IndyCar will head to Texas for the third round of the 2026 season as the American open-wheel racing series returns to the state after a couple of years of absence. However, it’s not the Texas Motor Speedway that IndyCar is returning to, but instead the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington, which is going to be a street race.
But why was the Texas Motor Speedway, which has produced some of the best oval racing over the years, dropped in favor of the street race in Arlington? Why didn’t IndyCar return to TMS if the series wanted to return to Texas? Let’s have a detailed look.
Texas Motor Speedway’s IndyCar history
Texas Motor Speedway hosted its inaugural IndyCar race in 1997 and was on the calendar till the 2023 season, after which the deal with Penske Entertainment fell apart. TMS had been on the calendar for 27 consecutive years and hosted races through the rough patches and all the transitions for the American open wheel racing series.
Texas Motor Speedway was the second fastest oval on the calendar behind the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with cars hitting 220 mph. The quad oval nature of the speedway created interesting races and some of the closest IndyCar finishes.
However, after the COVID pandemic, the attendence started dropping, and after failing to come to a deal with Penske Entertainment for the 2024 race, TMS was taken off the calendar.
Reason behind IndyCar abandoning Texas Motor Speedway
Not one but multiple reasons led to IndyCar abandoning the Texas Motor Speedway. First was the resurfacing, remodeling, and new drainage system, which made the racing single-file and not as exciting. On top of that, NASCAR‘s track adhesive did not mesh well with the open-wheel racing series.
The second reason was the clash with NASCAR for the schedule. The Stock car series wanted to shift the race from September (a high heat month) to April, when IndyCar raced at the TMS. With Texas Motor Speedway getting higher TV money from NASCAR, the stock car series was given preference over IndyCar. TMS is also leased out by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a company that manages racing facilities that host NASCAR-sanctioned racing.
A clash with the summer Olympics date eventually resulted in IndyCar not finding a suitable date to host the race at TMS. On top of that, the return of the Milwaukee Mile to the calendar makes it easier for the American open wheel racing series to drop an oval from the calendar.
Why was Arlington GP chosen as the destination for a race in Texas?
IndyCar CEO Mark Miles came out when IndyCar parted ways with TMS and revealed that the North Texas market is important for the series, and that they would return to the state in the future.
“There’s been fabulous racing there. That sort of north Texas market is very important to IndyCar. We’ll go back to work as we have some of the other building blocks like our own media partner in place for 2025,” said Mark Miles
With the trend of racing shifting towards street races, which are more accessible to the general public rather than the Circuits, which are usually built on the outskirts of the city, like TMS is, IndyCar made the decision to host a street race in Texas.
The race in Arlington will take place around the iconic AT&T Stadium and the Globe Life Field, adding a bit more glamour to the series.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi
