What’s Happening?
IndyCar and NASCAR will share yet another double header in 2026, as the NTT IndyCar Series will join the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts and Cup Series at Phoenix next spring.
New tracks, new stories, same #INDYCAR 💪
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) September 16, 2025
Your complete 2026 calendar is here! pic.twitter.com/Re7AwY0i3Y
- The March 6-8 weekend marks the first time the three series have shared a track for a race weekend since 2020. That season, the IndyCars and OAP Series raced on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, while the Cup Series cars took on the Oval for what was then the final time.
- This is not the only time that NASCAR and IndyCar will cross over this next season. As part of two street circuit races in 2026, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will join IndyCar at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg during the February 27-29 race weekend.
- Though it seems unlikely that Cup Series drivers will race in that weekend’s IndyCar race, there is a likely scenario in which an IndyCar driver could take on NASCAR duties. However, at press time, no teams or drivers have voiced their interest in doing so.
- Phoenix is a long-time staple of open-wheel racing in the United States, with all three major sanctioning bodies racing at the venue since 1964. Its return to the schedule is not the only change for the series next season, with IndyCar adding an extra race at Milwaukee, moving their championship, and racing on the streets of Arlington, Texas.
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