2026 IndyCar Season: Race Start Times Unveiled with a Thrilling Twist!
The NTT IndyCar Series is revving up for an electrifying 2026 season, and fans are in for a treat as race broadcast start times have been officially unveiled! FOX Sports returns for its second year of exhilarating coverage, promising to deliver all the high-speed action straight to your living room via free over-the-air television.
Get ready for the adrenaline rush as pre-race coverage will kick off just before each event, ramping up the excitement and getting fans hyped before the green flag waves. While most races will stick to their familiar start times, brace yourselves for some jaw-dropping changes!
Mark your calendars for June, as the race at World Wide Technology Raceway—affectionately known as Gateway—will take place later in the evening than ever before. Picture this: the green flag drops just as the sun sets, transforming the race into a dazzling spectacle under the lights!
But wait, there’s more! In a strategic move, the race at Nashville Superspeedway is still holding its start time as “TBA.” The reason? It’s scheduled for the same day as the FIFA World Cup final, also broadcast by FOX in the U.S. IndyCar executives are playing it smart, ensuring that fans can transition seamlessly from the epic football finale to the high-octane world of open-wheel racing. The hope? To capture a massive audience that will keep the channel tuned in for more adrenaline-packed action.
Expect even more synergy with the World Cup! The opening match on June 21 will lead directly into the IndyCar coverage at Road America, creating a perfect storm of sports excitement. And on July 5, the Mid-Ohio race will be shifted 90 minutes earlier to pave the way for a crucial round-of-16 World Cup match. The stakes have never been higher!
The season kicks off on Sunday, March 1, with the first race in the sun-soaked Streets of St. Petersburg, where the green flag will wave shortly after noon Eastern Time. Here’s the complete race schedule you won’t want to miss:
2026 IndyCar Race Schedule
– March 1: Streets of St. Petersburg – FOX at Noon – March 7: Phoenix Raceway – FOX at 3:00 PM – March 15: Streets of Arlington – FOX at 12:30 PM – March 29: Barber Motorsports Park – FOX at 1:00 PM – April 19: Streets of Long Beach – FOX at 5:30 PM – May 9: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (road course) – FOX at 4:30 PM – May 24: The 110th Indianapolis 500 – FOX at 10:00 AM – May 31: Streets of Detroit – FOX at 12:30 PM – June 7: World Wide Technology Raceway – FOX at 9:00 PM – June 21: Road America – FOX at 2:00 PM – July 5: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – FOX at 12:30 PM – July 19: Nashville Superspeedway – FOX TBA – August 9: Portland International Raceway – FOX at 4:00 PM – August 16: Streets of Markham – FOX at Noon – August 29: Milwaukee Mile Race 1 – FOX at 2:30 PM – August 30: Milwaukee Mile Race 2 – FOX at 1:00 PM – September 6: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – FOX at 2:30 PM
The excitement is palpable, and with the 2026 IndyCar season shaping up to be a blockbuster, fans won’t want to miss a single moment! Gear up for a season that promises to be filled with thrilling races, memorable moments, and a perfect blend of motorsport and global sporting drama. Buckle your seatbelts; the countdown to high-speed action has officially begun!
