IndyCar will return to Texas in 2026 with a street race on the roads in Dallas, an event that has recieved a mixed reaction.
The championship has had a long history in the Lone Star State, racing on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway as recently as 2023.
TMS had some good events, such as its final race last season, but there were rarely sold-out crowds and low attendances most of the time.
IndyCar already hosts four races on street courses, and they are a developing part of global motorsport in multiple series.
The season opener is held on the streets of St. Petersburg and the championship also visits the unforgiving circuit in Toronto.
Some fans aren’t overly enthusiastic about the Dallas race, as street circuits can involve a lot of crashes. Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe explained on Off Track with Hinch and Rossi that he has found the reaction to the race in Dallas annoying.
James Hinchcliffe feels the reaction to IndyCar’s race in Dallas is ‘frustrating’
A multitude of championships in motorsport have been racing on more street circuits, including Formula 1, who are competing on eight street courses this year.
Formula E are also racing on a lot of street circuits are the majority of their tracks are located on public roads instead of permanent venues.
IndyCar have had some mixed races at temporary venues in recent years, having their share of races with memorable and lacklustre moments.
Hinchcliffe explained that street circuits can succeed, but they can’t be let down by lacklustre promotion ahead of the weekend.
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He said: “But street race, going to Dallas, and a lot of people took issue with this. Because we’re not going back to Texas Motor Speedway. This is very frustrating. This is very frustrating.
“A street race around Dallas. We have seen time and time again that bringing the race to the people can be a recipe for success.
“Yes, there are street races that have failed. Very few of those street races failed because of lack of fan interest. There’s some really poor organisational issues, some promotional issues, some sponsor issues.”
Some street circuits weren’t on the calendar in IndyCar for a long time
A multitude of Street Circuits have failed to be a success in IndyCar and after a lot of attention in their opening year, the tracsk didn’t spend a lot of time on the calendar.
The Houston street circuit made its first appearance in 1998 but only hosted a few events until 2001, before construction in downtown Houston stopped any further races.
There is a similar situation with the Denver Street Circuit that was only on the schedule as a one-off in 2006 as they couldn’t find a date for the following year.