All times Eastern
ST. Pete IndyCar/IndyNXT Broadcast Schedule
2026 IndyCar – A Look to the Future with the Past in New Wrappers
Changes both real and cosmetic marked the off season as the NTT IndyCar series prepares for the 2026 season opener at St. Petersburg this weekend. Old drivers are in new places, new drivers created new alliances, and a new officiating board kept the old staff intact. Some new regulations just dropped as I began this post. Let’s break it down.
Keep That Scorecard Handy
Of the drivers who switched teams, Will Power in car 26 for Andretti Global is the biggest shock of all. After 18 years with Team Penske, remembering that Power is not in the 12 will take a couple races to sort out.
Meanwhile, David Malukas moves into Power’s old ride. While people will be watching Power, a critical eye will be on Malukas. The new Team Penske driver has yet to win a race, and I’m not sure how long a leash he will have at Team Penske. I think Malukas enters the season in a very warm seat.
Two moves I found puzzling. Rinus VeeKay had a very good season at Dale Coyne in 2025, and I thought something nice was in the making there. But VeeKay informed Coyne late in the season that he was joining Junco Hollinger Racing for 2026. If a driver changes teams, it is ususally to go to a better situation. This move Sees VeeKay staying at the same level.
Dale Coyne finally announced his second driver, and Romain Grosjean returns yto where he began his IndyCar career. Nothing against Romain, but I thought this was a strange hire given some of the other candidates for that car. I hope Romain can serve as a mentor for rookie Dennis Hauge.
A Strong Rookie Class
The Three rookies, Dennis Hauger at Dale Coyne Racing Caio Collet at A. J. Foyt Racing, and Mick Schumacher at Rahal Letterman Racing, bring great credentials to the series. Hauger won the IndyNXT championship last year, and Collet finished second in the junior series. Schumacher is a former F1 driver who shined in F2.
Give Schumacher half a season to
learn how things work, and I think he just might win Rookie of the Year.
A Smaller Grid to Start
The grid for at least the first four races will have just 25 cars, as the team known as Prema is undergoing an ownership change. The new team has tentative plans to debut at Long Beach. It is possible that they enter just one car for the Indianapolis 500 as well.
The Schedule
The 2026 schedule is the best in a long time. I am happy to see the calendar grow to 18 races. I think a 20 race schedule is ideal. St. Pete begins a stretch of four races in five weeks to start the season and six races in five weeks to end the season. There are just two three week breaks, one after Long Beach and one after Nashville.
The new schedule creates a different dynamic to the season, and may make a Palou four in a row championship more challenging.
Four new venues- Phoenix, Arlington, Markham, and Washington, D. C., will add to the challenges for the drivers. While isn’t a new venue, this is the first time IndyCar will race on the new track configuration, added after the series last ran there in 2018.
Predictions
Don’t bet the house on these, but here are my predictions for 2026:
Championship- Alex Palou
Indianapolis 500- Pato O’Ward
Rookie of the Year- Mick Schumacher
First time winners- David Malukas and Marcus Armstrong
Will Power will win at least two races for his new team.
Nine different drivers will win at least one race in 2026.
I will post another article tomorrow discussing the officiating situation and the new tire rules and other procedures tomorrw. Then Iwill head to St. pete on Wednesday.
