Ahead of today's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Grand-Am Road Racing announced its 2010 schedule for the Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16, featuring 12 Daytona Prototype and GT class combined races in a dozen weekends. However, the schedule does not include a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as had been speculated following an open test on the IMS road course on Sept. 3.
The 11th season of competition will include several series staples, including the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Watkins Glen six-hour endurance races, as well as significant changes to a pair of sprint races at Lime Rock Park and Barber Motorsports Park.
The series aims "to continue its focus on building fan-friendly events that appeal to the whole family and offer unparalleled access to the racing experience, including the pit road fan walk and direct access to drivers, team members and racecars." All Grand-Am events include driver autograph sessions, a pit road fan walk and access to the team paddock, as well as new activities to be introduced in the 2010 season.
Rolex Series competition returns to Lime Rock Park during Memorial Day weekend, and for the first time, GT class competitors will be joined by Daytona Prototype teams and drivers. The Rolex Series has competed at the Connecticut track four times since the series' first season in 2000. Barber also features a new date, moving its regular July race to April for the first time. The season again begins with the 48th running of the Rolex 24, Jan. 30-31 at Daytona International Speedway.
Other major alterations to the schedule include moving the Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead-Miami Speedway from the fall to back to springtime, to March 6-8; the Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park from July to April 10-11; and New Jersey Motorsports Park from May to the weekend of July 17. The season finale returns to Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah, competing on the Outer Perimeter course for the first time.
The schedule also returns to Virginia International Raceway for the Bosch Engineering 250, scheduled for the weekend of April 24-25; the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International June 5-6 ; then travels to Lexington, Ohio, the weekend of June 19 for the EMCO Gears Classic at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Competitors return to Daytona on the Fourth of July weekend and again will share the track with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, running the Brumos Porsche 250. New Jersey is the next stop with the new date the weekend of July 17, and will be followed by another combination race with the Sprint Cup Series, Aug. 7-8 at Watkins Glen.
The Rolex Series then crosses into Canada for its fourth race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, sharing the track with the NASCAR Nationwide Series Aug. 28-29, before the Miller finale, scheduled for Sept. 10-11.
The announcement did not include TV information, which the series will be released at a later date.