As we approach the first race of the 2026 IndyCar season, the allaboutindyracing team has created their beginners guide to help you get stuck into the details you need to know about the sport and ahead of the new season. From the calendar to the teams and drivers, this guide will make sure you are ready to go when the Green flag drops in St. Pete.
What is IndyCar?
IndyCar is America’s premium single seater category, with the teams running a Dallara DW12 chassis, powered by a twin-turbo V6 from either Chevrolet or Honda. Prior to the start of the 2026 season, both Chevrolet and Honda have committed to IndyCar long term, whilst also receiving manufacture charters for the 2028 season. Hybrid systems were added to IndyCar in 2024.
IndyCar operates a charter system in order to guarantee teams entry into each race, excluding the Indy 500. With each team receiving between two and three charters. The only non charter team is PREMA Racing.
The IndyCar championship, as we know it now, emerged in 2008. It previously ran as the Indy Racing League before merging with Champ Car, the successor to CART. The championship is now recognised as one of the biggest and most entertaining open wheel series in the world, attracting teams and drivers from all disciplines of motorsport.
The series runs primarily in the United States, but includes a race across the Canadian border. The main event of any IndyCar season, is of course the Indianapolis 500, which is due to take place at the end of May for the 2026 season.
IndyCar also has its own lower formula support series, known as the Road to Indy, in order to support young and upcoming drivers who want to pursue a career in single seaters. The step below Indycar, is the Indy NXT by Firestone championship, with the USF Pro 2000, USF 2000, and USF Juniors completing the ladder system in RTI.
IndyCar combines both circuit racing and oval racing to encompass the incredible racing that both disciplines can lead to, with the series visiting road courses, street courses and ovals throughout the season. This combined with the level of driver calibre and the teams competing, will make for an exciting 2026 season.
The Calendar of the 2026 Season
The 2026 season has 18 rounds, with the late addition of the race is Washington D.C. The calendar also has the addition of the race in Arlington, Texas, along with the return of Phoneix Raceway and finally the race in Canada has moved to Markham, away from Toronto as the city prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Round 1: Streets of St. Petersburg (March 1st)
• Round 2: Phoenix Raceway (March 7th)
• Round 3: Streets of Arlington (March 15th)
• Round 4: Barber Motorsports Park (March 29th)
• Round 5: Streets of Long Beach (April 19th)
• Round 6: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (May 9th)
• Round 7: Indianapolis Motor Speedway-Indianapolis 500 (May 24th)
• Round 8: Streets of Detroit (May 31st)
• Round 9: World Wide Technology Raceway-Gateway (June 7th)
• Round 10: Road America (July 21st)
• Round 11: Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course (July 5th)
• Round 12: Nashville Superspeedway (July 19th)
• Round 13: Portland International Raceway (August 9th)
• Round 14: Streets of Markham (August 16th)
• Round 15: Streets of Washington (August 23rd)
• Round 16: Milwaukee Mile (August 29th)
• Round 17: Milwaukee Mile (August 30th)
• Round 18: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (September 6th)
The season starts with four rounds in March, with a change from the what has happened in recent years, with big gaps in the early portions of the calendar. The middle portion of the calendar includes the Indy 500, along with several other road and oval races.
The calendar ends with a very hectic month of August, which includes five races, with a notable double header at the Milwaukee Mile, before a season finale at Laguna Seca in early September.
Weekend format
A road or street course weekend usually contests of a first practice session on the Friday, followed by a second practice session and qualifying on the Saturday.
Qualifying is split into three rounds, with the first having two groups as the grid is split in half. The top six of each group will then transfer into round two, with the top 12 fighting it out to make it into the final stage of qualifying. The six fastest drivers then compete for pole position in the ‘Firestone Fast 6’, setting the final grid spots ahead of the race on Sunday.
An oval race weekend typically includes an initial practice session and a subsequent qualifying session. Qualifying for ovals, is defined as where drivers complete two flying laps and their average speed determines their starting position for the race.
A short high line practice will then take place to assist for overtaking in the race, which is then followed by final practice ahead of the race.
The Indy 500 is slightly different due to the importance of the event. The week prior to the event has several practice sessions midweek, including the all important ‘Fast Friday’, where teams begin to work towards qualifying pace. The weekend then has qualifying across Saturday and Sunday, with the drivers using their four lap average to determine their starting spots.
