DETROIT (Oct. 7, 1996) -- An expanded 1997 IndyCar schedule will be enhanced by inaugural PPG Cup events at The California Speedway and Gateway International Raceway as well as the return of the U.S. 500, IndyCar President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Craig announced Monday.

The series has increased its race package from 16 to 17 races with the addition of two major markets, including one that will become the new home of a Memorial Day weekend event. Gateway International Raceway, located in Madison, Ill., will be the first of two new tracks to make its PPG Cup debut as it plays host Saturday, May 24 to its inaugural event on the medium-banked 1.25-mile oval. It will be Round 6 of the 17-race season.

"Gateway International Raceway brings IndyCar into a very important corporate center and opens our series to fans who to date may have not had an opportunity to attend one of our events," Craig said. "We have the benefit of Chris Pook as one of IndyCar's most effective promoters being in charge of this important new facility. We are confident that fans in the St. Louis/southwestern Illinois market will like what they see when IndyCar comes to town."

The 45,000-seat venue is situated about five minutes from downtown St. Louis and will cater to Midwest race fans, especially those in the St. Louis and southwestern Illinois markets. The oval already is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by May 1. It is part of a $21.5 million renovation and expansion of the 150-acre facility.

"One of our best decisions we ever made as an organization was aligning ourselves with the PPG Cup in 1984," said Gateway International Raceway President Chris Pook, who also holds the same position with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach. "They have provided our event in Long Beach with great racing, great personalities and a great atmosphere for the fans. We know that the same things are coming to our fans in St. Louis, and we are thrilled to be bringing such a spectacle to this venue so quickly."

The California Speedway, located an hour from Los Angeles in Fontana, also secured a key date as it will be the site of the season finale that crowns the PPG Cup champion. The 2-mile superspeedway, built by IndyCar owner Roger Penske, will play host to a PPG Cup race Sunday, Sept. 28 and further strengthen the series' West Coast presence. The event will become the third in California and fifth on the West Coast among the 15 North American races. The race title will be announced at a later date, but Toyota will serve as a presenting sponsor.

The U.S. 500, with a successful 1996 debut at Michigan International Speedway, remains at the 2-mile superspeedway, but will shift to Sunday, July 27. The event will be promoted by Penske Speedways, Inc. and presented by Toyota.

"The message from our fans was clear. They wanted this important new race to remain in the Midwest," Craig said. "We felt the best way to proceed was to combine the new tradition of the U.S. 500 with the established tradition of the Michigan date."

"With the construction of the new California Speedway, we look forward to presenting a superspeedway IndyCar race in the nation's premier automotive marketplace," said Gene Haskett, executive vice president of Penske Motorsports. "At the same time, we have been able to work with the sanctioning body in continuing to provide fans in Michigan and throughout the nation and Canada the U.S. 500 on a traditional July date familiar to our loyal fans. The PPG Cup races at both venues should be ideal races for both our fans and sponsors."

The series will compete in four countries on three continents for the second consecutive season with races scheduled for South America, Australia and Canada joining the core group in the United States. Seven of the races will be run on ovals, six on street circuits and four on permanent road courses. The season will open for the second year in a row at the Metro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex in Homestead, Fla. with the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota on Sunday, March 2.

Four dates of returning events have been altered for the 1997 schedule as Australia, Brazil, Cleveland and Toronto will move into new slots.

The most substantial move comes with the Rio 400, which ran in March last season as Round 2. The event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will move to Saturday, May 11, and serve as Round 5.

Australia and Toronto have been moved back a week from a year ago to form consecutive race weekends in their respective portions of the schedule. IndyCarnival, held on the Gold Coast of Australia, will be run Sunday, April 6, as Round 2 and will be followed by the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in its traditional slot (Sunday, April 13).

The Molson Indy at Toronto will be run Sunday, July 20, and forms a back-to-back combination with Cleveland. The Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland returns to its more traditional July slot with the race scheduled for Sunday, July 13. They will serve as Rounds 10 and 11, respectively. Canada's other major race, the Molson Indy Vancouver, remains unchanged and is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 31.

The Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway will be run in late April for the third consecutive season with a date of Sunday, April 27. Milwaukee and Detroit will open the month of June with races in successive weeks for the fifth season in a row. The Miller 200 at The Milwaukee Mile is set for Sunday, June 1, and the ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix at The Raceway on Belle Isle follows on Sunday, June 8.

All four of the permanent road-course events (Portland, Mid-Ohio, Road America and Laguna Seca) secured the same weekends as a year ago. The Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline at Portland International Raceway will be held Sunday, June 22; Miller 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday, Aug. 10; Texaco/Havoline 200 at Road America on Sunday, Aug. 17; and the Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 7.

The television package consists of a strong network lineup of 11 events on ABC-TV, including the inaugural race at Gateway and the U.S. 500. Six others will be telecast on leading sports cable network, ESPN.

"In 1997 we are stepping up to 17 events to give more racing to our fans and also to provide greater value for our sponsors," Craig said. "We're looking forward to another highly competitive season in 1997 with the strong support of our world-class sponsors and promoters."