Cowboys and Rangers Team Up To Announce IndyCar Grand Prix in Arlington

Arlington is staying booked and busy. The home base for the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers will host nine World Cup matches in 2026, and now the city is adding IndyCar racing to its growing portfolio.

The inaugural race of the Arlington Grand Prix will take place in March 2026 on a 2.73-mile track that will wind through Arlington’s sports and entertainment districts and past landmarks such as AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.

Zooming through Arlington totally unencumbered by traffic may seem like an unattainable fantasy for North Texans, but it will be a reality for a handful of lucky IndyCar drivers.

A sizzle reel with renderings of the track was debuted at a ceremony at Texas Live in Arlington on Tuesday. Thematically appropriate tracks such as Rihanna’s “Shut Up and Drive” and more questionable picks such as “Highway to Hell” greeted media and guests as they were being seated. Cheerleaders repping both the Cowboys and the Rangers hyped up the crowd.

Among the guests of honor were Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Rangers COO Neil Leibman and Arlington's mayor pro tem Barbara Odom-Wesley.

“Arlington knows how to put on a safe, well-managed, high-profile event, and we've done so repeatedly on the national and international stage. This will be no different,” said Odom-Wesley during her address. “Over the coming months, our city leadership will work alongside our entertainment district partners on issues such as public safety, traffic management and cleanliness to ensure our residents and our visitors have a great experience.”

When Jones took the stage, he used much of his time to thank his partners and family and to express pride in the city of Arlington.

“The Dallas Cowboys jumped to be with the Rangers,” Jones said. “We jumped to be with the great city of Arlington and we jumped to get a chance to be a part of this great event.”

Jones described the Grand Prix as a “labor of love.”

“[We’re honored] to bring an open-wheel race out here, flying around these streets and going to town around this great sports capital of this country,” he said.
“I truly believe this race can transform our Arlington entertainment district into something spectacular,” Leibman added during his remarks. “Something so spectacular that the world will come and watch.”

It’s worth mentioning that between the Rangers' victory in the World Series last year and those upcoming World Cup games, the world’s eyes are already on Arlington. We’re not going to object to the World Prix putting the city over the top, though.

Also present were champion drivers Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden, who will compete in the Arlington Grand Prix in 2026. Though event emcee and voice of the Texas Rangers Chuck Morgan initially stated that cars could reach speeds of up to 180 miles per hour on the new track, both racers were quick to correct him after watching the sizzle reel.

“It's gonna be fast,” Palou said to Morgan. “You said 180, but I think it can be a little bit more.”

“I think it’s probably going to be over 200 miles per hour,” Newgarden added.

Morgan also playfully ribbed Newgarden for being a Yankees fan in Rangers territory. Newgarden took it in stride but when the two drivers were presented with Cowboys and Rangers jerseys to pose with after the ceremony, Newgarden noticeably avoided the Rangers jersey.

Palou, who hails from Spain and had no previous American baseball allegiances, seemed content with pledging his loyalty to Arlington and its home teams.