IndyCar reveals 17-race schedule for 2015

With new road-course races in Brazil and New Orleans, the 2015 IndyCar calendar revealed Thursday will include 17 events from March through August, one fewer than last season.
Australian Will Power will begin his bid to defend the 2014 crown in the opener on March 8 at Brazilia's Nelson Piquet International Autodrome in the only event outside North America.
"It's great to see the IndyCar Series going back to Brazil and expanding internationally," Andretti Autosport team owner Michael Andretti said.
"Having a presence outside of the US is important for the health of the series."
After a March 29 race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, IndyCar will venture to a road-course in suburban New Orleans on April 12 for its other new event.
In all there will be six oval races, six on road courses and four on temporary street circuits.
Compared to 2014's 18-race programme, two events were lost in Houston and one was scrapped in Toronto, where the date was moved ahead one month to June 14 to accomodate the 2015 Pan American Games being hosted in the Canadian city.
The campaign will conclude August 30 on a road course at Sonoma, California. It will be the first time IndyCar has finished a season on a road course and the first time since the 2007 Champ Car finish at Mexico City for such vehicles to conclude a campaign over that type of layout.
"Sonoma has always been a great circuit," said three-time IndyCar season champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand. "It's a very technical and challenging track."
The 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 will be staged May 24 while the second-year Grand Prix of Indianapolis will be May 9 on the infield road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The oval at Fontana, California, hosted the closing event this year where Power clinched the crown over Brazilian rival Helio Castroneves, but that race will move to June 27 next year.
The complete 2015 schedule includes:
March 8: Brasilia, Brazil road course
March 29: St. Petersburg, Florida, street course
April 12: Avondale, Louisiana, road course
April 19: Long Beach, Californai, street course
April 26: Birmingham, Alabama, road course
May 9: Grand Prix of Indianapolis road course
May 24: Indianapolis 500, oval
May 30-31: Detroit, street course
June 6: Fort Worth, Texas, oval
June 14: Toronto, street course
June 27: Fontana, California, oval
July 12: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, oval
July 18: Newton, Iowa, oval
August 2: Mid-Ohio, road course
August 23: Pocono Raceway, oval
August 30: Sonoma Raceway, road course
Source: AFP