Does Circuit Zandvoort have a future with NASCAR and IndyCar after F1 Dutch GP exit?

Circuit Zandvoort will lose its place on the Formula 1 calendar after 2026, ending the Dutch Grand Prix’s second stint in the sport after just six editions. The decision, confirmed last year, means F1’s return to the seaside circuit in 2021 will soon become a short-lived chapter.

Now, the organisers are weighing what comes next, and that could include American series like NASCAR or IndyCar.

"Of course, we all know that this event is so big in the Netherlands. But if we soon stop after 2026, Formula 1 will shift its focus back to other continents. Everyone senses that next year will be a very special one. After that it won't come back to the Netherlands for years. And maybe never again," general director Robert van Overdijk told RacingNews365 ahead of this year's race.

The FIA calendar has been growing increasingly global, with Europe losing ground to expanding events in the Middle East, Asia, and North America. After Imola dropped off the schedule when its deal expired in 2025, Zandvoort became the next European venue to confirm its exit.

Lando Norris wins the 2024 Dutch GP at Circuit Zandvoort. Source: Getty

The issue, van Overdijk explained, is financial. Unlike many tracks that rely on heavy government subsidies to pay F1 sanctioning fees, Zandvoort operates without a cent of state funding. The costs are shouldered by Circuit Zandvoort, TIG Sports, and SportVibes, leaving the Dutch round as one of the few truly private ventures on the calendar.

Formula One Management was disappointed by the choice, he admitted, but ultimately understood. That's why Zandvoort is already considering other possibilities.

"Of course I've been talking to different parties who are interested in that for quite some time. What's important to us as a circuit is that something comes in return. It can never be as big as Formula 1, but you shouldn't be looking for that either," van Overdijk added.

For the next two years, the Dutch GP will remain a marquee attraction. But after 2026, Zandvoort expects to pivot not out of regret, but out of necessity.

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Could NASCAR or IndyCar make the Circuit Zandvoort leap?

Race 1 of the DTM Round 3 at Circuit Zandvoort on June 07, 2025. Source: Getty

NASCAR has also been aggressively targeting new markets in recent years. The Chicago Street Race debuted in 2023, and in 2025, the Cup Series and Xfinity Series both raced at Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. It was the first points-paying NASCAR race outside the U.S. since 1958, drew huge crowds, and proved international expansion can work.

The Cup currently has six road course races in 2025 and is scheduled to run five in 2026. And Circuit Zandvoort fits the bill. Looking ahead, Robert van Overdijk hasn't been shy about his preference for American racing series.

"It has to provide spectacle. I personally... do like to look across the pond to America with a slanted eye. And whether that's IndyCar or NASCAR, I'll leave that for a while. I think both are spectacular and you can create a very cool show around them," he said (via RN365)

Circuit Zandvoort's layout could be a natural fit. The circuit already features steeply banked turns at Hugenholtzbocht and Arie Luyendykbocht, corners that could uniquely showcase the heavy Cup cars. IndyCar, meanwhile, has visited Canada recently and continues to discuss new global ventures, making the Netherlands a logical option.

There would still be logistical hurdles. NASCAR runs a 38-week calendar, and shipping cars and equipment overseas between domestic races would be no small task. Teams already experienced the grind when hauling from Michigan to Mexico City and then back to Pocono on consecutive weekends. IndyCar's shorter schedule might make such a trip easier to stage.

For now, it remains speculation. But with F1 gone after 2026 and Circuit Zandvoort unwilling to let its circuit sit quietly, the possibility of a Cup Series or IndyCar event in the Netherlands is more than just a passing idea.