The IndyCar Collection landed maybe its greatest catch underneath the Penske Leisure period after asserting a return to Texas with a race on the streets of Arlington in 2026.
The importance of the announcement was within the partnerships shaped, with Penske Leisure teaming up with the Nationwide Soccer League’s Dallas Cowboys and REV Leisure, the official occasions associate of Main League Baseball’s Texas Rangers.
A 14-turn, 2.73-mile circuit will weave round AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Subject, which function the respective residence of the Cowboys and Rangers, and thru the leisure district of a metropolis that sells 1.6 million tickets to spectators for numerous occasions yearly.
Mark Miles, the president and CEO of Penske Leisure that owns the IndyCar Collection, sat down with Motorsport.com to debate the occasion, the technique of the sequence shifting ahead, in addition to how new broadcast associate FOX Sports activities will consider.
Joey Barnes: Let’s get the onerous query out of the way in which first – There are folks asking why this couldn’t work at Texas Motor Speedway, and why IndyCar is headed to Arlington?
Mark Miles: “Nicely, I assume the very first thing is, as all people I feel is aware of, we actually have not had success recently to find a date that was going to be dependable over time, and that is essential to us. That created the chance to consider it as a result of we undoubtedly needed to be in North Texas. After which for a while we have had a dialogue and for a shorter time, however a number of months we have had quite a lot of work between our crew and the Cowboys and the Rangers to discover the probabilities. And I feel (the announcement) does communicate for itself. We have been articulating an occasion technique for a while, which is that primary, we’re not strolling away from the will to have a superb mixture of the assorted codecs of races for us; that features, after all, ovals and momentary road races and highway programs.
“So, that is first, and this does not characterize any distance between that philosophy and the announcement. Then we have additionally mentioned we wish to search for excessive impression alternatives to be in sizzling rising markets and to strategy them in two other ways. One is the place we promote ourselves: we have now turn out to be the promoter. By ’26, that would be the case for the 2 IndyCar races — in Indy, in Detroit for the race or races in Iowa, Milwaukee. Now, by way of this partnership, we’re a part of the promotion crew, the promoter group for Arlington, and I feel there will be one or two extra examples of that by 2026, if not earlier than. And we predict that is essential each when it comes to the markets and our skill to essentially management the hassle to improve our occasions.
“We wish to try this by taking management of extra races ourselves and likewise by searching for alternatives for top degree companions, and what might be a better degree alternative, in that regard, than the Cowboys and the Rangers in Arlinton at that facility. I hope that everyone will get an opportunity to have a look at the video that was accomplished to painting how the racetrack will look. I feel it will be a fantastic racetrack. We’ve bought nice companions. We’ve bought time to do it proper within the first installment for ‘26 within the spring. That is, sort of, the very first conspicuous instance of that a part of the occasion technique. And once more, I feel there’ll be extra as time goes ahead. I additionally wish to say that this doesn’t characterize strolling away from our philosophy of getting a wholesome mixture of three codecs of racing for IndyCar. It doesn’t imply that we aren’t going to have third occasion promoters as we do now. We’re simply going to be opportunistic to search for occasions we are able to run ourselves and for alternatives to have excessive degree partnerships throughout the promotion of our occasions.”
JB: The magnitude of taking IndyCar to a degree of involvement with main groups such because the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers was actually felt on the observe unveiling at Texas Reside! on Tuesday. Speaking with Santino Ferrucci, Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden, there was a giant combat really feel to this that basically had them buzzing in a method that made this really feel prefer it rivals Formulation 1’s Miami Grand Prix. What sort of stratosphere do you assume this raises IndyCar to?
MM: “Yeah, we predict IndyCar deserves to be understood to be a serious league sport, and I feel typically you’re judged by the corporate you retain. That’s one other option to emphasize the technique of searching for these sorts of excessive degree partnerships. By the way in which, simply associated to selling occasions, but additionally in upgrading different issues we do, like advertising and marketing, communications, and hospitality. There are every kind of companions on the market which can be very succesful, very a lot main league and we’ll proceed to be very selective, however search for these alternatives in these and different capabilities of placing on large occasions to up our sport and present all people IndyCar’s main league sport.”
Arlington Grand Prix observe map
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
JB: What went into the main points of the observe structure?
MM: “Nicely, it took quite a lot of work. Tony Cotman is the lead for us in designing tracks, however he has two roles for us: One is all the time taking a look at the place we race to make it possible for they’re protected, but additionally good racing and his different perform is to assist design them. We had this fabulous alternative to principally take a white canvas. The leisure district there may be simply an enormous alternative to place our greatest foot ahead in the way in which we race. We may take a look at that complete house. It does not have lots of the issues or challenges that road races can have if you’re proper in the midst of a downtown and it is quite a lot of space that even issues just like the streetlights which can be within the parking tons are typically additional aside than in quite a lot of locations, which is helpful.
