2026 IndyCar Series
| 2026 IndyCar season | |
|---|---|
| NTT IndyCar Series | |
| Season | |
| Races | 18 |
| Start date | March 1 |
| End date | September 6 |
| Awards | |
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Álex Palou is the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and series champion
The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series is the upcoming 115th official championship season of American open-wheel racing and the 31st season under IndyCar Series sanction. Its showcase event is the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Álex Palou enters the season as the defending Indianapolis 500 winner and a four-time series champion, including defending three-peat champion.
Background and series news
[edit]- On September 12, 2024, IndyCar announced that the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company had signed an extension to remain as the series' sole tire supplier until at least the 2030 season.[1]
- On July 31, 2025, Fox Sports parent company Fox Corporation announced that it had acquired a one-third stake in IndyCar parent company Penske Entertainment. As part of the acquisition, Fox Sports' TV contract was extended to 2030.[2][3]
- On December 11, 2025, IndyCar announced a new three-person independent officiating board, named IndyCar Officiating Inc. Two members – Ray Evernham and Raj Nair – were voted on to the panel by IndyCar team owners, while the third member – Ronan Morgan – was appointed by the FIA.[4]
Confirmed entries
[edit]The following teams, entries, and drivers are contracted to compete in the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season.[5] All teams will use a Dallara DW12 chassis with 2018 universal aero kit and Firestone tires.
Driver changes
[edit]Preseason
[edit]- On September 2, 2025, Team Penske confirmed reports that Will Power would depart the team, having driven for the team since the 2009 season.[35]
- On September 2, Rinus VeeKay confirmed that he would not return to Dale Coyne Racing in 2026.[36]
- On September 3, Cadillac Formula 1 Team announced that Colton Herta had been signed as the team's test driver for 2026, taking him out of IndyCar after seven seasons driving for Andretti Global.[37][38]
- On September 3, Andretti Global confirmed reports that Will Power would join the team, driving the No. 26 entry vacated by Herta.[8]
- On September 18, Team Penske announced that David Malukas would join the team on a multi-year deal beginning in 2026, driving the No. 12 entry vacated by Power.[34]
- On September 23, Dale Coyne Racing confirmed reports that 2025 Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger would join the team for the 2026 season.[18]
- On October 14, Juncos Hollinger Racing announced that Rinus VeeKay would join the team for 2026, serving as the team's lead driver.[22]
- On October 29, Marco Andretti announced his retirement from motor racing and the Indianapolis 500.[39]
- On November 6, A. J. Foyt Enterprises announced it had signed 2025 Indy NXT runner-up Caio Collet for the 2026 season, replacing Malukas in the No. 4 car.[6]
- On November 13, Arrow McLaren announced that Ryan Hunter-Reay would join the team for the 2026 Indianapolis 500.[14]
- On November 24, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced that World Endurance Championship and ex-Formula One driver Mick Schumacher would pilot the No. 47 car, replacing the No. 30 car driven by Devlin DeFrancesco.[31]
Team changes
[edit]- On September 23, 2025, with the confirmation of Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing announced that it had formed a technical alliance with Andretti Global for the 2026 season.[18]
- On January 29, 2026, Team Penske revealed that Tim Cindric is returning to the team as the strategist for Scott McLaughlin. Cindric had been released from the team last May as IndyCar president following penalties during qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.[40]
Schedule
[edit]The schedule was released on September 16, 2025.[41] Start times were released on December 18, 2025, with all races being broadcast on Fox.[42] The Freedom 250 was then added on January 30, 2026.[43]
| Icon | Legend |
|---|---|
| O | Oval/Speedway |
| R | Road course |
| S | Street circuit |
| Rd. | Date | Race name | Track | Location | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 1 | Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | S Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | 12:00 p.m. |
| 2 | March 7 | Good Ranchers 250 | O Phoenix Raceway | Avondale, Arizona | 3:00 p.m. |
| 3 | March 15 | Java House Grand Prix of Arlington | S Streets of Arlington | Arlington, Texas | 12:30 p.m. |
| 4 | March 29 | Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix | R Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | 1:00 p.m. |
