IndyCar moves street race from Toronto to Markham for 2026

“Markham, start your engines! The Indy race is coming to our city!” exclaimed an excited Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti while announcing today that the IndyCar Series will move its Canadian event from Toronto to a brand-new street circuit in Markham beginning in 2026.

Toronto’s Exhibition Place has been home to IndyCar racing in its various forms since 1986. However, due to logistical challenges presented by the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the event needed a new location. As a result, its promoter Green Savoree Race Promotions, IndyCar, and the City of Markham have joined forces to create a new venue. This move is not just a temporary solution — the Markham event is part of a multi-year agreement starting next August.

Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Lumen via Getty Images

Markham, located just northeast of Toronto in York Region, is one of the fastest-growing communities in Ontario, with a population of more than 1.25 million. The race will take place in Markham Centre, the city’s bustling downtown hub, which is home to numerous corporate headquarters, York University’s Markham Campus, and the renowned Markham Pan Am Centre, a key venue during the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

The new location provides excellent access for fans via Highway 407 and other major 400-series highways, as well as the Unionville GO Station and the VIVA Rapid Transit system. Organizers expect the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham to become the largest sports and cultural event in York Region’s history, drawing over 140,000 attendees during the three-day weekend and generating tens of millions in economic impact through tourism, hospitality, and event services.

“This is a major milestone for the City of Markham, which officially becomes the starting line for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham in 2026. We are thrilled and honored to be named as the host city for this prestigious, world-class, three-day auto racing event,” Scarpitti said during the press conference.

“Around this time next year, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham will transform the streets of our city into a racing crucible, testing the limits of some of the world’s fastest drivers and welcoming fans from around the globe to watch it all unfold.”

Details on the new circuit

The temporary street circuit will be built in Markham’s eastern downtown precinct, bordered by Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, the Unionville GO tracks, and Highway 407. Designed by renowned track architect Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting, the 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout will feature a double-sided pit lane, long high-speed straights, and challenging technical sections. Preparatory work on the circuit and surrounding festival site is already underway in collaboration with Metrolinx and other local partners.

“We could not be more pleased to see the rich history of NTT IndyCar Series racing continue in Ontario,” said Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles. “Markham is a growing, diverse, and dynamic city that will provide a terrific showcase for our exhilarating wheel-to-wheel racing. I would like to thank Mayor Frank Scarpitti for this exciting new partnership and Jeff Atkinson and the team at Green Savoree Toronto for their leadership. It’s crucial for INDYCAR to maintain a strong connection with our Canadian fans, and we simply cannot wait for this new chapter to begin next year.”

Jeff Atkinson, president of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, added: “Green Savoree Toronto is proud to announce a multi-year agreement with the City of Markham to become the new home of this long-standing Ontario motorsports tradition. We look forward to a strong and successful partnership with Mayor Scarpitti, his team at the City of Markham, and IndyCar. The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham will build on the legacy of this event, which first began in 1986. We can’t wait to welcome our fans, the drivers, and race teams to this fantastic new venue in Markham Centre next August.”