IndyCar reportedly exploring a Washington DC stop after FOX’s significant investment

America's highest class of open-wheel racing, IndyCar, is reportedly evaluating the possibility of having an event in Washington, DC, following the recent investment ($135M) into the sport by FOX Sports. It is believed that a street race in the D.C. area could take place next year for America’s 250th anniversary.

The ongoing 2025 season is 16 rounds down, and the final race is slated to take place this week at the Nashville Superspeedway. The schedule for next year could be released next week.

In July, FOX put pen to paper regarding a mega deal with Penske Entertainment to buy one-third of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The investment has been made with the intention of growing the sport by way of new events, more online visibility for the drivers/team, among several other things.

In line with this, the prospect of staging a street race in the D.C. metropolitan area has been explored, as America will be celebrating the semiquincentennial anniversary of its founding next year.

As per Super Business Journal, the above prospect was put forth to the sport's representatives, however, a comment was declined. It has further come to light that the decision makers within the sport are looking for an external promoter to put on the race for the series in 2026.

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Roger Penske's take on 2025 deal with FOX around IndyCar

NASCAR Cup Series Championship - Source: Getty

While the prospect of staging a street race in DC is being explored for 2026, after the significant investment by FOX Sports, the founder and Chairperson of Penske Corporation, Roger Penske, back in July, talked about the deal with the broadcast giants and put out an extremely positive take.

The 88-year-old said via an official statement (via FOX Sports):

"This partnership is built on long-standing trust and a shared vision for the future. FOX sees the incredible potential across our sport and wants to play an active role in building our growth trajectory. Lachlan Murdoch and his team, starting with Eric Shanks, are committed to our success and will bring incredible energy and innovation to INDYCAR."

Moreover, just like Roger Penske, the people at FOX Sports are also eager to see what can be done to grow the sport exponentially in the upcoming years. Its CEO & Executive Producer, Erik Shanks, said the following in July:

"We’re thrilled to join the INDYCAR ownership group at such a pivotal time for the sport. INDYCAR represents everything we value in live sports — passionate fans, iconic venues, elite competition, and year-round storytelling potential."

IndyCar usually has 17 races in a season, and in case a DC event is indeed made possible, the sport could have a total of 18 events next year.