INDYCAR Officiating Ready for 2026 Season Opener in St. Petersburg
From IndyCar:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, Feb. 23, 2026) – The Independent Officiating Board (IOB) remains focused on establishing and launching INDYCAR Officiating to clearly define operational and governance separation and transparency as preparations continue for the upcoming 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone seasons .In the last few months, the IOB, with chairman Raj Nair, secretary and treasurer Ray Evernham and FIA appointee Ronan Morgan, has been diligent in the work needed to arrive to this point of the year, which has included the following: Establishment of the not-for-profit INDYCAR Officiating Inc. corporation Finalizing the 2026 INDYCAR Officiating budget Reviewed INDYCAR’s established processes and personnel Determined a need for additional experienced personnel for the tech team Determined the need for a separate INDY NXT race director Reviewed the steward positions and determined to make no changes “The board has been meticulous and thorough in our review of INDYCAR’s officiating process and procedures,” board chairman Nair said. “While we are pleased with the early achievements, there is plenty of work still to do. Among our major goals is to implement a more detailed transparency reporting structure to teams – related to technical and race infractions – as well as establishing consistency of rule implementation and enforcement. As a collective, we are confident in the results our team will achieve over the season.” The IOB also continues to interview candidates to find the perfect fit for the roles and responsibilities of the managing director of officiating (MDO). As the process of identifying the ideal person continues and until that hire is announced, the board plans to oversee general independent officiating operations. “One of the clear takeaways as we analyzed INDYCAR officiating and operations has been that INDYCAR already greatly benefits from the knowledgeable and professional personnel in race control and technical inspection,” said board member Evernham. “With that, combined with the expertise that the board brings, we are going to work with the current team members of each but will add additional resources and support.” The three members of the IOB will attend and provide oversight for INDYCAR Officiating at the season opener on the Streets of St. Petersburg and will then share responsibilities over the initial races until the MDO can be secured. Kyle Novak will continue as the race director and vice president of INDYCAR Officiating. Novak has served as the sport’s race director since the 2018 season and leads race control and circuit safety development. He is responsible for developing and enforcing NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone competition regulations.Also an attorney, Novak serves as one of 36 judges on the FIA Courts and hears cases as a member of the FIA International Tribunal and International Court of Appeal. On the technical side, the IOB has determined that Kevin “Rocket” Blanch will continue as the INDYCAR Officiating’s technical director. Blanch will oversee the technical inspection process and will provide technical oversight and ensure compliance of aerodynamic and chassis regulations.Blanch joined INDYCAR in 2003 after serving six-plus seasons with Panther Racing, where he served as the team’s crew chief. During his tenure there, the team won two INDYCAR SERIES championships and earned 11 victories and five pole positions. Arie Luyendyk and Max Papis will continue to lend their expertise as chief stewards for INDYCAR Officiating. Luyendyk, who has seven INDYCAR SERIES race wins – including two Indianapolis 500 victories, and Papis, a three-time INDYCAR SERIES race winner, have served as series stewards since their original appointment in 2016. Both officials are stationed in race control and monitor on-track sessions, review incidents for rule violations and enforce penalties. Working with Blanch, the IOB has added Nick Allen as a technical inspection manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Allen brings over 20 years of experience as an INDYCAR race team mechanic and chief mechanic. In the coming weeks, INDYCAR Officiating will add a tech inspection manager for INDY NXT and, working with Novak, a dedicated INDY NXT race director .“The officiating in INDYCAR is not broken; in fact, racing series around the world could learn from its procedures and operation,” said board member Morgan. “At this point, our opinion is that independent INDYCAR Officiating should be framed as a sensible evolution when it comes to general process. By providing and overseeing additional support, transparency and added separation between officials and series management, we firmly believe that INDYCAR Officiating is primed to be successfully implemented for the 2026 season.” Coverage of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, round one of the 18-race 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, begins at noon ET Sunday, March 1 on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and the FOX Sports app. Coverage will also be provided by the INDYCAR Radio Network via SiriusXM Channel 2018 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. |
Indianapolis 500 Veteran Hucul Dies at 79
Another sad note from IMS:
| INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, Feb. 20, 2026) – Canadian driver Cliff Hucul, a veteran of three Indianapolis 500 starts in the late 1970s, died Feb. 17 on his farm in his native Prince George, British Columbia. He was 79. Hucul made three consecutive starts in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” from 1977-79. His best finish came as a rookie in 1977, 22nd in the No. 29 Team Canada McLaren/Offenhauser that Hucul bought after Johnny Rutherford drove it to victory in the 1976 “500.” Hucul completed 72 laps before being sidelined by gearbox problems. He qualified on Bump Day for that race despite touching the wall in practice the previous day and suffering two engine failures during the Month of May, a significant pitfall for his low-budget team .Hucul’s best qualifying spot was 18th in 1979, his final “500” start. The small-town driver from northern British Columbia learned his craft by racing stock cars and modified sprint cars at local tracks. He then began racing modifieds and supermodifieds in the Pacific Northwest against drivers that included eventual Indianapolis 500 winner and INDYCAR SERIES champion Tom Sneva and his brother Jerry Sneva. Hucul made 24 total USAC and CART starts between 1977-81, with eight top-10 finishes. Hucul’s best finish in the standings was 11th in 1979, when he started the season by placing fifth at Ontario Motor Speedway and a career-best fourth at Texas World Speedway.In 1996, Hucul became a paraplegic after an automobile accident when crossing black ice on a highway in British Columbia. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Hucul remained active, managing his farm and mentoring many drivers in the area. He was inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame for his lifetime contributions to auto racing. Hucul is survived by his son, Kelly, and daughter-in-law, Sylvie; daughter, Michele, and many grandchildren. |
INDYCAR Expands Global Broadcast Presence for 2026
| International Expansion Continues to Drive Global Visibility of North America’s Premier Open-Wheel Series INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026) – INDYCAR is intensifying its efforts in 2026 to reach global audiences during the 18-race NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. A strong network of international partners, including new media and broadcast relationships, will bring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ star drivers and signature events to audiences in more than 200 countries and territories. INDYCAR LIVE acts as INDYCAR’s global direct to consumer streaming service, supporting the broadcast partners in their markets and elsewhere, bringing fans full and uninterrupted coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone – every race, every practice and qualifying session as well as in-car camera feeds, highlights, shorts and vodcasts. “INDYCAR’s growth trajectory is the best in sports and that includes significant expansion of our global availability and new interest from international audiences,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said. “This season, 14 nations and territories will be represented in our full-time lineup, and, with that, it is crucial that platforms are available to showcase the intense, wheel-to-wheel action of INDYCAR to their countries and our international fanbase. We are delighted to announce this list of new and renewed partners, who will intensely follow what we believe will be a thrilling 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.” Partnerships for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season include: New in 2026 to Brazil is Band Sport (Bandierantes) after an eight-year hiatus from INDYCAR, allowing fans to witness fellow Brazilian Caio Collet in his rookie season. ESPN continues to provide coverage across sub-Saharan Africa, as well as to Latin America, Brazil and Mexico where fans can support Mexican native Pato O’Ward.Spain will continue to provide premium coverage via Movistar+ and #Vamos, highlighting reigning series champion Alex Palou as he seeks to win his fourth straight and fifth overall title. Sky Sports will showcase reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year Louis Foster in the United Kingdom, and sister channel Sky Sports Italia continues race coverage in Italy.In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Sky Sports will be closely following Mick Schumacher’s Rookie season. Sky Sport New Zealand will be providing coverage of Kiwis Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong. A new relationship with SBS Sport allows INDYCAR to reach new audiences in Korea for the 2026 season. Viaplay will continue its coverage in the Nordics for fans to follow Danish drivers Christian Rasmussen and Christian Lundgaard, Swedish drivers Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson and Norwegian rookie Dennis Hauger. Returning for its second year partnering with INDYCAR is Motorvision, also broadcasting in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Stan Sport in Australia will allow fans to follow Will Power for his 22nd INDYCAR season. France will broadcast Romain Grosjean’s return to INDYCAR with Canal+. Ziggo Sport continues to spotlight INDYCAR in the Netherlands for fans to follow Dutch driver Rinus Veekay. Additional returning broadcasters of INDYCAR in 2026 include TSN in Canada, RTVS in Slovakia, S Sport in Turkey, Arena 4 in Hungary, Gaora in Japan and Sport TV in Portugal. INDY NXT by Firestone will have also have coverage across the globe with first-time