2016 IndyCar Series

The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 21st season of the IndyCar Series and the 105th season of American open wheel racing. It included the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon entered as the reigning Drivers' Champion, while Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturer's Champion. Upon season's end, Simon Pagenaud was crowned Drivers' Champion, while Chevrolet retained the Manufacturer's Championship. Simon Pagenaud was the first European driver to win IndyCar Series driver's title since British driver Dario Franchitti in 2011 season.

Schedule
The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was announced on October 27, 2015. All rounds were held in the United States, except the Toronto round.

Oval/Speedway Road Course/Street Circuit

Schedule changes and notes

 * The Grand Prix of Boston was announced in late May 2015. The race was scheduled to be run on Labor Day Weekend on September 4, 2016. The proposed street circuit was based in the Boston Seaport District. On April 29, 2016, Boston newspapers reported that the race had been canceled.
 * St. Petersburg was run on March 11–13.
 * Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was also rumored to start the 2016 season with a race in February, but did not materialize.
 * IndyCar did not return to NOLA Motorsports Park and the Milwaukee Mile in 2016 following financial difficulties exposed shortly after the 2015 running of the former event. Auto Club Speedway at Fontana was also dropped for 2016, which means that the IndyCar Triple Crown would not be contested.
 * Toronto returned to its original July date as a single race weekend.
 * Road America's return to an open-wheel calendar was announced on August 8, 2015. The race was run on June 26, 2016.
 * IndyCar returned to Phoenix International Raceway for the first time since 2005.
 * IndyCar officials explored the possibility of returning to Gateway Motorsports Park; a deal was eventually reached for the track to return for the 2017 season.
 * Texas Motor Speedway confirmed that the Verizon IndyCar Series would run on June 11, 2016. However, the race was postponed to the following afternoon due to persistent rain. It was further halted after 71 laps due to more rain and the rest of the race was postponed until August 27. The 248 lap race resumed starting at lap 72. This would lead to updates for the track regarding drainage and repaving in time for 2017's events.
 * IndyCar returned to Pocono Raceway on August 21. However, due to rain, the race was postponed until Monday at 12:09 PM EST. It marked the first that Indycar Series ran a race on Monday since the 2011 Sao Paulo Indy 300 and the first time it started and completed on Monday since the 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
 * In an interview with Mark Miles, Iowa Speedway was said to be set for July 10.
 * In a November 2 press release, IndyCar announced a two-day promoter test at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled for February 26–27, in preparation for the series’ return to the 1-mile oval. The Phoenix promoter test in February was the only one not in conjunction with a typical race weekend schedule. The other promoter test days were: March 11 at St. Petersburg, April 22 at Barber Motorsports Park, May 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, June 24 at Road America, July 29 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and September 16 at Sonoma Raceway.
 * IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said in an interview that IndyCar was working on replacing the Boston race on Labor Day and specifically stated that Gateway Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen International were being considered as replacement venues. On May 13, 2016, IndyCar announced that Watkins Glen would replace Boston.

Driver standings

 * One (1) championship point is awarded to each driver who leads at least one race lap. Two (2) additional championship points are awarded to the driver who leads most laps during a race.
 * At all races except the Indy 500, the number 1 qualifier earns one (1) point.
 * Entrant-initiated engine change-outs before the engines reach their required distance run will result in the loss of ten (-10) points.
 * Ties are broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

Manufacturer standings

 * The top three finishing drivers from each manufacturer in each race/qualifying score championship points for their respective manufacturer, provided they were using one of their four allotted engines.
 * Two (2) additional points are awarded to the manufacturer if one of their entrants leads most laps of a race.
 * At all races except the Indy 500, the manufacturer who qualifies on pole earns one (1) point.
 * Manufacturers will earn ten (10) points for each engine reaching the 2500-mile change-out threshold. Manufacturers will lose twenty (-20) points for each engine failing to reach the change-out threshold, or for a non-minor repair requiring a component change.
 * Ties are broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.