IndyCar has been building more of the audience as the series is becoming more competitive, with the field racing very closely together.
The championship welcomed multiple new circuits to the calendar in 2024, returning to two ovals in the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway.
IndyCar will also return to Texas in 2026, racing at the Arlington street circuit after Texas Motor Speedway left the series due to suffering from lacklustre crowd numbers.
Despite the championship developing and being a very attractive prospect to former Formula 1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson, all 17 events are held in North America.
If the series were to reach its full potential, it might need to expand into more regions, particularly with the popularity of some of the series’ top drivers.
Pato O’Ward, who has won races for Arrow McLaren over his IndyCar career, is especially extremely popular in his native Mexico.
He has been pushing for IndyCar to race in his home country, and the championship may be on the verge of moving into Central America as Alejandro Soberon explained to Carburando.
The promoter of the Mexico City Grand Prix Alejandro Soberon confirms ‘established conversations’ with IndyCar
IndyCar has been looking to race in Mexico but has been usurped by NASCAR leaving the United States for the first time in 2025.
But IndyCar may soon be racing in Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which hosts the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Formula E also races at the same venue with the Mexico City ePrix held on a shortened circuit that still uses some of the track utilised by F1.
IndyCar has been talking to the venue throughout this year ahead of a potential race in Mexico City in 2026, which would provide a significant platform for the championship to expand.
Soberon highlighted O’Ward’s importance to an IndyCar race in Mexico as his popularity continues to develop.
READ MORE: Pato O’Ward campaigns for ‘huge market’ in Mexico to be explored by IndyCar
He said: “We have been in talks with IndyCar. They’ve already been here in Mexico. Next year, NASCAR is coming to Mexico. They’re going outside the United States for the first time. There’s a lot of excitement. It’s a completely different type of race and championship.
“We have established conversations with IndyCar in January to think about 2026. Of course, Pato is an important factor in all that.”
Pato O’Ward wants to see an IndyCar race in Mexico award championship points
An IndyCar race in Mexico would allow the series to develop among a new audience which may be helped by Spanish-speaking drivers such as O’Ward and Alex Palou.
If they were to compete in the nation, an event that awards points would be much more of a spectacle rather than a non-championship event.
Arrow McLaren’s O’Ward would be upset if an IndyCar race in Mexico didn’t award points and was just an exhibition event.
Mexican fans support motorsport well across a range of championships, and IndyCar would likely follow the trend with O’Ward being so well-liked.