coverage in Poland with Motowizja, allowing fans to see rookie Tymek Kucharczyk in action. Polish fans will also be able to stream all races at the URL tymekkucharczyk.pl. REV TV will broadcast throughout Canada, while ESPN will showcase INDY NXT races to fans in Latin America and Brazil. Further coverage will be provided on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Italy, Viaplay in the Nordics and Sport TV in Portugal. WHAT INDYCAR’S DRIVERS ARE SAYING “Viaplay has done a great job covering the NTT INDYCAR SERIES the past several years, and I’m glad they’ll continue this season. While it’s a North American sport, there’s a growing global audience which only happens if they have access to watch the on-track action.” – Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren “It’s cool whenever I’m home in New Zealand and I get to see INDYCAR races be rebroadcasted on Sky Sport. I hope that New Zealanders, can follow closely this season. They have two Scotts (Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin) and a Marcus (Armstrong) competing at the pointy end of the field this year. The opportunity to see three New Zealanders lock out a podium is actually very possible this year, so it’s going to be pretty cool to watch and I’m glad that Sky Sport will be there to catch it all for everyone back home to watch.” – Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing “It is extremely important to have INDYCAR back on free-to-air television, especially on a broadcaster like Band, which has a long and rich history not only with motorsport, but also with INDYCAR itself. This helps elevate the category, expand its global reach, attract even more fans around the world and also promote brands and personal sponsors that enable us to be there doing our job.” – Caio Collet, AJ Foyt Racing The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins Sunday, March 1 at noon ET with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The start of the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season begins the same day, also on the streets of St. Petersburg, at 10 a.m. ET. A full list of international broadcast partners is available here. |
Rossi Powers ECR to Top of Speed Charts at Phoenix Open Test
From IndyCar:
| AVONDALE, Arizona (Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026) – Alexander Rossi’s last oval victory in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES came in August 2018 at Pocono Raceway. There’s a strong chance that drought may end in 2026, based on the results of the second and final day of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway on Wednesday. Rossi led both sessions on the 1-mile oval, including the fastest overall lap .SEE: Morning Session Results | Afternoon Session Results | Overall Test Results 2016 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Rossi turned his best lap of 174.542 mph in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet during the afternoon session, which started 90 minutes late due to passing sprinkles. He also led this morning at 174.444. “We got through everything we wanted, and when you can do that, it’s a good day,” Rossi said. “Christian’s (Rasmussen) car is also strong, so there’s nothing more I could ask for.” All 25 drivers expected to compete at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1 tested both days at Phoenix, which returns to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the first time since 2018 with the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7 .“We have a good baseline, and it feels like we are on top of it,” Rossi said of ECR’s Phoenix setups. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden ended up second overall at 174.362 in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet with his best lap this morning. Newgarden was second fastest Tuesday on the opening day of the test at 172.201 behind new teammate David Malukas, as 24 drivers posted faster laps today than Tuesday. Reigning and four-time series champion Alex Palou was third overall at 174.220 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. ECR landed both of its drivers in the top four overall, as 2025 Milwaukee Mile winner Christian Rasmussen followed Palou at 173.924, good for second in the afternoon session behind teammate Rossi. Malukas continued his strong oval form in his early days with Team Penske, rounding out the top five overall at 173.759 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher continued to make steps in his oval racing education by ending up the fastest rookie over both days. He turned a top lap of 171.096 mph in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda today to lead the three rookies in the field and end up 18th overall. Schumacher gained more than 7 mph today, as his top lap Tuesday was 164.006. There was just one incident today. 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson was unhurt 49 minutes into the afternoon session when his No. 28 Delaware Life Honda fielded by Andretti Global did a quarter-spin in Turn 4 and hit the SAFER Barrier with the rear of the car. Over two days of testing, 25 drivers turned 4,853 laps. Series veteran Will Power was the workhorse, turning a test-high 259 laps – more than the race distance March 7 – as he settles into Andretti Global after 16 full-time seasons with Team Penske. |
Malukas Opens Penske Tenure by Leading First Day of Phoenix Open Test
Note: Timing and scoring is available on the IndyCar app.
