IndyCar's Arlington GP partners with $241B-worth food and beverage giant for inaugural 2026 race

IndyCar will host its inaugural Arlington Grand Prix in the second week of March next year, and the venue has struck a major deal with PepsiCo to become the official partner of the race. Implying Pepsi's beverages and Frito-Lay products will be arrayed throughout the race venue.

After much anticipation, tickets for the maiden Arlington Grand Prix went live last week. With the race soon becoming a reality, the NFL-MLB-IndyCar tie-up is slated to host one of the biggest racing events next year, which is bound to attract sponsors and partners for the event.

$241 billion-worth PepsiCo (via Yahoo! Finance) was then announced as the official partner for the race weekend, with its subsidiaries expected to have substantial prominence around the street circuit:

Nathan Brown

@By_NathanBrown

NEWS: @Arlington_GP has announced that @PepsiCo will serve as an 'official partner' of the inaugural race weekend next March. Pepsi (drinks); Frito-Lay (chips/snacks) products will be available throughout the venue, including "Pit Stop" refreshment stations.

The inaugural Arlington Grand Prix is expected to have a 27-car field battling it out for the race win around the 14-turn circuit.

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How are the preparations going for the inaugural IndyCar Arlington Grand Prix?

Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward throwing the ceremonial first pitch at the New York Yankees v Texas Rangers - Source: Getty

The Grand Prix of Arlington will be raced around a street circuit designed by Tony Cottman. The 2.73-mile circuit will host an impressive nearly a mile-long straight, where the cars are expected to reach speeds upwards of 180mph.

With the groundwork already underway, President of the Grand Prix of Arlington, Bill Miller, shared his enthusiasm and said (via IndyCar):

"We look forward to delivering the ultimate guest experience to both new and existing INDYCAR enthusiasts. It’s going to be an epic weekend."

Meanwhile, to mark the occasion of the tickets going on sale, Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward was selected to throw the ceremonial pitch at the MLB game between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. Sharing his thoughts on the Grand Prix soon materialising, he said:

"I’m so excited to be racing in Texas again, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is going to put on a show in Arlington that you won’t want to miss. It’s going to be a party. Partnering with the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment is huge, and it will set the standard for how every INDYCAR race weekend should be for the teams and the fans. March can’t come soon enough."

While REV Entertainment, the partner of the Texas Rangers, is one of the key allies in the Arlington GP taking place, O'Ward's first pitch didn't exactly help the squad. The team lost out to the Yankees 3-2, favoring the visitors.

On the other hand, with FOX Sports buying a one-third share in Penske Entertainment (the company that owns the championship and IMS), it is anticipated to stay on board as the official broadcaster for the premier American open-wheel races for years to come. This means that fans will have to turn to FOX to stream the inaugural Arlington GP race weekend.