IndyCar’s Arlington track layout will leave drivers "exposed" - Newgarden

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time IndyCar Series champion provided insight on the challenges for drivers for the 2026 Texas street race

IndyCar's announcement earlier this week of inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington set for 2026 has brought a high level of widespread anticipation, with the street circuit layout also getting everyone’s attention. 

A collaborative effort between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys, and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers, the IndyCar Series will return to the Lone Star State following a two-year absence in 2024-25, having previously held rounds at Texas Motor Speedway from 1997-2023. 

While the collective group of partners will play a significant part in raising the event to heights the sport is striving for, the main attraction still remains on track with the 14-turn, 2.73-mile street circuit. The longest street circuit the series raced on this season was the 1.968-mile layout in Long Beach. 

The circuit, which was designed by IndyCar’s long-time street track architect Tony Cotman, certainly raised plenty of eyebrows with a modern flow that rivals that of Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix, which wraps around the stadium of the Miami Dolphins. 

The Arlington street track features a 0.9-mile straight, which is likely to see drivers push over 180mph before being challenged with a hard-braking point of a right-hander Turn 10. There are other obvious passing zones in Turn 1, Turn 12 and Turn 14, while also presenting a unique “horseshoe” carousel that makes up Turn 6. A double-sided pitlane, similar to what is currently used for the Detroit street race, will also be used. Additionally, the track will go underneath hospitality and suites in two different areas.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was among those in attendance at the unveiling in Arlington, along with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci. 

Newgarden shared his thoughts on the track and what kind of racing could be expected.

“It’s kind of got everything,” Newgarden told Autosport. “It’s got the typical low-speed sections that you would find on a street course, but then it has some complex double apex corners that kind of wrap around the stadium seating, so that will be really unique for fans.

“It’s got one pretty high-speed corner that leads onto the longest straight. And then the straightaways are very long, so I think understanding efficiency with downforce is going to be a topic here that’s not necessarily a topic on other street circuits. So, that could be an interesting element.

“How are you going to stay out front if you’re leading this thing? I think you’re going to be exposed around a track like this. So, it could be very entertaining to watch. It could be a draft fest on that long straightaway. That’s what you’re going to be dealing with and we’ll figure it out as we do.”