By alley - Sep 12, 2017, 12:24 PM ET

IndyCar's Gateway race keeps date, start moved up

Next season's Bommarito Automotive 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park will keep its end-of-August date, although the race will begin an hour earlier.

The Verizon IndyCar Series

made its long-awaited return

to Gateway this season for the first time since 2003 as part of a multi-year agreement. A packed crowd of about 40,000 - the largest turnout on an oval (besides Indy) in years - saw Josef Newgarden make a bold late move on teammate Simon Pagenaud to take the win. The return of IndyCar racing to Gateway Motorsport Park was a big hit in terms of attendance, ambiance and competition, but owner Curtis Francois says 2018 will be even better.

"We're moving the race up an hour to 8 o'clock Eastern time because that's better for our TV audience and it's also more convenient for families who can get their kids home earlier," said Francois, who announced next year's race will be on Aug. 25.

"But the best news is that the [St. Louis] Cardinals aren't in town, there is no competition from NASCAR or drag racing and it's before college football so we think it's setting up for a perfect weekend."

Fans in attendance had two major complaints - getting out of the crowded parking lots afterward and the fact concession lines were too long before the track ran out of food.

"We learned from our first event and we're going to expand parking and improve the flow of traffic on egress," Francois continued. "And the concessions are an easy fix and we'll be a lot better prepared next year."

Ticket renewals start Oct. 16 and tickets will go on sale to the general public on Nov. 13. Renewal tickets can be secured with a $10 down payment and anyone purchasing tickets as a gift before December 15 will receive a special holiday card to present to their recipient. In addition, pre-holiday buyers will also receive a free Coors Light Pole Night ticket and a 2017 special event gift from Gateway Motorsports Park.

It's not yet known if any of the support series will be on hand. This year saw Indy Lights and Pro Mazda take to the 1.25-mile oval.

Also Tuesday, Road America confirmed its IndyCar Kohler Grand Prix weekend will be June 21-24.