“We may see how we may have a nine-tenths of a mile straightaway, which clearly will get us up, we predict, 200-plus miles per hour. That is a giant a part of our velocity, clearly a giant a part of our racing and our model that then instantly goes into a tough right-hand flip and we may engineer a observe accordingly. It is also vast. There are a pair locations the place we’re nonetheless engaged on how vast it may be, however a superb instance of the width is that straightaway. So, it was sort of a clean canvas and Tony and our crew, folks like Michael Montri, who’ve the expertise of laying out that observe in Detroit and elsewhere, may actually go to city and benefit from the actual property that is there.”
JB: When you have got large companions which can be part of one thing like this, I feel the largest curiosity is the promotional factor. With that, what sort of activations – and we’ve heard rumblings FOX might be selling it as early as this weekend’s NFL sport between the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions – needs to be anticipated?
MM: “Nicely, FOX has a deep relationship with each our associate organizations and so they’re completely all-in and supportive of this innovation for us. But in addition, I feel the 2 organizations and their type of belongings, together with our skill to offer focus by way of the creation of the grand prix committee that will likely be centered on a regular basis on simply that, is potent. So, Invoice Miller (President of the Grand Prix of Arlington) will likely be placing collectively the crew. Will probably be small, however waking up each morning interested by the grand prix there. However we even have these nice relationships with the Cowboys and the Rangers and their sponsor lists, these relationships, their suite clients, their season ticket clients, their membership clients, and that’s a fairly superb base from which to exit and begin to promote. So, we’ll have the main focus of a devoted workers proper there in Dallas, with clearly the complete cooperation of the Cowboys and the Rangers. I feel that it’s only a exceptional constellation of belongings that we hope to benefit from.”
Grand Prix of Arlington rendering
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
JB: Does asserting this occasion, with the opportunity of different occasion bulletins looming, alter the expectation for the variety of races on the brand new FOX deal? Can the quantity develop to, say 20, or is there a cap restrict to the variety of races that may be broadcast, per se?
MM: “Our settlement with FOX requires us to offer them 17 races which can be championship races within the regular season because it’s structured now. And we just like the quantity 17, that is why it is in our settlement with FOX. It is not a restrict. It is what we count on to do. However whether or not it is for us and the house owners and the drivers or for FOX or our sponsors, we see one other nice alternative, I feel we’ll pursue it. If which means one much less doubleheader or another adjustment on the calendar, we’ll take issues case by case and and act accordingly. I do not assume folks ought to take a look at us as having an ambition to get to twenty, for instance, which is sort of implicit in your query. Seventeen is, we predict the candy spot, however we have talked about it and if there’s such a factor as one other Arlington on the market, and which means all issues thought of taking a look at all of the races on the calendar, one of the best factor to do to go is to go to 18, then we’ll take a look at that. However there are in all probability methods even within the quick time period so as to add and nonetheless keep at about 17.”
2007 Mexico Metropolis race winner Sebastien Bourdais, Newman Haas Lanigan Racing
Photograph by: Dan R. Boyd / Motorsport Photos
JB: Do you anticipate, whether or not it’s subsequent 12 months or in 2026, FOX Deportes for your complete schedule or a choose variety of races to assist generate curiosity of the Hispanic viewers whether or not on this southern area of america, Mexico, and many others.?
MM: “Nicely, the chance to succeed in extra Hispanic followers and make extra Hispanic followers is essential to us and our companions in Arlington vis-a-vis FOX. FOX Deportes is contractually dedicated to take three races. The plan is the primary race of the season, St. Pete, the Indy 500 and the finale, however that is not a cap both. That is actually a minimal. And as we get nearer to creating the ’26 schedule and Deportes sees how they do with the three races that they’re going to have subsequent 12 months, I feel it is solely potential that they’d add occasions. And given the significance of Hispanic inhabitants in that market in North Texas, it is an apparent place to look. However it’s not nearly FOX. In speaking with (Dallas Cowboys’ proprietor) Jerry Jones (on Tuesday), he was telling us about how essential advertising and marketing to Hispanic folks is.
“He informed us in regards to the excursions he’s accomplished in Mexico to do earned media occasions and to publicize the Cowboys in Mexico itself, not simply the southern a part of america. And that’s music to our ears. We talked to him about Pato (O’Ward) and the way he’s a pure star and the way he could be joyful to be engaged on this occasion and do all he can, as he did at Texas Motor Speedway to assist promote and develop the occasion. I don’t wish to say an excessive amount of about it, nevertheless it’s conceivable that we may find yourself with an occasion in Mexico within the subsequent few years. And if we did that, it could actually be within the spring. So, a connection between an occasion in Arlington and an occasion in Mexico could be a robust alternative to bridge and cross promote the assorted sports activities to the Hispanic followers simply south of the border and within the southern United States. I feel it’s a giant alternative for us, and the Cowboys and the Rangers see it as a possibility for them, to strengthen our attraction to Hispanic followers.”
