IndyCar and Andersen Promotions have officially announced that the Indy Lights series will forego the 2020 season following a joint meeting over the weekend.
As a result of the pandemic and the subsequent modifications made to the IndyCar calendar, the 2020 Indy Lights season was no longer viable.
Dan Andersen, owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions says the series will now look toward the 2021 season.
“The effects of the global pandemic on businesses, including racing, have been severe. The changes to our overall calendar of races as well as each event weekend’s scheduling and the ability for some of our drivers to compete has impacted the Indy Lights series far more harshly than our other two championships. With less of a cushion to begin with, it became increasingly apparent that the 2020 season was in jeopardy and the best plan was to take a pause, reconstitute for 2021, and do our best to enhance the Indy Lights championship for next season.
“After discussions with INDYCAR and understanding of their firm commitment to Indy Lights going forward, we, together, decided to suspend the 2020 Indy Lights season. We recognize that this will cause some hardships, but we hope all participants will realize the necessity of this decision and we look ahead to 2021 with a promise of better things to come.”
Jay Frye, president of IndyCar, expressed disappointment at the cancellation of the season and stressed the importance of the Indy Lights series to IndyCar.
”The Road to Indy is extremely important to INDYCAR. It was a difficult decision, knowing the impact it would have on the competitors and how disappointing it would be for the fans. However, it became clear, that we needed to focus our collective efforts on preparing for a strong 2021 Indy Lights season.”