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| - IndyCar will stage two races next weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the series announced Saturday, firming dates for events postponed from August due to the corornavirus pandemic. The Honda Indy 200 races over the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course at Lexington, Ohio, boost the number of remaining events in the 2020 campaign to five. Adding the races allows rivals a better chance at overtaking season points leader Scott Dixon of New Zealand, who won the campaign's first three events and four overall to seize a huge edge in pursuit of his sixth career IndyCar crown. Dixon stands on 416 points with American Josef Newgarden, the defending season champion, second on 320, Mexican rookie Pato O'Ward third on 297 and Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato of Japan fourth on 274. The COVID-19 shuffled season will also include October 2-3 races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the October 25 finale on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, in what was to have been the season opener in March. The series awaited word from Ohio state lawmakers about allowing a reduced number of spectators to the track, without which the races would not have been staged. A limited number of fans were allowed with plans for COVID-19 safety measures. js/rcw
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