Click to enlarge.
IndyCar announced today what it hopes and likely will be an action-packed 17-race schedule for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, highlighted by multiple new events and several exciting showcases “for the stars of racing’s most exhilarating and competitive series.” For the second consecutive season, all 17 races will be broadcast on Fox, with two additional appearances during the two days of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT IndyCar Series is once again the only premier motorsport series in North America with all races broadcast on network television.*
“Our growth is industry-leading and will only accelerate faster as we continue our powerful partnership with Fox Sports and increase investment in our events,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule provides a dynamic showcase for our sport and its stars, blending fan-favorite race weekends with incredible showcases at exciting new venues. We cannot wait for 2026.”
In the first year of a multiyear partnership with Fox sports, viewership of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season was up 27% from the previous season, generating what’s said to be the fastest growth curve of any major sport. An average of 1.36 million viewers watched the 17-race schedule that led to the history-making championship of Alex Palou, the first three-peat Series title winner in 14 years.
Highlights of 2026
- A set of races on three consecutive weekends to kick off the season, including new events at Phoenix Raceway and on the Streets of Arlington.
- A massive showcase at Nashville Superspeedway with Fox’s telecast of the FIFA world cup 26™ final serving as an historic lead-in.
- More prime-time racing under the lights on ovals, at both World Wide Technology Raceway and Nashville Superspeedway.
- The return of the season finale and the crowning of the 2026 champion to the renowned WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
For the first time in the sport’s history, North America’s premier open-wheel Series will compete on four dates during March. The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season opens Sunday, March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It is the 16th time and fifth consecutive year IndyCar has opened the season on the streets of St. Pete.
Following the launch of the 2026 season on Florida’s gulf coast, the NTT IndyCar Series arrives at Phoenix Raceway as part of a buzz-worthy weekend alongside eNASCAR. The Saturday, March 7 race will be the 65th time the IndyCar Series has raced on the historic oval and the first on the track’s reconfigured “dogleg” layout. The weekend will provide a joint-showcase with eNASCAR in partnership with Fox Sports.
“We’re going to kick start the season in fitting fashion, with four races in five weeks,” IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said. “Our joint weekend in partnership with eNASCAR and Fox at Phoenix Raceway will be a can’t-miss for motorsport fans across the country and a truly special celebration of fast, fearless racing across the motorsport landscape.”
*Autoinformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IndyCar announces 17-Race 2026 Schedule
Click to enlarge.
IndyCar announced today what it hopes and likely will be an action-packed 17-race schedule for the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season, highlighted by multiple new events and several exciting showcases “for the stars of racing’s most exhilarating and competitive series.” For the second consecutive season, all 17 races will be broadcast on Fox, with two additional appearances during the two days of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The NTT IndyCar Series is once again the only premier motorsport series in North America with all races broadcast on network television.*
“Our growth is industry-leading and will only accelerate faster as we continue our powerful partnership with Fox Sports and increase investment in our events,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule provides a dynamic showcase for our sport and its stars, blending fan-favorite race weekends with incredible showcases at exciting new venues. We cannot wait for 2026.”
In the first year of a multiyear partnership with Fox sports, viewership of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season was up 27% from the previous season, generating what’s said to be the fastest growth curve of any major sport. An average of 1.36 million viewers watched the 17-race schedule that led to the history-making championship of Alex Palou, the first three-peat Series title winner in 14 years.
Highlights of 2026
For the first time in the sport’s history, North America’s premier open-wheel Series will compete on four dates during March. The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season opens Sunday, March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It is the 16th time and fifth consecutive year IndyCar has opened the season on the streets of St. Pete.
Following the launch of the 2026 season on Florida’s gulf coast, the NTT IndyCar Series arrives at Phoenix Raceway as part of a buzz-worthy weekend alongside eNASCAR. The Saturday, March 7 race will be the 65th time the IndyCar Series has raced on the historic oval and the first on the track’s reconfigured “dogleg” layout. The weekend will provide a joint-showcase with eNASCAR in partnership with Fox Sports.
“We’re going to kick start the season in fitting fashion, with four races in five weeks,” IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said. “Our joint weekend in partnership with eNASCAR and Fox at Phoenix Raceway will be a can’t-miss for motorsport fans across the country and a truly special celebration of fast, fearless racing across the motorsport landscape.”
*Autoinformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.