A third new circuit, in Markham, Canada, is set to make its debut in IndyCar In 2026, the calendar has changed significantly in this special year, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence. This event is the main reason for the arrival of the Washington DC Grand Prix next August, where the field of 25 single-seaters is expected to race on the streets of the capital and pass in front of the Capitol.
With no guarantee that this event will be held again in the future, given the considerable logistical challenges, IndyCar continues to explore different cities for future races. The 2026 calendar features 18 events: six on street circuits, six on road courses, and six on ovals. This balance is something the championship president, Doug Boles, wants to maintain.
“We need to keep moving forward at a rate of one-third, one-third, and one-third, then we’ll see what happens next.”he told Sports Business Journal. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself by saying we’re going to do X, Y and Z, and then have people be disappointed when it doesn’t happen, but a lot of work is going on behind the scenes.”
With a balance now achieved between the different types of circuits visited by IndyCar, Boles and his teams are focusing on creating true events that are both high-quality, spectacular races and mini-festivals that can attract a different type of spectator, as is the case with the championships in Arlington and Washington DC.
“It’s very important to try to add new major events, and we continue to visit different locations. The biggest challenge is that when we add races to our schedule, we want to add races that are events in themselves. So there are many places where we could simply go and hold a race, but we have 17 races, 18 now with Washington, and in order for us to really add something to our schedule or replace something, it has to be a real event. So it’s not just a question of, ‘Is this a place we can race?’ because there are many places like that. We want to know if it’s a place where, when you go there, it’s going to be like Arlington [near Dallas], it’s going to be like Washington, it’s going to be a place where people want to go and make a big celebration of it.”
With FOX Sports becoming an investor, IndyCar is looking to further develop the entertainment aspect of its sporting offering, after many lean years in terms of new events added to the calendar. Ovals are also seen as an integral part of the championship, with the recent returns of Milwaukee and Nashville, among others, giving a boost to a discipline almost forgotten by the car to still exist.
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