The 2009 Indy-car Series season will feature 18 races, including new events in Toronto and Long Beach and a season that begins and ends in Florida, series officials announced on Wednesday.

The ongoing 2008 campaign features 17 races but also incorporated the final Champ-car race at Long Beach last April into its season points chase following the merger of the two US-based open-wheel rivals.

Indy-car officials had announced a non-points would be staged on 26 October in Australia but there was no mention of an Australian event in Indy-car's 2009 plans even though next season will be stretched a month to conclude in October, the month Champ-car events were typically staged on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Also missing from next year's schedule will be Nashville, which staged an oval event on 12 July.

There were also major schedule alterations for some 2009 events compared to their 2008 staging, notably the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi, which will shift to 19 September after being staged in April since 2003.

That will make the Japan event, won this year by Danica Patrick in the first Indy-car triumph by a woman, the penultimate event on next year's schedule, followed only by another 1.5-mile oval race on 11 October at Miami.

The 2009 slate features 10 ovals, three road courses and five temporary circuits.

Next year's Indy-car season will open with a street race on 5 April at St. Petersburg, Florida, and continue two weeks later at Long Beach, where Champ-car and other series have run for the past 35 years.

A 26 April race at Kansas City will be the only oval tuneup for the 24 May Indianapolis 500, the showcase event of the series, with ovals to follow on 31 May at Milwaukee, on 6 June at Fort Worth, Texas, 21 June at Iowa and 27 June at Richmond.

Indy-cars return to Watkins Glen on 5 July and make their debut over a 1.72-mile street course in Toronto on 12 July before staying in Canada for a 26 July event at Edmonton.

The final slate of races includes 1 August at Kentucky, 9 August at Mid-Ohio, 23 August at California's Infineon Raceway, 29 August at Chicago and 6 September at Belle Isle near Detroit before the finish at Japan and Miami.