This is not how Roger Penske envisioned his debut season unfolding when he purchased IndyCar last fall.
Penske and the rest of the open-wheel racing circuit were in Florida in mid-March, gearing up for the season-opening race in St. Petersburg. But, before the green flag dropped, that race _ and every other sporting event that weekend _ had been called off amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Then Penske made the difficult decision of postponing the sport's Super Bowl, the Indianapolis 500, to August, marking the first time the race has been moved out of May.
But Penske is ready and excited for his IndyCar ownership tenure to finally start with the Genesys 300 on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. It'll be a one-day, made-for-TV event with practice and qualifying in the afternoon, and the race scheduled for a prime-time start at 7:10 p.m. on NBC. No fans will be allowed to attend the race.
"We want to have a great day," Penske said. "We're ready to go. We've been through the playbook so many times, we've worn the pages out. We're ready go."
The Star-Telegram caught up with Penske this week about starting the season at Texas. TMS has never hosted a series opener, but it's been an open-wheel staple since the track opened in 1997. Saturday marks the 32nd IndyCar race at the track.
