lap Record
The official lap record is held by Will Power (1:46.0177, Dallara DW12, 2019).
