IndyCar will return to Texas in 2026 with a street race in Arlington in a joint venture between the Dallas Cowboys and the official events partner of the Texas Rangers.
The IndyCar Arlington Grand Prix will be held in March 2026 on a 2.73-mile circuit that will feature AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play, and Globe Life Field, where the Rangers play. The course will weave through Arlington’s core sports and entertainment district.
Additional details on the event will be announced at a Tuesday ceremony that will include IndyCar owner Roger Penske, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Rangers chief operating officer Neil Leibman, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden, three-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Pudge Rodriguez.
“Through a truly remarkable and innovative partnership, we’re going to build racing’s next global spectacle,” Penske said in a Monday statement. “Everyone involved is fully committed to delivering an incredible and unique event weekend for the city of Arlington.”
The event in Arlington will get IndyCar back into Texas after Texas Motor Speedway dropped off the schedule this year. IndyCar had raced at the Fort Worth oval every year since the series debut 1997 season through 2023. IndyCar and track operator Speedway Motorsports were unable to come to an agreement for 2024.
Penske putting together a deal in Arlington is a signal that the relationship between IndyCar and Texas Motor Speedway is likely over. The Texas track was one of the series’ first and most loyal supporters up until the late Eddie Gossage retired as track president in 2021.
But the market remains important to IndyCar and Penske has an existing relationship with Jones dating back to the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit, which Penske both helped secure and served as chairman of the host committee.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the Texas Rangers, Penske Entertainment, and the City of Arlington to bring Grand Prix racing to the streets of the Arlington Entertainment District,” Jones said in a statement. “An event of this magnitude is another great reflection of what we imagined over 15 years ago that AT&T Stadium could be a part of.”
Motorsports veteran Bill Miller on Monday was named president of the Grand Prix of Arlington. Miller was previously president of California Speedway and senior vice president of operations at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
