Saturday morning’s NTT IndyCar Series practice session on the streets of Arlington (Texas) came to an early halt for a stunning reason. A catering crew had wandered onto a hot track.

Officials threw the red flag as drivers began heading out onto the Texas streets for Practice 2. Members of the broadcast crew and the officials spotted three individuals walking across the purpose-built track. One pushed a cart.

Insane #IndyCar #ArlingtonGP pic.twitter.com/Nk4NuJHEV4

— Matt Archuleta (@indy44) March 14, 2026

“Oh, goodness me, there’s people crossing the track,” one member of the Fox Sports broadcast crew said after seeing the surprising footage.

In racing parlance, a “hot track” indicates that cars or safety vehicles are out on the track. This designation means that pedestrians are not allowed on the racing surface, no matter what. It’s a serious safety concern.

“Okay, everybody, this was a serious breach of security to have people crossing the track while we were in session,” IndyCar officials said over the radio about the catering crew, per IndyStar’s Zion Brown.

“So we’re going to send safety around the course to check everything we have here. That’s how serious this was. Once we have a secure course that we’re comfortable with, we’ll give you a count-in.”

Having a catering crew walk across a hot track marked a wild moment in a historic weekend. This trip to Texas is a first for the NTT IndyCar Series teams. They will race through the streets of the Arlington Entertainment District, which is home to the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers.

This street course will put AT&T Stadium on full display. The parking lot across the street from the NFL stadium will serve as pit road for the drivers. They will get fresh tires in front of one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States.

Catering crew aside, the drivers had many positive things to say after completing two practice sessions on the streets of Arlington. They raved about the design and the racing that this could produce on Sunday afternoon (12:30 p.m. ET on Fox).

“I’m not just saying this because you probably think I’m getting paid to say it, but it’s hands down the best street circuit personally that I’ve driven on,” Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin said during a post-practice press conference.

“So far it’s got a huge straight, bumpy straight, very hard to test your brake point into turn 10 there. Then there are so many corners that are technical, but then also daring. It’s an absolute blast, and it was honestly a pleasure to learn it and get better and better.”