Note: The Penske Entertainment editorial staff is looking back at the 10 biggest moments of 2024 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in this year-end series, with one installment appearing on the site per day in countdown fashion from Dec. 22-31.
It’s not often that the announcement of a new event can dazzle a crowd.
But that’s exactly what happened in October when Penske Entertainment unveiled plans for a new NTT INDYCAR SERIES race weekend in March 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
A new 2.73-mile temporary racing circuit appears to be perfectly incorporated with a highly popular entertainment district in the heart of the Metroplex. The street course will wind around the sparkling stadiums of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers. Drivers who reviewed the circuit’s layout called it fast and flowing.
Initial projections call for speeds faster than 180 mph, and cars might exceed that in stretches of the 14-turn circuit created by longtime INDYCAR track designer Tony Cotman.
“I think you’ll be going to be over 200 miles per hour looking at the straights,” said reigning Indianapolis 500 presented Gainbridge champion Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. “So, it’s going to be a very fast track. It’s a good layout, a lot of visibility with the way they’ve laid it out.
“Yeah, be here because it’s going to be a big show.”
The event’s unveiling came with some of the biggest hitters in all of sports, including Roger Penske, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Rangers co-owner Ray Davis and Hall of Famers DeMarcus Ware (Cowboys) and Pudge Rodriguez (Rangers).
The circuit features a double-sided pit lane like the one first used in 2023 for the relocated Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, held in downtown Detroit and promoted by Penske Entertainment. There should be at least four enticing passing zones: Turns 1, 10, 12 and 14. There will be two coliseum-like atmospheres, including a horseshoe-like carousel at Turn 6.
Jones said he had to “pinch myself” at the thought of seeing such cars racing around AT&T Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl in 2011. Jones called Penske “one of my true role models” for involving sports in a business plan.
“The Dallas Cowboys jumped to be with the Rangers and Ray Davis (and) the great city of Arlington to get a chance to be part of this great event,” Jones said.
The event will be led by Bill Miller, a former Penske employee who presided over Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and Nazareth Speedway.