FOX Sports Opens 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season With Three Consecutive Weekends of Racing on FOX

110th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington D.C. Are Shining Stars on 2026 Schedule

Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell on the Call from FOX INDYCAR Booth

Jack Harvey, Georgia Henneberry and Kevin Lee Report from Pit Road

NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Share the Track in St. Pete and Phoenix

LOS ANGELES – Year two of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on FOX launches the 2026 season with three highly anticipated events on consecutive weekends, beginning with the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 1, at 12:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and the FOX Sports app.

FOX INDYCAR is coming off a banner inaugural season, scoring a 27% year-to-year viewership increase and the sport’s most-watched season in 17 years.

Play-by-play announcer Will Buxton and analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell return to call the action for FOX INDYCAR, with Jack Harvey, Georgia Henneberry and Kevin Lee reporting from pit road. Acclaimed motor sports broadcaster Jamie Little joins the team for the INDYCAR/NASCAR "Desert Double" in Phoenix and the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24.

Award-winning producer Pam Miller again will serve as lead FOX INDYCAR producer, with Emmy award winner Mitch Riggin returning as director.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

The NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series joins the St. Pete race weekend, airing Saturday, Feb. 28 at 12:00 PM ET on FOX. Little, two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip and Bell call the race, with Amanda Busick and Henneberry reporting from the pits. 

Hinchcliffe will race the Spire Motorsports No. 77 in the NASCAR Trucks race, as will Jackson Lee, son of Kevin Lee, in the No. 22 Team Reaume entry.

The following weekend, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES joins the NASCAR Cup Series for the "Desert Double" from Phoenix Raceway, with the Good Ranchers 250 INDYCAR race airing Saturday, March 7, on FOX at 3:00 PM ET, and the NASCAR race airing Sunday, March 8, at 3:30 PM ET on FS1.

A week later, on Sunday, March 15, FOX INDYCAR rolls into familiar FOX Sports territory as the series takes to the 2.73-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit in Arlington’s Entertainment District around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home to the Texas Rangers, for a first-time event – the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington – airing live on FOX, with expanded prerace coverage beginning at 12:30 PM ET.

All 18 races for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will air on FOX, with two additional Indianapolis 500 qualifying sessions also airing on the network, matching the 2025 record of 19 broadcast windows for the series. All races also are available on FOX One and the FOX Sports app.

Later in the season, a couple of crown jewels highlight the schedule, with the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 (May 24) and the inaugural Freedom 250 Grand Prix from the National Mall in Washington D.C. (Aug. 23), being run as part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday. 

The last formal race run on the National Mall is thought to be a horse race run in 1801 during the administration of President Thomas Jefferson.

FOX INDYCAR TECH

FOX INDYCAR continues to lean into industry-leading production technology, making a larger investment in Racing Force Driver’s Eye, bringing one of the smallest cameras being used in live sports coverage to all 18 INDYCAR races, with six cars equipped with dual-stream capability at each race. FOX INDYCAR also brings back the high-speed, first-person aerial production drones piloted by Beverly Hills Aerials and the AR-driven HUD (heads-up display) and graphics package, as well as multiple audio and graphic enhancements. 

FOX DEPORTES

FOX Deportes returns with an expanded NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule including exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and the season finale at Laguna Seca.  Other races airing on FOX Deportes include Arlington, Long Beach, Road America, Mid-Ohio and Portland. 

The FOX Deportes broadcast team for the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES features acclaimed play-by-play announcer Tony Rivera and Emmy Award-winning analyst Jessi Losada.

For more information on each member of the FOX INDYCAR broadcast team, please visitt FOX Sports Press Pass.

FOX INDYCAR & FOX NASCAR BROADCAST SCHEDULE FOR

 ST. PETERSBURG RACE WEEKEND
(all times live unless otherwise noted and subject to change)

Friday, Feb. 27 

• INDYCAR NXT by Firestone practice (12:30 PM ET, FS2)
• NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (1:30 PM ET, FS2)
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series practice/qualifying (4:30 PM ET, FS2)

Saturday, Feb. 28 

• INDYCAR NXT by Firestone practice (8:30 AM ET, FS1)
• NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (9:30 AM ET, FS1)
• NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race (12:00 PM ET, FOX)
• INDYCAR NXT by Firestone qualifying (3:30 PM ET, FS2)
• NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying (4:30 PM ET, FS2)

Sunday, March 1 

• NTT INDYCAR SERIES warm-up (9:00 AM ET, FS1)
• INDYCAR NXT by Firestone race (10:00 AM ET, FS1)
• NTT INDYCAR SERIES race (12:00 PM ET, FOX & FOX Deportes)

The full schedule can be found here: 2026 FOX NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON SCHEDULE