5 surprises in 2026 IndyCar schedule ft. Iowa's exit and season finale shake-up

The 2026 NTT IndyCar series schedule is out, boasting a 17-race-long season. A multitude of changes have been made in comparison to the 2025 calendar, with the intention of improving viewership numbers and the fan experience.

The series recently shared an update about the 2026 Mexico race, explaining that a deal could not be finalized due to the FIFA World Cup overlapping with available calendar space. The Mexico GP talks were the holdup that stopped IndyCar from releasing the 2026 calendar.

The series came out on September 15, 2025, and teased that the calendar would soon be out and made a massive announcement the very next day on September 16, revealing the 17-race calendar.

Let's have a look at the 5 surprising changes made to the 2026 calendar.

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#5 Action-packed start to the season as Thermal Club exit makes way for Phoenix Raceway and the Streets of Arlington

Just as in 2025, the 2026 season opener will take place around the streets of St. Petersburg. For the 2025 season, there was a three-week gap between the first two races at St. Pete and Thermal Club. IndyCar heard the feedback from the fans, as March would host four IndyCar races.

It was confirmed earlier this year that Thermal Club would not be returning to the American open wheel racing series for 2026, and the series has introduced a couple of new races in place of Thermal, in the form of Phoenix Raceway and Arlington GP.

The season begins on March 1 at St. Pete, followed by Phoenix Raceway on March 7, Saturday, which will be a joint showcase with NASCAR racing at the circuit on the same weekend. The third week of March will host the inaugural Arlington Grand Prix, followed by the race at Barber Motorsports Park, taking place on March 29.

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#4 Long Beach GP and Alabama Indy GP (Barber Motorsports Park) swap places

During the last few seasons, the race at the Barber Motorsports Park has always followed the Long Beach GP, which used to be the third round of the season. However, for the 2026 calendar, the Alabama Indy GP will take place before the race at Long Beach.

While the Long Beach GP will continue to take place in the middle of April, Barber, which used to take place in early May, will be held on March 29.

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#3 Iowa Speedway exits the 2026 IndyCar calendar

The Iowa Speedway held a doubleheader race weekend during the 2025 IndyCar season. However, the attendance at the track was dismal, with drivers complaining about NASCAR resurfacing only the lower lane, making it a single-file racing circuit for IndyCar. Despite bringing a special aerodynamic package to improve racing, the drivers continued to race in a single file.

The low attendance, single-file racing, NASCAR owning the circuit, and reportedly not promoting the IndyCar races around the venue meant the series made an exit from the Speedway for the 2026 season.

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#2 Milwaukee Mile Double Header as the penultimate race of the 2026 IndyCar season

Instead of Iowa, the series will now host a double header at the Milwaukee Mile. The race at Milwaukee will continue to be the penultimate race of the season, but instead of a single race, the race weekend will host a double header, with a race each on August 29 and August 30.

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#1 Laguna Seca replaced Nashville as the season finale; Nashville becomes a night race

The Nashville Superspeedway has been the season finale for the last couple of seasons, but going into 2026, the series has swapped Laguna Seca and Nashville. The iconic circuit with undulations will now host the season finale on September 6, whereas the Nashville Superspeedway race will now take place on July 19.

Nashville used to be a day race, but the cars will race under the lights at the Superspeedway for the 2026 season, along with World Wide Technology Raceway also being a night race.

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The 2026 IndyCar Schedule

Edited by Pranay Bhagi