We all knew it was coming, but today it became official. There will be a second IndyCar race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year. It will not be on the oval, but it will kick off the events at the Speedway leading up to the Indianapolis 500. There are plenty of changes coming to the road course portion of the facility – nearly $6 million worth. Here are the highlights of the 2014 race, which will be labeled the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

• Qualifying will take place on Friday, May 9 with the race on Saturday, May 10.
• The race will be 80 laps in length, almost 200 miles.
• It will be a standing start, and the cars will travel in the clockwise direction.
• ABC will televise the race, which can be seen on channel 6 in the Indianapolis area.
• The 14-turn 2.434 mile road course will be redesigned over the next 6 months.
• General Admission tickets will cost $25. Seats in the South Vista will be $40, while the Northwest Vista will be $65 per ticket. There will be a $10 discount if you purchase a ticket to another race at IMS. Children 12 and under can attend the event for free.
• IndyCar, Indy Lights, Pro Mazda, and USF2000 will all compete during the weekend. Everyone will practice on Thursday, which will be free to attend.
• Mark Miles said that he hopes to increase paid attendance for IMS hosted events by 50% over the course of the next five years.
• There will be plenty of action going on on Friday, with practice and qualifying being the main draw. Admission will be $20 for that day.
• Practice for the 98th running of the Indianapolis 500 will begin on May 11.

You can visit the website for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis here.