Inside IndyCar’s proposed Arlington, Texas Grand Prix circuit

In 2026, IndyCar will return to the Lone Star State courtesy of a new street circuit located around both the Dallas Cowboys’ NFL stadium and the Texas Rangers’ MLB stadium.

The Arlington, TX street circuit takes inspiration from the stadium-hugging Miami International Autodrome, despite being designed by Champ Car and IndyCar street course guru Tony Cotman. Lets dig into the specifics of this track.

The IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington

In March of 2026, IndyCar will introduce a new street course located in the heart of stadium country down in Arlington, Texas.

Arlington, located less than 20 miles west of downtown Dallas, serves as the home of Dallas’ best sports teams, with multiple stadiums clustered together in an area dotted with local parks. The two cities are connected by the I-30 freeway, making it easy to commute from the city to live sports.

Street circuits located around stadiums have proven to be popular. In Formula 1, the Miami Grand Prix is located around the Miami Dolphins stadium, with the venue itself serving as a hub for fans and media. IndyCar has echoed the same sentiment already with its Nashville street circuit, linking the Nissan Stadium to downtown Nashville via a bridge.

Tony Cotman of NZ Consulting — who is known for designing many of IndyCar and Champ Car’s street circuits — has designed a 2.73-mile long circuit that passes by one side of the Dallas Cowboys’ NFL stadium and that surrounds the Texas Rangers’ Major League Baseball stadium.

The 14-turn course will also feature the longest straight on the IndyCar calendar, clocking in at 0.9 miles. There, speeds are expected to crest 180 miles per hour before drivers are tasked with braking hard into Turn 10.

The pit lane will be a double-sided pit configuration located in a parking lot between both stadiums. Further, there are said to be multiple areas where hospitality overlooks the track.

Other notable track features include a horseshoe-like carousel section, flanked by a series of tight turns.

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IndyCar has had a somewhat complex relationship with its Texas race tracks in the past, but the goal of this new street circuit is to get fans from the state’s metropolitan areas in through the gates on race day.

The last race in Texas took place at Texas Motor Speedway, an oval track located outside Fort Worth. However, attendance at the track has been abysmal for years; not enough fans were coming through the gates to justify the cost of renting out the facility.

A one-off foray at Circuit of The Americas was well received by fans, but the track failed to return to the calendar after the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, a poorly conceived street circuit in Houston ultimately resulted in the crash that ended Dario Franchitti’s career.

While some IndyCar fans are skeptical about the Arlington event, others are pleased. This season, IndyCar’s calendar was clustered around the West Coast and the Midwest, leaving fans from the east and south without an easily accessible circuit. Arlington’s place on the calendar helps fill in one of the large geographic gaps in the American racing series.

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