Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
Another date on the 2026 INDYCAR calendar has been confirmed, as Toronto will be Aug. 14-16 — but not in Toronto.
The Honda Grand Prix will move about 15-20 miles north to Markham, Ontario, for 2026-2030 on a 12-turn, 2.19-mile course around the downtown of the Toronto suburb.
With the World Cup at the Expo Centre area in 2026, as well as increased development and aging roads on the current circuit, the site for the Toronto race was expected to change next year.
Markham city officials were able to land a five-year deal with race promoter Green Savoree Toronto.
“It is crucial for INDYCAR to continue to reach our fans in Canada, and we simply cannot wait for this new chapter to begin next year,” Penske Entertainment President and CEO Mark Miles said.
Where else will INDYCAR reach its fans?
That’s still to be determined, as the 2026 INDYCAR schedule is expected to come out in the next few weeks.
So far, these dates have been announced by the venues:
March 1: St. Petersburg (opener)
March 16: Arlington (Texas)
April 18: Long Beach
May 9: Indianapolis road course
May 24: Indianapolis 500
May 31: Detroit
August 16: Toronto (Markham, Ontario)
The Arlington event is a new event, and there are several questions that remain on the 2026 schedule.
— Will Iowa return? There was a doubleheader weekend this year, but it was not well attended. The feeling is that it likely won’t, meaning that at least one new venue needs to be added.
— Will Phoenix be added? The chatter is strong regarding an INDYCAR-NASCAR weekend at Phoenix. NASCAR is already set to visit there on Mar. 8. That will be a quick trip from St. Petersburg to do it that weekend, but it would be a great doubleheader on the 1-mile oval. INDYCAR has not competed on the track since a reconfiguration as far as location of the start-finish line in 2018.
— Will Mexico City be added? DHL Chief Executive Officer Mike Parra said it will.
“I look forward to something happening next year, which I’ve been pitching to Mark Miles and the team for a long time, and that is why we’re going to Mexico,” Parra said during the champion’s news conference Sunday.
“That is absolutely exciting for someone like myself. We have a big group of people there in that marketplace.”
The lone INDYCAR driver from Mexico, Pato O’Ward, said he won’t be convinced until it is announced.
“In the last three weeks I’ve heard yes, no, yes, no, no, no, no, yes, yes, no,” O’Ward said.
“Until I see it signed, confirmed that it’s done, I will believe it.
“If that is the case, I think it’s going to be phenomenal to go back there, and I think it’s going to be the best event apart from the Indy 500.”
— Are there any other markets that could be added? It’s possible. Both Denver and Washington, D.C., have been mentioned for new street courses within the paddock. Whether that happens in 2026, remains to be seen, but to get those races in place in less than a year in those locations would be a challenge.
— Are there any additional ovals or permanent road courses added? Richmond, Homestead and Watkins Glen continue to be places where INDYCAR has competed previously that potentially could host events, but the talk about those locations has not been as strong as the others.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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