By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
After a long wait, the 2026 NTT IndyCar schedule has finally been released.
Starting in March and ending in September, the schedule consists of 17 races: six ovals, six road courses and five street courses. All races will be broadcast on FOX, with practice and qualifying across the networks of FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.
“Once again IndyCar will have the most challenging schedule in all of motorsports with its nearly even mix of ovals, road courses and street circuits,” IndyCar President Doug Boles said. “This championship format and diverse schedule test driver and team adaptability and truly celebrate the most complete driver and team at the end of the season.”
The season kicks off on March 1 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, a now 16-year tradition. St. Petersburg will host a double-header with IndyCar and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a first for the track.
St. Petersburg kicks off four races in March, ending the three-week gaps in-between races from years’ past. Phoenix Raceway returns to the IndyCar schedule, on Saturday March 7, in yet another doubleheader, this time, with the NASCAR Cup Series. IndyCar will race for the 65th time on the one-mile oval and first since 2018.
“I love it. I was really excited that they announced that,” Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney said. “I have a super close relationship with the IndyCar guys. We’re all under the same building and we all root each other on. McLaughlin was out in Phoenix when I won my championship. He just came out and wanted to support and it was a lot of fun. It just speaks to how much we support each other, so I’m looking forward to that. I loved when we had the doubleheader with them at Indy, just kind of being right there and going over and hanging out and watching practice in their box and stuff like that. That was cool.
I think it’s gonna be fantastic, and I like that IndyCar is going back to Phoenix. It’s been a while since they’ve run in Phoenix and I think it will put on a really good show. I’m looking forward to that in the spring and it’ll be fun to watch those guys run at least six seconds faster than us around that place. I’m looking forward to going and standing in one and two as those guys are just hauling butt around there. That will be pretty amazing to see, so, yeah, I think it’s great for both series – IndyCar and on the NASCAR side.”
A week after Phoenix on March 15, the series heads to the Streets of Arlington on March 15. A brand new race, the course will take place around the stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, making up the 14-turn, 2.73-miles.
Barber Motorsports Park returns on March 29, bringing an end to a hectic March.
April 19 brings the series to the Streets of Long Beach, the only race to be held in that month. Besides Long Beach, the only on-track action will be at the Indianapolis 500 Open Test, with a date yet to be announced.
May brings the series back to Indianapolis with the race on the road course on May 9. Oval action begins on May 12, with the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
The only race in May, not in Indianapolis, once again belongs to the Streets of Detroit on May 31. This will be the fourth straight year IndyCar has raced on the downtown streets.
World Wide Technology Raceway returns to the calendar for the 11th consecutive year for another primetime race on Sunday June 7. The second race in June goes to Road America on June 21.
Mid-Ohio returns to its July 4-weekend date, kicking off the month on July 5. After a week off, the series heads to Nashville Superspeedway for a 400-mile race. The 1.33-mile oval hosted the season finale in 2024 and 2025, but moved to a date in the middle of the season.
The race in Nashville will finish under the lights due to following the FIFA World Cup Final, which will potentially bring in a massive ratings number.
Portland International Raceway kicks off August, racing on Aug 9. A week after Portland, the second new venue of the season will host its first race on August 16th. The downtown streets of Markham, Ontario, will host the series’ only trip outside of the United States. Just 32 minutes from Toronto, Markham will see its streets turned into a 12-turn, 2.19-mile course.
August will conclude with the return of a doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile. The track hosted a single race in 2025, but added another race for the first time since 2024.
The championship finale is moved back to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday Sept. 6. Laguna Seca last hosted the championship finale in 2023 and returns to the date under new management with “Friends of Laguna Seca”, a non-profit that manages the track.
Notable omissions from the 2026 schedule include The Thermal Club, Iowa Speedway, both dropped from the calendar after 2025. Mexico City will have to wait another year as it is not on the schedule once again, after a deal could not be done, due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The long rumored and much speculated street race in Washington DC is also not on the calendar as it will look to join Mexico City on the 2027 calendar.