FOX Sports, IndyCar reveal broadcast schedule for 2026 season

FOX Sports and IndyCar have announced the race broadcast start times for the upcoming 2026 season.

For the second consecutive year, IndyCar will have a record 19 network windows, with all 17 races featured on broadcast television. It is also the second time in as many years that IndyCar will be the only premier motorsports series in North America with all races broadcast on network television.

Unique to this upcoming season is the summer stretch that also features FOX Sports’ coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The opening match on Sunday, June 21, will lead into the IndyCar Series round at Road America set for 2 pm (all times Eastern). That theme continues as one game in the World Cup’s round of 16 follows the 12:30 pm start time for the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 5.

The only broadcast time unconfirmed is the Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, July 19, with the 400-mile race immediately following the FIFA World Cup Final. A start time will be confirmed at a later date.

Patricio O’ward, Arrow McLaren

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Lumen via Getty Images

The 2025 season was the first year of IndyCar’s multi-year partnership with FOX Sports, with viewership increasing 27% from the previous season. It was the “fastest growth curve of any major sport,” according to the press release. 

“Once again FOX Sports is providing an unparalleled platform to showcase the most competitive and dynamic racing series on the planet,” Penske Entertainment Corp. president and CEO Mark Miles said. “On the heels of significant milestones and momentum last year, this new season will provide meaningful opportunities to reach new audiences and build upon the best growth trajectory in all of sports.”

Other notables of the broadcast schedule include the second round of the season at Phoenix Raceway, which will be a unique shared weekend with NASCAR. IndyCar’s return to the 1-mile oval for the first time since 2018 will see race coverage for North America’s premier open-wheel championship begin at 3 pm Sunday, March 7.

The inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington is set for Sunday, March 15, with a 30-minute prerace beginning at 12:30 pm.

Coverage for qualifying for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 4 pm on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. Additionally, “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 24 will feature an extensive six-hour broadcast for the second consecutive year, beginning at 10 am.

IndyCar’s debut round on the Streets of Markham at 12 pm on Sunday, August 16.

Lastly, the 2026 season finale is set for Labor Day weekend in a return to Laguna Seca, with coverage beginning with a prerace show at 2:30 pm on Sunday, Sept. 6.

“There is so much to look forward to on the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series schedule, including our first race at Arlington,” said Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “As we have already seen in this new partnership, it is one of the most exciting, new additions to our calendar in recent years, and FOX Sports will provide the perfect showcase for our fans watching on TV. The new season can’t get here soon enough.”

Coverage of all IndyCar practice and qualifying sessions will be featured on either FS1 or FS2, FOX One and the FOX Sports app. The coverage schedule for Indy NXT, the development category for IndyCar, will be announced at a later date.

“I’m a big sports fan, so having the 2026 IndyCar schedule share the stage with FOX’s coverage of the World Cup next summer is going to be exciting,” said Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. “2025 was a breakout year for me, and it was especially rewarding to see it all play out on FOX in their first IndyCar season. We’re looking forward to another strong season for the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, and I’m eager to see what FOX has in store for the upcoming season.”

FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES RACE COVERAGE SCHEDULE: 

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