IndyCar’s Arlington circuit layout will leave drivers “exposed,” but keep things entertaining – Newgarden

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time IndyCar Series champion, part of the track reveal on Tuesday, provided insight on the challenges for drivers ahead for the new 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. North America’s premier open-wheel championship previously ran at Texas Motor Speedway, based nearby in Fort Worth, 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. For reference, the longest street circuit the series raced on this past season was the 1.968-mile layout in Long Beach.

The full unveiling of the track layout took place on Tuesday at Texas Live!, an entertainment center located between AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Rangers.

The circuit, which was designed by IndyCar’s longtime 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 course features a straightaway that extends .9-mile, which is likely to see drivers push over 180 mph before being challenged with an enticing braking before a hard-braking point of a right-hander in 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 pit lane, similar to what is currently used for the Detroit street race, will also be highlighted. 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.

Arlington Grand Prix track map

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Newgarden, the two-time defending winner of the Indianapolis 500 and a two-time IndyCar Series champion, shared his thoughts on the track and what kind of racing could be expected.

“Yeah, it’s kind of got everything,” Newgarden told Motorsport.com. “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. So yeah, that’s what you’re going to be dealing with and we’ll figure it out as we do.”