IRL confirms 14 race calendar for 2006.

Indy Racing League officials have announced a 14-race schedule for the 2006 IRL IndyCar Series season, featuring a more 'compact and consistent' line-up of races.

The compacted schedule allows the series to run 14 events in a period of 25 weeks, eight weeks fewer than the early March to mid-October schedule that has been used in recent seasons.

"The primary reasons for the compacted schedule are momentum and consistency," explained Brian Barnhart, the IRL's president and chief operating officer. "Scheduling our races on a consistent basis in a compacted time frame will give us momentum from the drop of the green flag in Miami into the month of May, right through the heart of our season and into the championship point battle.

"We worked closely with the IndyCar Series teams to evaluate the impact of this type of schedule on the drivers, crews and sponsors and received a great deal of enthusiasm."

For the fifth consecutive season, Homestead-Miami Speedway will serve as host for the season opener, scheduled for Sunday, March 26. Chicagoland Speedway will host the season finale, the PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 Presented by Mr. Clean, on Sunday, September 10. It will mark the first time the 1.5-mile oval will host the season finale.

"We're really excited about hosting the last race of the season for the IndyCar Series in 2006," said Matthew Alexander, vice president and general manager of Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. "Each year, our IndyCar Series races have been really close, including in 2002 when we witnessed the closest finish in IndyCar Series history. And now, with the excitement of the final race of the season - culminating in the crowning of the 2006 champion - our IRL weekend will be an unforgettable, unparalleled experience for our fans."

The only other significant change to the schedule is shifting of the Watkins Glen International date from September to June, marking the first time since the league's inception that the series will race on the weekend immediately following the Indianapolis 500.

"Having the Indianapolis 500 and the Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix run on consecutive weekends will make for an amazing two weeks of racing," said Craig Rust, president of Watkins Glen International. "The history and heritage of open-wheel racing at both facilities is well known, and these events running back to back should really help create momentum for the rest of the season."

Overall, the series schedule will include 11 oval events, two permanent road courses and one street-course event.

"Scheduled races on a consistent basis in a compacted time frame will lead to consistent media coverage, easier promotion for all the tracks on our schedule, consistent television promotion and will keep fans and potential fans in-tune with the league and its drivers," summed up Ken Ungar, senior vice president of business affairs, IRL. "We look forward to ending our season at Chicagoland Speedway where we have witnessed the high-speed and wheel-to-wheel excitement of the IndyCar Series first hand the past few years."

Officials meanwhile added that the league is open to a possible return to the three venues - California Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Pikes Peak International Raceway - in the future.

The full schedule is as follows:

2006 IndyCar Series - calendar:

March 26 Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile ovalApril 2 St. Petersburg, 1.8-mile street courseApril 22 Twin Ring Motegi, 1.5-mile oval (Japan)May 28 Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 2.5-mile ovalJune 4 Watkins Glen International, 3.37-mile road courseJune 10 Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval (Night)June 24Richmond International Raceway, .75-mile oval (Night)July 2 Kansas Speedway, 1.5-mile ovalJuly 15 Nashville Superspeedway, 1.33-mile oval (Night)July 23 The Milwaukee Mile, 1-mile ovalJuly 30 Michigan International Speedway, 2-mile ovalAug. 13 Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile ovalAug. 27 Infineon Raceway, 2.4-mile road courseSept. 10 Chicagoland Speedway, 1.5-mile oval