IndyCar looking to try again for China race

Fresh interest from a Chinese investment and development group could bring the Verizon IndyCar Series to the country as early as 2019. Mitime, a subsidiary of the Chinese automobile manufacturer Geely that owns Swedish car company Volvo and British marque Lotus, has expressed an interest in holding an IndyCar race before the end of the decade.

"We've been talking with them for a while, and it wouldn't be for 2018, but we're talking about 2019," IndyCar CEO Mark Miles told RACER.

Under Miles' direction, IndyCar has been searching for one or more non-championship international dates to lengthen its calendar and bring additional income to its teams through promoter fees. Whether a China date at a track to be determined would come before the official season opener or after the finale is unknown.

"That's one of the things we're discussing," Miles added. "Mitime announced earlier this week that IndyCar will be available through a new over-air television deal, so the interest is high on our product."

Valued at over $12 billion, Geely would certainly have the financial horsepower to bring IndyCar to China if a deal can be arranged. With former CEO Randy Bernard at the helm, IndyCar came close to racing in Xingdao in 2012 and went so far as to announce the event, but it ultimately fell through when the race lost the support of the region's government.

If it comes to pass, China would mark IndyCar's first international event since 2013 in Brazil on the streets of Sao Paulo.