Indy 500 trims schedule by week

Published Dec. 15, 2009 6:06 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Indianapolis 500 will cut one week out of its traditional schedule in May.

The track will open May 15, a week later than normal, and there will be only two days of qualifying instead of four. Pole Day will be May 22. Bump Day will be May 23. The race week schedule will remain unchanged.

The Indianapolis Star first reported the story.

In a release, series officials acknowledged they hoped the new schedule would help teams save money. Fewer days on the track also will help the Indianapolis Motor Speedway cut costs.

The format is not entirely new. The speedway adopted a one-qualifying weekend following the split of the Indy Racing League and the now defunct CART series.