| 5 | April 19 | Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach | S Streets of Long Beach | Long Beach, California | 5:30 p.m. |
| 6 | May 9 | Sonsio Grand Prix | R Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course | Speedway, Indiana | 4:30 p.m. |
| 7 | May 24 | 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 | O Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 10:00 a.m. | |
| 8 | May 31 | Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix | S Streets of Detroit | Detroit, Michigan | 12:30 p.m. |
| 9 | June 7 | Bommarito Automotive Group 500 | O World Wide Technology Raceway | Madison, Illinois | 9:00 p.m. |
| 10 | June 21 | XPEL Grand Prix at Road America | R Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | 2:00 p.m. |
| 11 | July 5 | Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio | R Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | 12:30 p.m. |
| 12 | July 19 | Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix | O Nashville Superspeedway | Lebanon, Tennessee | TBD |
| 13 | August 9 | BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon | 4:00 p.m. |
| 14 | August 16 | Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham | S Streets of Markham | Markham, Ontario | 12:00 p.m. |
| 15 | August 23 | Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. | S Streets of Washington | Washington, D.C. | TBD |
| 16 | August 29 | Snap-on Milwaukee 250 Race #1 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | 2:30 p.m. |
| 17 | August 30 | Snap-on Milwaukee 250 Race #2 | 1:00 p.m. | ||
| 18 | September 6 | IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey | R WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | 2:30 p.m. |
Schedule changes
[edit]- IndyCar will return to Phoenix Raceway after an eight-year absence, marking the championship's first race in Arizona since 2018.[44][45]
- The Grand Prix of Arlington will debut in March, held at a new street circuit around the Streets of Arlington. This marks the championship's return to Texas for the first time since 2023.[46]
- The Grand Prix of Alabama will move from early May to late March.[47]
- After having hosted the season finale since 2024, the Music City Grand Prix will move to July 19 and become round twelve of the season. The event will also become a night race and have its race length extended from 225 laps to 300 laps.[41]
- The race at World Wide Technology Raceway will also be a night race.[41]
- The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race will move from Exhibition Place, where it has been held ever since 1986, except for 2008, 2020, and 2021, to a temporary street circuit in Markham, Ontario, under a five-year deal.[48]
- The Milwaukee Mile race weekend will become a double-header event, as it had been when it returned to the schedule in 2024.[41]
- The Grand Prix of Monterey will return as the season finale, as it had been in 2019, 2022, and 2023. The race will move from late July to September 6.[41]
- The Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix will not return in 2026 after two years on the calendar.[49]
- Iowa Speedway was also dropped from the calendar after four years on the IndyCar schedule.[41]
- The Freedom 250 will debut in August, a race held on the streets of Washington, D.C. It was added to the IndyCar schedule in January.[50]
Sponsorship changes
[edit]- On November 20, Java House was announced as the title sponsor for the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington.[51]
- On December 3, Good Ranchers was unveiled as the title sponsor for IndyCar's return to Phoenix Raceway.[52]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Technical partnership with Team Penske.
- ^ Technical partnership with Andretti Global.
- ^ Technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing.
References
[edit]- ^ "Firestone extends long Term as exclusive tire supplier". IndyCar. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ Goldsmith, Jill (July 31, 2025). "Fox Acquires One-Third Stake In Penske Entertainment, Owner Of Indycar Series". Deadline. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ Brittle, Cian (August 5, 2025). "Why did Fox invest in IndyCar and what happens next?". BlackBook Motorsport. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (December 11, 2025). "IndyCar to introduce independent officiating system". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network, LLC. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ^ "2026 Indycar Teams & Drivers LISTS". Indy Speedway. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Horner, Scott (November 6, 2025). "Rookie joins A.J. Foyt Racing's 2026 IndyCar Series lineup to replace David Malukas". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 6, 2025.
