Is IndyCar seeking international races after 2026? Series CEO gives verdict

Penske Entertainment officials were in talks to add Mexico to the IndyCar calendar for the 2026 season, but this was not possible due to the FIFA World Cup taking place in North America. The American open wheel racing series’ CEO recently came out and shared his verdict on international races for the series.

IndyCar started out as an American open-wheel racing series with races scheduled on the continent only. However, the series expanded to countries like Australia and Japan, but the current calendar only races in North America.

The 2025 calendar hosted 17 races, out of which 16 were in the US with one race in Canada. The series has been in talks with adding Mexico to the calendar, which is still a possibility for the 2027 season, but again, the country is also on the North American continent.

Fans and drivers have been asking the IndyCar series to expand the series outside the North American calendar, with Japan and Australia being poised as potential destinations since the series previously raced in those countries. Reports of Interlagos, Brazil, being added to the 2027 calendar have also come up in recent times.

NTT INDYCAR Series Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix - Source: Getty

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles featured at ABX NYC, A Motorsport network event, and spoke with Matt Weaver. Miles shared his take on whether IndyCar would add international races to the calendar in the future, as he said,

“We know we have significant fans internationally. We think of the IndyCar series as North America. US, Canada, we'll add Mexico one of these days. But that's that. Going to Europe, the Middle East, or South America, we don't see that as part of the championship for now. But the possibility of the events in the off-season for the current championship going abroad is exciting, and there's some opportunity there.”

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IndyCar CEO on IndyCar expanding within the North American continent

The IndyCar season is a short one, which only lasts about seven months. As a result, the series only races at a handful of venues, including two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as well as a double header at Milwaukee Mile in the upcoming season.

Mark Miles was questioned about how the series was initially based in the Midwest and Indiana, to which he replied that the series is now expanding. He said,

“We're getting past Indiana and the mid west. One of the strategies vis a vis our future calendar is just to get to big hot important mature areas in the country. If we add one of those a year for the next 3-5 years, I think that will impact the overall fanbase for us in a positive way.”

Arlington and Phoenix Raceway were added for the 2026 calendar, with a new venue for the Indy Toronto in the form of Markham. Although Mexico couldn't be added for 2026, there are definitely plans to add it for the following season.