IndyCar’s 2026 Season Sets Record Pace With New Stops and Expanded FOX Coverage
INDYCAR opens the 2026 season on March 1 with a record 18-race schedule, featuring return to Phoenix Raceway, inaugural Streets of Arlington, Barber Motorsports Park, and new events in Markham and Washington, D.C.—plus the season opener in St. Petersburg. FOX will televise all sessions across 20 network windows, and INDYCAR NXT expands to 17 races on FS1/FS2. The series also updates street-course tire usage, late-race lead-lap rules, and practice formats, and adds safety upgrades at IMS (tire ramp flaps and braking changes) while continuing growth across the development series. Milestones include the potential 300th all-time winner and record targets for drivers like Palou, Dixon, and Power.
