2026 season will begin with four races in first five weeksIndyCar to return to Phoenix for first time since 2018 in collaboration with NascarFox looking to stage Laguna Seca race after Fifa World Cup final to maximise audienceIndyCar having conversations about street race in Washington DC

IndyCar’s 2026 schedule is set to include a return to Phoenix and a first visit to Mexico City in nearly two decades, according to Indy Star.

The series last visited Phoenix Raceway in 2018 as part of a three-year stint, but the event’s close proximity to Nascar’s race at the circuit meant attendances struggled. Now, IndyCar looks poised to return to the track in collaboration with Nascar.

With Fox acquiring a one-third stake in IndyCar, the expectation was that the broadcaster would push for greater synergies between the two series – Fox airs the first 12 races of the Nascar season, plus the preseason Clash event and the All-Star Race.

The Cup Series races at Phoenix on 8th March and it has been reported that IndyCar will likely race on the Saturday. 

A linkup with Nascar in Phoenix would help IndyCar avoid the stop-start feel of recent seasons, when early races were spaced too far apart to build momentum. Instead, the calendar would feature four races in the first five weeks.

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It is already known that, either side of Phoenix, the season begins at St Petersburg on 1st March before the series’ debut in Arlington on 15th March, but the fourth race in this group will be Barber. This would be IndyCar’s earliest visit to the circuit.

This then leads into the typical run of races with Long Beach, the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), the Indy 500 and Detroit.

Gateway should follow Detroit, with Mid-Ohio tentatively slated for the race after. The following race in Laguna Seca is reportedly being targeted for the same day as the 2026 Fifa World Cup final, which is being co-hosted by the US, so that Fox can take advantage of a huge audience lead-in.

As BlackBook Motorsport previously reported, negotiations with Mexico City have hit a bump but the expectation is that the event will debut after Laguna Seca.

A combination of Portland and Toronto, the latter of which is expected to be staged on a new course at a defunct airport, will follow before Milwaukee and Nashville round out the calendar again.

There have also been conversations about a street race in Washington DC as soon as next year, but the idea remains in its early stages so 2026 could come too early, per Sports Business Journal (SBJ).

The final IndyCar schedule for 2026 is not expected to be announced until next week at the earliest.