Grid spots 13th-30th are locked in during regular qualifying, with the normal top 12 and Fast 6 also taking place. The addition of ‘Bump’ qualifying also takes place to determine the final three spots on the grid if there is more than 33 drivers attempting to qualifying for the race, with the unlucky number 34 (and below) not being able to take part in the race. A practice session then takes part on the Monday.
The Friday before race day, has ‘Carb Day’ final practice, along with the pitstop competition. This year will be the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, taking place on the Sunday, with no on track action on the Saturday.
Teams and Drivers
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Caio Collet (No.4) embarks on his rookie IndyCar campaign after finishing 2nd in Indy NXT last year. As a former member of the Renault F1 Junior programme, Collet brings a wealth of experience, including three season in FIA Formula 3, two seasons in Indy NXT and two appearances in Formula E with Nissan.
Santino Ferrucci (No.14) returns to A.J Foyt for a fourth consecutive season. A disappointing 2025, where he finished 16th in the standings, after a ninth place finish and a debut pole position in 2024, will mean Ferrucci will be looking to return to his best.
Andretti Global
Will Power (No.26) switches to Andretti after an extended period at Team Penske, replacing FIA Formula 2 bound Colton Herta. Power is the only driver that has been able to beat Alex Palou in recent years, making for an exciting debut at Andretti as he looks to hit the ground running.
Kyle Kirkwood (No.27) is a strong contender for the title after winning races last year. The Floridian had an impeccable junior career and has been mightily impressive in his IndyCar career so far, making him one to watch in 2026.
Marcus Ericsson (No.28) is one of a few former Formula One drivers on the grid this year. However, after several years of disappointing results, the Swedish driver is in need of a much improved season and will likely look to return to the form that earned him a drive in Formula One.
Arrow McLaren
Pato O’Ward (No.5) is one of the biggest names on the current IndyCar grid, he is very much a fan favourite. He’s a consistent front runner, often fighting for wins and podiums, could 2026 be the year he finally wins the championship?
Nolan Siegal (No.6) is heading into his second full time season as an IndyCar driver. However, the pressure is very much on as he was the lowest performing McLaren driver last year, meaning he needs a big improvement if he is to retain his seat long term.
Christian Lundgaard (No.7) impressed in his first year as a McLaren driver, finishing 5th in the championship, being the first driver to really challenge O’Ward as McLaren’s main driver. 2026 will be a pivotal year for the Danish driver as he will undoubtedly look to be a championship contender.
Chip Ganassi Racing
Kyffin Simpson (No.8) showed signs of improvement in 2025, after taking his first first IndyCar podium. However, with his two teammates finishing the season in 1st and 3rd in the points, whereas he finished a lowly 17th, he needs to continue to improve in 2026.
Scott Dixon (No.9) is one of the all time IndyCar greats, being a six time series champion. His last championship win was in 2020, but he has always been at the sharp end of the field and with the form that Ganassi are in right now, this season may be his best chance at taking home that seventh title.
Alex Palou (No.10) has already ensured he will be one of the best IndyCar drivers in history at the age of 28, now as a four time champion as well as a Indianapolis 500 winner. You’d be very foolish to not put him as your immediate championship favourite this season, he’s been a step above the rest of the field in recent years.
Dale Coyne Racing
Romain Grosjean (No.18) returns to IndyCar after a year away. The former Formula One driver returns to where he began his IndyCar career back in 2021 and he will certainly look to return to the form that earned him his promotion to Andretti back in 2022.
Dennis Hauger (No.19) embarks on his debut Indycar campaign as the reigning Indy NXT champion. With Formula 3 and Formula 2 experience as well as being a previous member of the Red Bull junior team, Hauger is a strong favourite for the Rookie of the Year title after being dominant in Indy NXT last year.
Ed Carpenter Racing
Alexander Rossi (No.20) is another former F1 driver on the 2026 grid. Rossi is heading into his 11th IndyCar season, with multiple wins as well as being a previous Andretti driver. He also won the Indy 500 on debut back in 2016. With ECR seemingly on an upward trajectory, 2026 could be promising year for Rossi.
