The 2026 INDYCAR season launches with an unprecedented schedule featuring four races in March, beginning Sunday, March 1, at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. This early burst marks the fastest opening sequence in the history of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, highlighting a year designed for growth and sustained excitement.
Early Season Races Highlight Iconic and New Venues
The initial months will showcase a series of compelling events, including a return to the historic Phoenix Raceway and a highly anticipated debut on the Streets of Arlington. Additionally, the challenging Barber Motorsports Park is set to test drivers early in the season. These tracks form a dynamic and diverse early schedule, signaling the start of what many expect to be another standout year for the top open-wheel racing series in North America.
An Expanded Race Calendar and Unmatched Broadcast Access
For the first time since 2014, the INDYCAR season will feature 18 races, offering fans more competition than ever. FOX Sports continues as the exclusive broadcaster into its second year, televising every event on its network. The partnership includes a historic 20 broadcast windows, counting additional coverage during the PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying event on May 16-17 ahead of the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. All programming will also be available to stream live on FOX One and the FOX Sports app, ensuring widespread access throughout the season.
Leadership Optimistic About Building on Momentum
INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles expressed confidence in the series’ continued expansion. He sees new markets—such as Phoenix, Arlington, Markham, and Washington D.C.—and promotional collaborations, including connections to the FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage on FOX, as opportunities to grow the series’ visibility and deepen fan engagement. The Astor Challenge Cup battle, kicking off in St. Petersburg, is expected to be a season highlight.
“INDYCAR is positioned for another year of major growth. New events in Phoenix, Arlington, Markham and Washington D.C., combined with promotional integration around the FIFA World Cup 2026 on FOX, create a unique opportunity to showcase the series’ competitive racing and driver personalities.”?J. Douglas Boles, INDYCAR President
Historic Achievements Within Reach for Drivers
The 2026 season carries significant milestones for participating drivers. Notably, the next first-time winner will become the 300th unique victor in INDYCAR history, a landmark moment for the sport. Four-time champion Alex Palou aims to secure a rare fourth consecutive title, a feat only previously achieved by Sebastien Bourdais in 2007.
Veteran Drivers Pursue Record Extensions
Scott Dixon, a six-time series champion, continues his pursuit of extending multiple all-time INDYCAR records, including streaks for wins, consecutive starts, podium finishes, and top-five results. Meanwhile, Will Power, now racing with Andretti Global, intends to add to his record number of pole positions.
Several Drivers Near Career Starting Milestones
Milestone career starts are on the horizon for several drivers this season. Alex Palou is on track to reach his 100th start at Phoenix Raceway, Rinus VeeKay aims for the same milestone on the Streets of Arlington, Santino Ferrucci targets his at the Indianapolis 500, and Scott McLaughlin plans to reach it during the first race at the Milwaukee Mile.
New Tire Regulations Enhance Street Circuit Strategy
Beginning with the St. Petersburg race, INDYCAR introduces updated tire rules for all street courses, increasing the mandatory use to one set of primary tires and two sets of alternate tires—one additional alternate compared to previous seasons. This change, supported by Firestone’s development of alternates with reduced performance drop-off, is intended to encourage aggressive driving and more strategic variability, elevating the intensity of on-track battles.
Competition Executives Expect Elevated Racing Experience
Mark Sibla, INDYCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition and Operations, emphasized that these tire updates will push both drivers and strategists to new challenges, ultimately improving the racing spectacle at street venues. The objective is to foster more memorable duels and heighten excitement for fans across these events.
“The update will challenge drivers and strategists while enhancing the quality of racing at street events. The goal is to create more memorable battles and elevate the fan experience.”?Mark Sibla, INDYCAR Senior Vice President of Competition and Operations
Revised End-of-Race Procedures to Promote Closer Finishes
To increase close competition in the final laps, INDYCAR is broadening the lap windows that allow lapped cars to reposition at the rear of the field before restarts. This adjustment, applicable to almost every race, aims to foster more lead-lap battles and keeps the action intense until the finish line.
Practice Schedule Modified for Road and Street Tracks
The practice format at road and street courses is changing by aligning Practice 2 with the group division used in Practice 1, splitting participants based on odd and even pit boxes. Each session begins with a 40-minute general run followed by two 12-minute group segments. Qualifying groups will be determined by previous race results, while the season opener will use 2025 entrant points for assignments. Additionally, pre-race warmup times increase from 25 to 30 minutes, with FOX Sports expanding broadcast coverage of these sessions to hour-long shows.
Safety Innovations Introduced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Continuing its commitment to driver safety, INDYCAR, in conjunction with Dallara, mandates the use of superspeedway tire ramp flaps at all sessions held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the prestigious Indianapolis 500. These carbon fiber flaps deploy during incidents to disrupt airflow and reduce aerodynamic lift, enhancing stability and safety on the track.