From IndyCar:
| AVONDALE, Arizona (Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026) – That was quite an entrance from David Malukas.Malukas led the first day of the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway on Tuesday, his first official NTT INDYCAR SERIES test session since joining Team Penske after the 2025 season. Malukas was fastest on the 1-mile desert oval with a lap of 172.605 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. SEE: Day 1 Results | Open Test Entry List “It feels good to be P1, but at the end of the day, we just ran through our test items,” Malukas said. “From that perspective, that’s what truly matters, and everything went very well. We’ve learned so many different things. Everything felt very clear. We got a lot of answers.” Chicago-area native Malukas, 24, joined Team Penske after four seasons with three teams, including AJ Foyt Racing in 2025. His pace on short ovals shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, as two of his three career podium finishes have come on the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval near St. Louis. Malukas paced a 1-2 result for Team Penske on the opening day of the two-day test at Phoenix Raceway as the winningest team in INDYCAR SERIES history looks to rebound from a sub-par 2025 season. Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden was second overall among 25 drivers on track at 172.201 in the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet. 2018 series champion Will Power, who Malukas replaced at Team Penske, was third at 171.706 in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda as he begins his tenure at Andretti Global after 16 full-time seasons with the Penske team. Power’s teammate Kyle Kirkwood was fourth at 171.423 in the No. 27 Siemens Honda. Reigning and four-time series champion Alex Palou rounded out the top five at 171.357 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, which put two drivers in the top 10 of the final standings for the first time last season, also opened 2026 with speed. Marcus Armstrong was sixth at 170.919 in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, followed by Felix Rosenqvist at 170.489 in the team’s No. 60 Honda. 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Dennis Hauger was the fastest of the three rookies on track, ending up 17th overall at 169.259 in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing. Another rookie, Formula One veteran Mick Schumacher, was 23rd at 164.006 in the No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda. Schumacher, son of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, was turning oval laps for just the second time in his career after his first circle-track test Feb. 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. His 109 laps completed were the third-highest total today, behind ECR teammates Christian Rasmussen (128 laps) and Alexander Rossi (118). The other rookie, 2025 INDY NXT runner-up Caio Collet, was involved in the only incident of the day. Collet made slight contact in Turn 4 in his No. 4 COMBITRANS AMAZONIA Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing. He climbed from the car without help and was unhurt. Testing will continue Wednesday in the final dress rehearsal for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Cars will be on track from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET and 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET. The 2026 season starts with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1 on the streets of St. Petersburg (noon on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7 at Phoenix. It’s the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Phoenix since 2018. |
Spring Training Schedule at Phoenix
All Times Eastern. Phoenix is on Mountain Time, two hours behind Eastern
Tuesday, February 17
2 pm-3 pm Rookies
3 pm-7 pm All drivers
Wednesday, February 18
11 am -2 am All drivers
3:30 pm-7″30 pm All drivers
The track is free and open to fans
During the break is an autograph session for the first 300 fans in Desert Diamond Casino Infield Experience in the Phoenix Raceway midway.
Sorry, there is no live streaming of this event.
From yesterday:
IndyCar’s Engine Deal- A Win for the Series
Last week’s renewed cont5racts with Honda and Chevrolet allowed everyone involved to breathe a sigh of relief. rumors had been swirling since 2023 about Honda leaving the series when their contract end at the end of 2026. Chevy hinted that they may not want to be the sole supplier. The sticking point for HOnda was return on investment.
Honda gave out cryptic hints as late as August of last year. In a press availability during the Milwaukee weekend, David Salters responded to questions about Honda’s future in the sport with a vague “We love IndyCar.”
Chevy said that they love having competition, implying that they wouldn’t love racing alone.
In the end, all was resolved Beginning in 2028, the OEMs will provide new 2.4-liter V 6 engines with a hybrid component. To attempt to provide some return on the companies’ investment, IndyCar will grant each engine manufacturer a charter to field one car apiece. Honda and Chevy may field the cars separately, or they may affiliate with an existing two car team.
I really like this deal. It is innovative, and the contract gives Honda and Chevy a larger stake in the series. I am relieved that Honda is staying, and that Chevy will have the competition that they want.
I do, however, have some questions. There was talk of reducing the grid to around 25 cars. Is that talk now off the table since there will be 27 cars guaranteed spots in 2028? This deal leaves no room for new teams or cars outside of the Indianapolis 500. What happens to teams like Prema or their 2026 iteration? Will Dreyer & Reinbold want to continue as an Indy only team, just as they were on the cusp of expanding their program?
Exclusivity looks like a growing trend in motorsport, and I’m not5 sure that it’s necessarily a good thing. Established want to protect their investment. I get that, but I don’t think there is much chance a new team bumping a charter team from a race should the rules allow it.
Eventually new teams will need to come into the series. IndyCar needs to provide a mechanism for that. I don’t see any current team willing to sell a charter just yet.
Overall, the new engine agreements are one of the best deals IndyCar has ever made, but as with anything there are unintended consequences. I hope IndyCar can come up with a plan to avoid the possible pitfalls with this arrangement. Meanwhile, Iam excited for 2028.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 