Christian Rasmussen (No.21) won his first IndyCar race in 2025, with an emphatic drive in Milwaukee as well as podium finish at Gateway. As a former Indy NXT champion, Rasmussen has been making steady progress in Indycar, and combined with the form ECR are capable of, he is definitely one to watch this year.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Rinus Veekay (No.76) heads to Juncos after a massively impressive year at Dale Coyne Racing after departing ECR at the end of 2024. Veekay appears to be in a transition year(s) right now, as a race winner and multiple podium finishes as well, he showed last year what he could do in a Coyne car that is often in the lower part of the running order. If he can continue this form with Juncos, he will give himself the perfect opportunity to earn a seat at a bigger team if one becomes available.
Sting Ray Robb (No.77) has had a difficult time in IndyCar to date, finishing 25th in the standings last year ahead of only Devlin DeFrancesco and Jacob Abel. He has however managed to retain his seat at Juncos for another year, meaning he needs to find big improvements to remain on the grid past 2026.
Meyer Shank Racing
Felix Rosenqvist (No.60) has only one IndyCar win to date, but it feels like he should have a lot more than that. He finished sixth in the standings last year, his joint best, along with his rookie season in IndyCar. MSR seem to be another team on the up, and Rosenqvist is definitely a driver who could be at the front consistently if everything goes well.
Marcus Armstrong (No.66) is another former F2 driver on the grid as well as a former member of the Ferrari F1 academy. He managed to score his second IndyCar podium last year and finished an impressive eighth in the championship. As he heads into his fourth IndyCar campaign, it certainly appears that 2026 could be a critical year.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Graham Rahal (No.15) is a veteran of the series, a true IndyCar driver. He has multiple series wins, but hasn’t won since 2017. RLL is a team that has struggled in recent times, but it does seem that it may be turning around. If so, Rahal has shown before he can compete at the front, therefore it will interesting to see how he fairs in 2026.
Louis Foster (No.45) is the reigning IndyCar Rookie of the Year winner, with a stellar rookie season after stepping up from a Indy NXT championship win. Despite, finishing 23rd in the points last year, Foster showed flashes of speed, which included a pole position. If he and RLL can erase the small mistakes that held them back in 2025, this could be a big year for the Briton as he heads into his sophomore IndyCar season.
Mick Schumacher (No.47) returns to single seater racing for the first time since he left F1 at the end of 2022. His experience from F1 and the World Endurance Championship as well as championship wins in F2 and F3, illustrate the calibre of driver that he is. He will have to adapt to all the new American tracks, as well as oval racing, but Schumacher might just surprise some people this year. Either way, he will certainly be a strong contender for the Rookie of the Year title, fighting with Dennis Hauger and Caio Collet.
Team Penske
Josef Newgarden (No.2) is a two time IndyCar champion. He’s a consistent threat for race wins and podiums, although Team Penske have struggled recently. However, Newgarden remains one of the best drivers in the series, and if Penske can return to form he may just be a championship contender.
Scott McLaughlin (No.3) would have been many people’s championship favourite heading into 2025, but for a mixture of reasons it didn’t quite work out that way. He has been mightily impressive since moving over to IndyCar and has emerged as one of the quickest drivers in the series. Like Newgarden, if Penske can return to the form they historically demonstrate, McLaughlin could be a championship contender.
David Malukas (No.12) replaces long term Penske driver Will Power. Malukas impressed last year, driving for A.J Foyt Racing, a team which has a technical partnership with Penske. After a failed move to Arrow McLaren, which was halted due to injury, Malukas has forged his way into one of IndyCar’s biggest teams. He will have pressure on him as he replaces Power, but many believe he has the talent to do so, making him one to watch this season.
PREMA Racing
There is still an ongoing situation with PREMA and a potential sale of the team after making its debut in 2025. It appears the team will miss the opening round of the season and likely several after that. If the team do return, it seems increasingly likely to be under a different name. Whether Callum Illot or Robert Schwartzmen return is also unclear.
Indy 500 only enteries
Several team elect to enter additional drivers for the Indy 500, as well as teams who run Indy 500 only programmes. The current announced drivers that are only running the Indy 500 are as following:
– Arrow McLaren: Ryan Hunter-Reay (No.31)
– Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: Jack Harvey (No.24)
– Ed Carpenter Racing: Ed Carpenter (No.33)
– Meyer Shank Racing: Hélio Castroneves (No.06)
Where to watch
You can find your local broadcast options on the IndyCar website. The 2026 NTT IndyCar series gets underway this weekend at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg this Sunday, March 01st.
written by Michael Williams // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