- ^ "Ferrucci To Stay with AJ Foyt Racing in 2025". IndyCar. September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Richey, Lynzy (September 3, 2025). "Andretti Global Signs INDYCAR Veteran Will Power to 2026 Driver Lineup". Andretti Global. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (September 26, 2023). "Kirkwood extends deal with Andretti". Racer. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Benyon, Jack (August 23, 2023). "Ericsson to leave Ganassi for IndyCar rival Andretti". The Race. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (May 27, 2022). "O'Ward signs contract extension with AMSP". Racer. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- ^ "Arrow McLaren signs Nolan Siegel to multiyear contract, set to race Laguna Seca onward". McLaren. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (July 2, 2024). "Arrow McLaren to replace Rossi with Lundgaard in yet another driver lineup change for IndyCar team". AP News. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (November 13, 2025). "Hunter-Reay joins Arrow McLaren for 2026 Indy 500". Racer. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (October 30, 2024). "Chip Ganassi Racing finalizes its 2025 lineups for IndyCar and Indy NXT programs". Motorsport. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (September 18, 2024). "Ganassi's take on the charters: IndyCar "benefitting" from Penske's NASCAR experience". Motorsport. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ Benyon, Jack (February 28, 2024). "Seven things we learned as McLaren escalates Palou claim to $30m". The Race. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c Pockrass, Bob (September 24, 2025). "One & Done: Indy NXT Champ Dennis Hauger Ready for Jump to INDYCAR". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ "Jack Harvey Back at Indy in 2026 with Dreyer & Reinbold, INVST". IndyCar. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
- ^ a b Brown, Nathan; Newell, Nat (September 25, 2024). "Alexander Rossi joins Ed Carpenter Racing; Carpenter only doing Indy 500". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Zion (January 20, 2026). "Ed Carpenter to return for 23rd straight Indy 500". IndyStar. The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "Rinus VeeKay Signs With Juncos Hollinger Racing for 2026 Season". IndyCar. October 14, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ "JHR Confirms Return of Sting Ray Robb". IndyCar. December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- ^ Rutherford, Kevin (May 25, 2025). "Helio Castroneves Plans To Return for Another Indy 500: 'I Will. I'll Make It Happen'". Frontstretch. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (September 5, 2023). "Rosenqvist signs multiyear IndyCar deal with Meyer Shank Racing". Racer. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ^ Dejewski, Kevin (August 18, 2025). "MSR extends Marcus Armstrong contract for 2026 IndyCar season". Motorsport Week. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
- ^ "PREMA Racing". IndyCar. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Pruett, Marshall (August 8, 2025). "IndyCar's silly season roadmap hinges on one critical domino". Racer. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (November 13, 2023). "Rahal signs multi-year deal to remain with Rahal Letterman Lanigan". Autosport. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
- ^ Barnes, Joey (October 9, 2024). "Indy NXT champion Foster signs multi-year deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing". Motorsport. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
- ^ a b alison, markus (November 24, 2025). "Formula One Veteran Mick Schumacher Joins Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing For 2026 Indycar Season". Rahal Letterman Lanigan. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
- ^ Brown, Nathan (June 1, 2024). "Days after 2nd Indy 500 win, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske announce multi-year contract extension". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (August 2, 2024). "IndyCar silly season update, August 2". Racer. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "David Malukas To Drive for Team Penske Beginning in 2026". IndyCar. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (September 2, 2025). "Penske announces Power departure". Racer. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (September 2, 2025). "VeeKay departs Dale Coyne Racing". Racer. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ "IndyCar star Colton Herta signed to Cadillac as test driver". Formula One. September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Colton Herta Moving to F1 as Cadillac Test Driver in 2026". IndyCar. September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Horner, Scott. "Marco Andretti, grandson of Mario Andretti, announces retirement from Indianapolis 500, IndyCar racing". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "Tim Cindric Back With Team Penske as Scott McLaughlin's Strategist". IndyCar. January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "INDYCAR Announces 17-Race 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule". IndyCar. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
- ^ "FOX Sports, INDYCAR Unveil 2026 Race Broadcast Start Times". IndyCar.com. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
- ^ "Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. Coming in August". IndyCar.com. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ Pruett, Marshall. "Phoenix, Mexico and a relocated Toronto all poised to feature on IndyCar's 2026 schedule". Racer. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
- ^ Brown, Nathan (August 27, 2025). "IndyCar to pair with NASCAR, Barber date set, sources say. What we know on next year's schedule". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
- ^ "Unique Partnership Presents INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington". IndyCar. October 10, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
- ^ Cornelison, Justin (August 26, 2025). "Porsche announces 2026 one-make racing and track day calendars". Porsche Sprint Challenge. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
- ^ "Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Moves to City of Markham under a Multi-Year Agreement". Green Savoree Toronto. September 3, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ Pockrass, Bob (July 23, 2025). "Questions Linger For 2026 INDYCAR Schedule: Which Tracks Should Be Added?". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
- ^ Kapur, Sahil (January 30, 2026). "Trump orders up IndyCar race on the streets of Washington for 'America250 Grand Prix'". NBC News. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
- ^ "Java House Becomes Title Sponsor of Grand Prix of Arlington". IndyCar. November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ^ "Phoenix Raceway Announces Good Ranchers 250". IndyCar.com. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
Sources
[edit]- NTT IndyCar Series Official Rulebook (PDF). IndyCar Series, Brickyard Trademarks, Inc. March 5, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.