CLUTCH NEWS

IndyCar speeds into Circuit of The Americas for first-ever Austin race

IndyCar speeds into Circuit of The Americas for first-ever Austin race
IndyCar is speeding into Austin in 2019. Courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway

Originally appeared on CultureMap/Austin.

Racing fans, start your engines — IndyCar is rolling into Austin next spring. On September 4, Circuit of The Americas announced that North America’s open-wheel racing series will hit the track March 22-24, 2019, for a weekend of races, events, and more. 

Among the drivers expected to compete are Scott Dixon, Sebastien Bourdais, Alexander Rossi, Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Will Power, and Takuma Sato. Native Texans Ryan Hunter-Reay and A.J. Foyt are also expected to make an appearance in their home state during the three-day extravaganza.

When it came to picking Austin as a stop on the 2019 schedule, owner of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Mark Miles said the city was a "natural fit."

“COTA is one of the finest motorsports facilities in the world and Austin is a happening city,” said Miles in a release announcing the news. “Indy car racing has a large and passionate fan base in Texas with a hunger to attend more races. This added date will allow us to deliver both oval and road course events to the state in a single season.”

COTA is no stranger to high-speed motorsports. World Rallycross, Pirelli World Challenge, and, of course, Formula 1 are just a few of the world-famous racing events that zoom into town each year.

For those of us (read: the author of this article) who need a refresher on the difference between F1 and IndyCar, the main differences are the car and the track used. 

While F1 cars use high-octane gas, IndyCars pump ethanol and are much more difficult to stop than their F1 counterparts. IndyCars race on oval tracks, with the occasional street track thrown in for good measure, whereas F1 never uses an oval track; instead it uses a designed raceway.

The Austin race — IndyCar's first time in the Capital City — will be the second in the 2019 series. The schedule begins in St. Petersburg, Florida, on March 10 and culminates in the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on May 26. 

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Astros beat the Orioles, 7-2. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images.

Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz homered, Jesús Sánchez ended a lengthy slump with five hits and the Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Astros scored early and often against Baltimore rookie Brandon Young, who six days earlier in Houston had a perfect game ruined with two outs in the eighth inning. In the rematch, the AL West leaders built a 7-1 lead in the third and coasted.

Walker hit a two-run homer in the first, Carlos Correa singled in two runs in the second and Diaz connected in the third with a runner on after Sánchez delivered an RBI single.

Sánchez broke an 0-for-29 skid with a first-inning single and finished 5 for 5, his most productive day with Houston since being acquired from Miami in a July 31 trade. The five hits tied a career high.

Young (1-7) gave up seven runs and nine hits before leaving with one out in the sixth after hurting his left hamstring while covering first base on a grounder.

Jason Alexander (4-1) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings for Houston. Since being claimed off waivers from the Athletics on May 18, the right-hander is 4-1 with a save in eight appearances.

Dylan Beavers hit his first major league homer for Baltimore in the second inning and added a run-scoring groundout in the sixth.

The Orioles had won three straight and six of seven.

Key moment

Walker’s 17th home run with two outs in the first got the Astros rolling against Young, who yielded only one hit in Houston on Aug. 15.

Key stat

Not only did Sánchez end his slump, but Houston C Victor Caratini broke an 0-for-17 run with a second-inning single.

Up next

Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-4, 6.90 ERA) faces Baltimore lefty Cade Povich (2-6, 4.98) on Friday.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome