"Mexico here we come!": IndyCar fans rejoice as 'boring' Thermal Club race exits 2026 calendar

Thermal Club featured on the IndyCar calendar in 2024 for an exhibition race, which didn't contribute any points to the championship. For the 2025 season, it was added to the calendar as a championship race. However, the Thermal Club Owner, Tim Rogers, came out and confirmed that the circuit will not feature in the 2026 IndyCar calendar.

The 2025 IndyCar race at Thermal Club was a relatively actionless race with the most action coming in the last 15 laps when Alex Palou charged up from P3 and overtook Christian Lundgaard and Pato O'Ward to take the race win. The viewership has also significantly dropped for the Thermal Club compared to the previous race at St. Petersburg.

As per the reports, Thermal Club faced difficulties finding a title sponsor for the 2026 race, but it is still in conversation with hopes of returning to the calendar for a race in 2027. In addition, the Thermal Club is a private race course located in California, and only a handful of people (3000, as reported by ESPN) attended this year's race.

Rumors of Thermal Club dropping from the IndyCar calendar have been circling the paddock for a month. They also suggested that the Mexico City GP will take over the Thermal Club’s place in the calendar. Penske officials reported the IndyCar's conversations with Mexico City GP officials.

The IndyCar fans came out and reacted to the news of Thermal Club not being on the IndyCar calendar, as one said:

“Mexico here we come!!!” “Should goto Mexico or back to Sears Point,” wrote a user. Another commented, “Sweet! Head to Mexico City and Texas back to back”

Many fans suggested that it confirms that IndyCar will race in Mexico in the following years, while others suggested that there's a spot available for another race to be added to the calendar.

A user wrote, “This all but confirms IndyCar is going to Mexico next year.” “Mexico City is most likely will be 4/12/26 but they need find something for 3/29/26 if not it will be 4 week break from Arlington to Mexico City. If No Mexico City, it will be 5 week break from Arlington to Long Beach,” commented a fan. “Mexico City all but confirmed now #IndyCar,” mentioned another user.

“We can see it as soon as 2026”: Pato O'Ward shared an update about IndyCar’s Mexico GP race

Pato O'Ward was furious at the IndyCar series when NASCAR beat the open-wheel racing series to a race in Mexico City. However, since then, Penske Entertainment has been in conversation with the circuit officials and is in a strong position to put Mexico on the 2026 IndyCar calendar.

The Mexican driver was questioned about the IndyCar race in Mexico on the Pit Pass Indy podcast, to which he replied:

“I think we can see it as soon as 2026. That's definitely what I've been pushing for and what I know IndyCar is pushing for. It might be pretty close to the Arlington Grand Prix. You never know if they might be back-to-backs because it is gonna be the closest one to Mexico, in terms of logistics travel-wise. “So yeah, we'll see, but I'm definitely a huge part of that Mexican event and excited to help IndyCar get there and make sure (we) knock it out of the park,”

Since then, Penske representatives have suggested that the conversations have been moving in a positive direction.

Edited by Hitesh Nigam