The good, bad, and ugly of IndyCar's 2026 schedule

The 2026 IndyCar schedule has been confirmed, and there’s plenty to talk about. There has been a change in host venue for the finale, some new street courses, a return to Phoenix, and a couple of weekends where they will partner with NASCAR.

Thermal and Iowa have been dropped, Milwaukee has expanded into a doubleheader, and there will once again be 17 races making up the racing season. Here’s a look at the best, worst, and meh parts of the 2026 schedule decisions:

Grand Prix of Arlington rendering

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

IndyCar teaming up with NASCAR: IndyCar will open its 2026 season with back-to-back doubleheaders with NASCAR, which will only help both of them. The season-opener at St. Pete will be joined by the NASCAR Trucks, which is sure to be a show. The next week, IndyCar returns to Phoenix for the first time since 2018, where they will be part of a Cup race weekend. This can only be a good thing for race fans, and FOX Sports was critical in putting this together. And who knows, maybe someone will be brave enough to sample the other series on one of these joint weekends.

Thermal removed from the calendar: Hey, they wanted to try something, but it’s time for Thermal to go, and it was never really going to work. The track wasn’t very exciting, and the fact that the average IndyCar fan couldn’t afford to attend just wasn’t a good look. 

Fixing the start of the season: IndyCar did a great job front-loading the season with four races in the first five weeks, including the first three races taking place in succession. In 2025, IndyCar held its St. Pete season-opener and then vanished for three weeks, which just kills any momentum around the new year. Now, there are still gaps, but it’s hard not to have that when we’re talking about a 17-race schedule. One race in April isn’t ideal, but it’s worth it to get a smoother start to the new season.

Addition of Arlington street race: It’s not TMS, but IndyCar will be back in Texas next year. This new street race (with a monstrous backstretch) has the Cowboys and Rangers as event partners, and is looking like it has a lot of momentum behind it. The circuit is over 2.7 miles long, and people seem genuinely excited about the layout. 

Nashville loses finale, but still gets a big win: I preferred Nashville as the finale, but there is still plenty to be excited about with this race. The oval race has been extended to 400 miles, and it will immediately follow the World Cup on FOX, which could make for massive lead-in viewership numbers for the primetime race under the lights.

The bad

Will Power, Team Penske

Photo by: Perry Nelson / Lumen via Getty Images

East coast race fans will have to travel: Over a third of the country lives in the states classified on the East Coast, and yet, where are the races on that side of the country? There is nothing in the Northeast, and St. Petersburg in Florida (which isn’t even on the Atlantic side of the state) can’t be the only one. There is a huge population that is simply being ignored, and that’s a big missed opportunity. There are plenty of venues to choose from, including ovals, road courses, and potential street course layouts.

IMS remains the only large oval: The days of a mostly-oval IndyCar schedule are long gone, but it’s still hard to fathom that a series revolving around an oval race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway doesn’t go to any other large ovals. Now, it doesn’t have to be Michigan, but tracks like Texas or Homestead would be fantastic additions.

The unsurprising removal of Iowa: I love Iowa. It’s a fun track, even with the weird repave. And while it’s removal from the schedule is disappointing, it’s not unexpected. The attendance this past year was dismal and the promotion was nonexistent. There was potential, as shown when Hy-Vee was promoting it, but surely, Milwaukee will do just fine as it has now been awarded a doubleheader.

The ugly

Laguna Seca replaces Nashville as finale: This just isn’t a title-decider. IndyCar tried to force it before, and it wasn’t well-received. There’s no energy around the event and it lacks a true finale atmosphere. Nashville fits the mold much better, and it doesn’t help that Laguna Seca isn’t exactly known for its barnburners.

Mexico deal doesn’t come together: IndyCar has been trying to get a race in Mexico since at least 2016, but it always ends up being ‘maybe next year.‘ However, this one really stings, as after being criticized when NASCAR beat them to a race in Mexico City, there was a huge push to put something together in 2026, only for it to not come together. And now, there are a lot of fans who feel like they were clinging to false hope. Their reasoning is the same as NASCAR’s for not going back, and it’s complications caused by the World Cup, but still, fans kept hearing positive things about a potential deal for months, only for it to lead to nothing.