In other news, the series is monitoring the situation off the Brazil race and is working on alternatives. In an article on Racer.com by Marshall Pruett, it is stated IndyCar "is working on a second option in Brazil if the current event doesn't go forward because the market is very important for us and our partners."
Seeing as how IndyCar will now be running a race on the IMS road course, any Brazilian race would likely happen at another point in the season. The inaugural São Paulo Indy 300 took place in March and since then have either taken place in late-April or early-May.
An interesting comment was made over the future of Fontana on the IndyCar schedule. On Tuesday night's edition of Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee, Daily Bulletin sportswriter Louis Brewster reported that Auto Club Speedway track president Gillian Zucker has had no talks with IndyCar over a date change in 2014. Brewster also reported that this year's IndyCar race at Fontana (which will take place five weeks later than in 2012) has sold 8,000 more tickets than the 2012 season finale.
Updated mock 2014 schedule (confirmed dates in bold):
St. Petersburg: March 28-30th.
Barber: April 6th.
Long Beach: April 13th.
IMS road course: May 10th.
Indianapolis 500: May 25.
Belle Isle: May 30-June 1st.
Texas: June 7th.
Milwaukee: June 14th.
Iowa: June 22nd.
Pocono: July 6th
Toronto: July 19-20th.
Mid-Ohio: August 1-3rd.
Houston: August 16-17th (holding out the possibility of a Saturday night event due to summer heat).
Sonoma August 24th.
Fontana: August 30-31 or September 1st (depends if it is a Saturday night, Sunday, Sunday night, Monday or Monday night).
Though reportedly there have been no talks between Fontana and IndyCar over a date change, all signs are pointing toward one. Still a month gap between Long Beach and the IMS road course race. April 20th is Easter. Could São Paulo, or any Brazilian race for that manner, take places April 27th? Maybe. Should the São Paulo sambadrome circuit return in 2014 and move to the start of the season, the race will have to take place some time before or after February 28-March 4th. That is the weekend of Carnival. Seeing as Carnival has it's own set time, that would point to an IndyCar race after Carnival, if one were to happen at all.
