Andretti Global No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood heads into a turn during the NTT IndyCar Series on March 15 in the Arlington Entertainment District. Kirkwood placed first in the series.
The inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington took over the city’s streets, bringing four racing series to the Entertainment District throughout the three-day weekend event.
The 2.73-mile, 14-turn track circled near AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Choctaw Stadium. The course saw bumpy rides throughout each day as cars swerved through Arlington’s usually busy streets.
Despite any bumps or overspinning on the track throughout the weekend, various drivers shared positive feedback about the track, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou going as far as saying the track was his favorite street circuit.
Kyle Kirkwood, with team Andretti Global, took home the first place win in the NTT IndyCar Series, with Palou coming in second and Andretti Global’s Will Power taking third to round out the podium.
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10, talks with his crew after finishing second in the NTT IndyCar Series on March 15 in the Arlington Entertainment District. Palou has won four NTT IndyCar Series championships.
The nine grandstands across the track sold out, according to an Arlington Grand Prix Instagram post.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said the event’s turnout exceeded any expectations he and other event organizers had. Ross said even some of the drivers said they hadn’t seen attendance like Arlington’s at other first-time races
“The turnout has been great,” Ross said. “I can’t wait for next year already.”
For the Indy NXT by Firestone series, Andretti Global’s Max Taylor took first, and HMD Motorsports’ Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk took second and third, respectively.
Spectators fill the grandstands during the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on March 15 in the Entertainment District. The races took place March 14 and 15.
Photo by Joseph Morgan
In the Toyota GR Cup’s second race, Copeland Motorsports’ Jeremy Fletcher took first, followed by TechSport Racing’s Spike Kohlbecker in second and Will Robusto from RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate in third.
Exclusive Autosport’s Jack Jeffers took first place in the USF Pro 2000’s second race. Pabst Racing’s G3 Argyros took second and VRD Racing’s Frankie Mossman grabbed third.
Many attendees were fans of other motorsports and were getting to know the IndyCar series.
Fort Worth resident Dave Babbs, 46, said he got into racing and fast cars thanks to his father and has been drag racing since 1995.
Team Penske No. 3 Scott McLaughlin drives through a turn during the NTT IndyCar Series on March 15 in the Arlington Entertainment District. McLaughlin finished 11th in the series.
While Babbs said he doesn’t know as much about IndyCar as he does other racing series like Formula 1, he said he was looking forward to seeing faster racing and more sunshine during Sunday’s race.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see fast cars going 170 miles per hour around the sports stadiums,” Babbs said.
Weatherford, Texas, resident Jasey Andrews, 33, said his father used to work for Firestone, and the two of them used to go to the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth to see the races every year. Andrews said he has kept up with IndyCar his whole life, since the ’90s when the IndyCar Series was known as the Indy Racing League.
Having been to about 15 to 20 IndyCar races and seen Texas Rangers games in Arlington, he said he was surprised to see those two worlds collide.
Andretti Global No. 27 Kyle Kirkwood celebrates after winning first place in the NTT IndyCar Series on March 15 in the Arlington Entertainment District. Kirkwood finished fourth in the 2025 championship.
“It’s honestly pretty crazy to see, been going to baseball games here my whole life. Never would have thought I would see a race here,” Andrews said.
For other attendees, the event presented an opportunity to spend time with family.
McKinney, Texas, resident Bryson Knowles, 18, said his uncle surprised him with tickets for the weekend. Knowles said he only gets to see his uncle maybe once every two years, with the last time being at a NASCAR race in the speedway about 2 1/2 years ago.
“I want to be able to have a good time with my uncle,” he said. “Obviously, the racing aspect is amazing and loud, but family matters a lot to me.”
@_.lexlie_