The highly-anticipated start to the 2020 NTT IndyCar season was just minutes away before the pandemic took over. With teams packing up in St Petersburg, the question was when the series would be able to start the 2020 campaign. One month ago the series announced a revised 2020 schedule that had the June 6 race at Texas Motor Speedway listed as the first race on the calendar. Today they confirmed the date and added a few more details for the event.

The Genesys 300 will be a one-day event with practice, qualifying, and the race all taking place on the same day. The race will be run without fans in attendance, and the original 248-lap distance has been reduced to 200 laps. A two-hour practice session will kick things off at 1:30 PM ET with qualifying beginning at 5 PM. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 8:45 PM ET with NBC Sports Network providing television coverage.

Most teams in the paddock have returned to work, with the race is now less than a month away. New state and local initiatives have allowed teams to return to work in a limited capacity. AJ Foyt Racing, Andretti Autosport, Arrow McLaren SP, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing were all able to get back in the shop to prepare for Texas. The remaining teams will get back to work soon in Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida.

Speaking of Arrow McLaren SP, Motorsport had a story earlier this week that outlined some potential prospects of a third full-time car. Zak Brown stated that both Jimmie Johnson and Jenson Button have inquired about getting behind the wheel of their third entry that Fernando Alonso will drive in the Indianapolis 500 and GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The two-time World Champion recently said that a full-time IndyCar effort is something he is no longer pursuing.

Miller Lite has teamed up with IMS to present a weekly chat with IMS President Doug Boles and a former Indianapolis 500 winner. The virtual conversations will take place on Thursdays.

One other bit of news that came out this week was the virtual auction that IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be hosting. The “One Drive To Get Back On Track” auction will raise money that will be given to support non-profit organizations on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. The auction will run from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24. The first prize labeled the “Epic Racing Capital of the World Experience” is the opportunity to wave the green flag on an Indy 500 practice day, take a track lap in an event car with Doug Boles, and dinner with the Borg-Warner Trophy and a former Indy 500 winner. Click here for more details.

The series states that no other changes have been made to the restructured 2020 schedule. Should there not be any setbacks, the next event on the radar after Texas will be the popular trip to Road America on June 21.