How the 2026 IndyCar Season is shaping up: A quick Overview of what is new this Year
We are know less than two months away from the new Indycar season kicking off in St Pete, with several exciting headlines heading into the new season. From new tracks, new drivers, and still one seat left on the grid to be decided, here’s our top headlines heading into the 2026 Indycar season.
The Championship battle
Will Alex Palou continue the dominance he showed in 2025? Only time will tell, but the rest of the Indycar paddock needs a drastic improvement in order to be a serious challenger to Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing team.
The likes of Pato Oward, Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Lundgaard are certainly among the most likely drivers to challenge Palou. Can Penske return to their formidable form, if so we could see any of their three drivers become championship contenders.
Will Power makes his debut for Andretti Global and he will certainly look to put pressure on Kirkwood as team leader, meanwhile, the Meyer Shank drivers could be an outside bet at challenging for the championship, certainly for race wins.
The 2026 Indycar grid has superstar after superstar, with so many talented drivers we are sure to have an exciting season ahead. Hopefully we can see a dramatic and close championship battle among a few of the drivers mentioned. You won’t want to miss the 2026 season.
An exciting crop of Rookie of the Year contenders
Three new rookies will make their Indycar debuts this year in the form of Dennis Hauger, Caio Collet and most notably, Mick Schumacher.
Hauger and Collet finished first and second respectively last season in Indy NXT and have impressed in their test appearances for their new teams as they prepare for 2026. Schumacher makes the switch back to single seaters after a two year stint with Alpine in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Schumacher will race with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and he will certainly have the most eyes on him in the battle for the Rookie of the Year title. With Formula One experience many will expect him to hit the ground running, therefore it will be a compelling watch as he makes his NTT Indycar series debut.
However, many have pointed out that he normally does take his first year in a new series as a ‘transition’ year before becoming a front runner the following season, nonetheless he will be a driver to watch out for.
Hauger comes in as the reigning Indy NXT champion with Andretti backing. A former member of the Red Bull F1 junior ranks, the Norwegian will certainly look to emulate the performances Rinus Veekay was able to extract from his Dale Coyne car in 2025.
Collet is the rookie with the least amount of experience in terms of championship pedigree. However, with extensive experience on many of the Indycar tracks now, and with the talent he showcased across his two Indy NXT campaigns he may just surprise some fans.
Ultimately, Indycar is about to welcome three new very talented drivers, and the Rookie of the Year fight in 2026 will undeniably be an enthralling battle to watch.
New tracks
Indycar heads to three new tracks for the 2026 season. One oval in the form of Phoenix, and two new street courses in Arlington and Markham. Indycar returns to Phoneix for the first time since 2018, sharing the weekend with NASCAR.
The addition of another oval will certainly come as a welcome surprise for many fans and drivers alike. Alongside with the addition of Arlington as rounds two and three respectively they fill the void that Indycar had in its early schedule.
Arlington and Markham look to be two new exciting street courses for the drivers and teams to get their head around. Markham replaces Toronto as the Canadian race due to Toronto being logistically unfeasible as the city prepares for the arrival of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The three new tracks keep the calendar at a total of 17 races for 2026.
Drivers to watch out for
One of the most intriguing drivers to take notice of in 2026 has to be the situation Josef Newgarden finds himself in. It’s heavily rumoured that he is heading into his final year of his Penske contract, subsequently needing a big year if he is to remain with Indycar’s most infamous team.
Penske won’t be short of options to replace Newgarden if he fails to perform, with the likes of Rinus Veekay and Christian Rasmussen being just some of the drivers that the team may consider. Newgarden is undoubtedly one of the quickest drivers on the grid on his day, but alongside the recent trouble at Team Penske it just hasn’t clicked for him in the past few years.
Both Rasmussen and Veekay have big years ahead of them. Both impressed massively in 2025 and appear to be at a critical point in their Indycar careers. If both can have another year like 2025 they should put themselves at the top of any list for the big teams looking to hire a new driver.
Newgarden’s new teammate, David Malukas, will also be an interesting driver to keep an eye on in 2026 as he makes his debut for Team Penske. Many rate him very highly, he wouldn’t have got the Penske seat if they didn’t, therefore it will be exciting to see how he gets on in his first year with Penske.
Will Power makes his debut for Andretti, as he looks to return to the form he showed in 2022 when he won the championship. Whereas Marcus Ericsson will be one to watch in 2026 as he is in need of a much improved season if he is to remain an Andretti driver past this season.
Marcus Armstrong was impressive in his his debut season for Meyer Shank after moving across from Chip Ganassi Racing. He certainly appears to be one of the best up and coming drivers on the Indycar grid and alongside experienced teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, the pair will should be fascinating to watch in 2026.
One final driver to keep an eye on in 2026 is reigning Rookie of the Year winner, Louis Foster. He had some standout moments in his rookie year, with the highlight being his pole position at Road America.
Foster will undoubtedly look for a big improvement from himself and his RLL team in 2026 to eradicate the mistakes that held them back last year as he looks to rise up the standings after finishing 23rd last season.
The second Dale Coyne seat
It is now January 2026 and still the second seat at Dale Coyne has no announced driver. Romain Grosjean remains the favourite for the seat, with the likes of Conor Daly and Linus Lundqvist believed to also be in contention for the final spot on the 2026 Indycar grid.
There’s several different rumours to what the delay in announcing their second driver is, with sponsorship negotiations being the most prominent.
Nonetheless, Dale Coyne will be agitated that their second seat currently remains unoccupied, and will look to fill it as soon as possible. If Grosjean is the one to partner Dennis Hauger, it will make for an exciting season for Coyne as they look to build on the form they pulled off last year with Rinus Veekay.
What is going on with PREMA
Arguably the most interesting preseason headline is whether PREMA will return to the grid next year. In the past couple of days it has come to light that the founding Rosin family will depart the team after more than 40 years. Budget issues seem to be the reason holding back the team from committing to another season in Indycar.
Many will be hoping that the junior single seater giants can return for another season, after impressing last year. Callum Illot and Robert Schwartzmen are expected to return to the team if PREMA race in 2026.
Illot has been announced as a full season driver for Wright Motorsports in their IMSA GTD entry in their Porsche 911 GT3 R. This had fans worried about the state of PREMA, but Illot would still be able to contest both championships if the team can find their way back on to the grid.
It has also been heavily rumoured that PREMA is exploring a sale of the team to a new owner as a potential option in their hopes to return to Indycar in 2026.
What this would mean for the team isn’t entirely clear, but everyone is pushing to ensure they don’t fall off the grid.
Season 2026 loading…
The 2026 NTT IndyCar series begins on March 1st on the streets of St. Pete. Make sure to tune in for what promises to be an entertaining season, and be sure to check allabout-indyracing.com for all your news and updates as the season kicks off.
written by Michael Williams // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
