Since it opened in 2011, NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, La., has developed a well-deserved reputation as a fantastic facility, but until now it really hasn’t been a major player in big time motorsports.  The privately owned facility hosts a few developmental-level league races, but it is mostly used for ride-and-drive events and racing schools.

That all changes with IndyCar’s commitment to race the facility sometime in 2015. The exact date hasn’t been set yet, but the most likely date is sometime in June. We’re told that only minor changes to the racing surface will be required, mostly a new pit entrance to create a longer pit lane, and the biggest construction in order to host an IndyCar event will be to fulfill spectator needs–namely additional seating.

IndyCar has never raced in New Orleans. The city did, however, host an IMSA GTS-2 race laid out on the city’s streets near downtown and around the Superdome. NOLA Motorsports Park’s 2.75-mile race course should make for much better racing throughout, and we can’t wait to see the first IndyCar even at the facility sometime next year.

For more information, you can hit up this The Times-Picayune article here.