MOORESVILLE, N.C. — It was the day before the final race of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season when championship winning team owner Chip Ganassi said he didn’t want to add any more standard races to the NTT IndyCar Series schedule, he wanted to add “big events.”
Ganassi was probably aware of what IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske and his staff were working on, a new street race in a major metropolitan area.
On Monday, that “big event” became a reality as Penske Entertainment, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, the MLB’s Texas Rangers and multi-service Rev Entertainment announced the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington.
It’s an NTT IndyCar Series street race around the Arlington Entertainment District in March 2026, including AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, where the Rangers play.
The new race was announced at 2 p.m. ET. A public celebration is scheduled for Tuesday morning at Texas Live!, a special entertainment center located between AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field. It will include a ceremony that will further detail the event, including the full track layout.
“Through a truly remarkable and innovative partnership, we’re going to build racing’s next global spectacle,” said Penske Corporation Chairman Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. “Everyone involved is fully committed to delivering an incredible and unique event weekend for the city of Arlington, anchored by the stars of the NTT IndyCar Series.
“We’re grateful to the Cowboys, Rangers and REV Entertainment for entering into this partnership with us, and, of course, to Arlington’s leadership team for their excitement and ongoing support.”
The 2026 race returns IndyCar to the Dallas/Fort Worth market for the first time since 2023. That is when Josef Newgarden won the XPEL 375 at the 1.54-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
IndyCar competed at Texas Motor Speedway from 1997 to 2023, and once drew huge crowds to the Speedway Motorsports Incorporated facility. The first race in 1997 drew an announced crowd of 129,000 fans.
But as time passed, the crowds for both the IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series contests at TMS began to dwindle. Despite low attendance for the IndyCar race in 2023, SMI and IndyCar officials tried to find a return date on the 2024 schedule.
NASCAR moved its race date at TMS to the spring and with NASCAR races at Circuit of the Americas in nearby Austin on March 24 and at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14, IndyCar’s only options would have been in the heat of the summer when most of the race dates were already taken.
Penske and his staff did not give up on the huge DFW market and were able to form a partnership with two powerful owners from championship-winning franchises in other sports.
Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (left) greets American recording artist Post Malone on the field before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jerry Jones (left) with Cowboys fan and entertainer Post Malone (right) — Brad Penner-Imagn Images
“We are thrilled to join forces with the Texas Rangers, Penske Entertainment, and the City of Arlington to bring Grand Prix racing to the streets of the Arlington Entertainment District,” said Jerry Jones, Cowboys owner, president and general manager.
“An event of this magnitude is another great reflection of what we imagined over 15 years ago that AT&T Stadium could be a part of.”
Adding the Cowboys to the partnership was impressive, but IndyCar was successful in including the Rangers, who won the World Series in 2023.
“Today is a historic day for the Texas Rangers and REV Entertainment,” said Neil Leibman, the Rangers chief operating officer. “We are proud to be at the forefront of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington alongside such esteemed organizations in Penske Entertainment and the Dallas Cowboys.
“This event will set a new standard for the Arlington Entertainment District, and we look forward to welcoming fans from around the world to experience
what Arlington has to offer.”
The 2.73-mile track will weave through Arlington’s core sports and entertainment district, which features an all-star lineup of events and venues and annually sells more than 1.6 million tickets to spectators from around the U.S.
“We are truly thankful to our partners for their vision and dedication to bringing the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington here to The American Dream City,” said Arlington Mayor Jim Ross. “I can’t think of a more beautiful and vibrant backdrop for this competition than Arlington’s world-class Entertainment District, which has proven again and again to be a premier destination for sports and entertainment.”
Veteran motorsports industry executive Bill Miller was announced on Monday as the president of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington. Miller brings more than three decades of experience to the role, including previously serving as president of California Speedway and senior vice president of operations at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), a leading worldwide voice for more than 7,000 companies in the automotive aftermarket.
The IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington will provide a full weekend of racing and entertainment, with general admission, reserved seating, VIP hospitality and party zone areas available.