Pato O'Ward shares clear message as IndyCar fails to secure 2026 Mexico race

Arrow McLaren star Pato O'Ward expressed his frustration with IndyCar when NASCAR beat the American open wheel racing series to a race in Mexico. IndyCar was in talks with Mexican officials for a 2026 event, but it lost the same with a FIFA World Cup conflict detailed as the reason. Mexican driver O'Ward came out and shared a message as the announcement was made.

Penske Entertainment officials and the Mexico GP officials have been in conversation for over a year about a possible IndyCar race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City. Over the last year, multiple reports have come out suggesting that advancements have been made in the talks and negotiations.

The most recent reports suggested that a race in Mexico could be on the IndyCar calendar as early as 2026, with IndyCar and Pato O'Ward pushing for the same. As a result of the talks, even the 2026 IndyCar calendar was delayed.

However, IndyCar only had the summer dates to fit in the race at Mexico, which is also the same time when the 2026 FIFA World Cup would take place in the US next year. IndyCar CEO Mark Miles came out and detailed how “ultimately the significant impact of next year’s World Cup proved too challenging” for the IndyCar Mexico City race.

NASCAR Xfinity Series The Chilango 150 - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Mexican star driver Pato O'Ward came out as the announcement was made, and reacted to IndyCar losing the 2026 Mexico race.

“No one wants a race in Mexico more than me.But we want to create an incredible event that is built to last. That requires the right date and the right year for fans and sponsors to fully get behind our sport. I’m motivated to carry this effort forward and take part in a future race in my home country,” said Pato O'Ward

---

IndyCar CEO reveals why IndyCar failed to secure the 2026 Mexico race amid the push from Pato O'Ward

Pato O'Ward has been pushing IndyCar for a race in Mexico, with the American open-wheel racing series also wanting to add foreign races to the calendar. Mexico was a perfect destination for IndyCar, with Arrow McLaren driver O'Ward being a popular entity in the country.

However, the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA would mean the fans would have to choose between attending IndyCar or the football matches. To stop the same from happening, the decision to not have a 2026 IndyCar race in Mexico was made. Mark Miles said,

“While extensive progress was made alongside the venue’s operating group and our potential promoter, ultimately the significant impact of next year’s World Cup proved too challenging to ensure a successful event given the available summer dates.”

“While we absolutely want to race in Mexico, we also want to ensure everyone involved feels the conditions are in place to plan a world-class and highly engaging race weekend. We will keep working to bring our racing to Mexico and hope for an event to be on the schedule as soon as the right opportunity presents itself,” he added

The door for a Mexico IndyCar race for the 2027 season is still open.