IndyCar insider spills truth behind Zak Brown's massive tease about McLaren's "unreal" plans for 2026 Indy 500

IndyCar insider Marshall Pruett has spilled the beans on McLaren CEO Zak Brown's comments around the 2026 Indy 500 from July. In that month, Brown teased a new driver (fourth entry) for the marquee event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In the 2025 Indy 500 event, McLaren (Arrow McLaren) ran a fourth entry in the form of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, alongside regular IndyCar drivers Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel. Larson did the same thing in 2024 as well.

With the 2026 event quite a few months away and the potential of running a new driver in the event, Brown, back in July, said:

"We've got a trick up our sleeves, and it would be so cool if it happens. This one would be unreal."

However, all such indications from Zak Brown were brutally shut down by Marshall Pruett via his Spotify podcast (The Marshall Pruett podcast), he added:

"I've got a number of folks asking about this, so McLaren is, quote, move the needle name at IMS. Any chance that's Robert Wickens? That'd be amazing if it was. Ah, knew nothing about this, had a friend show me the headline, said, 'Hey what do you know?' I'm like, 'I know nothing'. Completely clueless. So I reached out to a friend at the team, who would know. And he said, there is nothing. There is no plan, there is no name, there is no test date, there is no anything." 49:05 onwards.

In this year's Indy 500, Pato O'Ward secured a podium finish for the team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the 200-lap race. The outfit's fourth entry, Kyle Larson, was only able to complete 91 laps in the oval event.

"They believe in the series and its potential": McLaren CEO Zak Brown's take on the new FOX deal

Zak Brown recently took the time to give his take on FOX acquiring a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, and, in turn, in IndyCar and IMS.

FOX Corporation recently put pen to paper on a deal worth around $135M with the Roger Penske-led Penske Entertainment. In line with this, several top motorsport personalities have shared their thoughts, and the same has been the case for McLaren's Zak Brown.

Via an interaction with Forbes, he said:

"The news today on FOX’s acquisition and investment into the NTT IndyCar Series is very positive for everyone involved. They believe in the series and its potential, and they’ve already shown the marketing power they can bring to grow the sport and its exposure to new fans."

In the ongoing 2025 IndyCar season, the papaya outfit is currently in second place in the drivers' standings, courtesy of the efforts of its star driver, Pato O'Ward.