Surprise, Surprise: Biggest Stunners of 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season

Sports seasons regularly produce surprises, which is part of what makes them endearing. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES certainly had its share of surprises in 2026.

Of course, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou winning a fourth consecutive season championship and fifth in six years wasn’t one of them. And a second consecutive sellout of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, which occurred in May, was largely expected given the momentum the event and the sport have built in recent years.

It also wasn’t much of a surprise that television viewership of races took another large gain – a 23 percent year-over-year increase – given the investment and commitment FOX has made in the sport. But there were plenty of things that caught people off guard this year. A look at them somewhat sequentially.

INDYCAR Having a Street Race Where?!

There had only been whispers of a new street race in the nation’s capital, but it seemed like a dream that couldn’t come true. So, the news was a shocker when it was announced Jan. 30.

Along with the “500,” the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on Aug. 23 became a signature moment of the season, the kind of event that almost seemed incomprehensible given the hurdles that needed to be overcome and the city’s magnificent backdrops.

Television ratings were through the roof: 3.28 million people tuned in, making it the most-watched race other than Indy since 1995.

The Washington race (photo, above) was one of three new street races in 2026, and each contributed to the success of the season. With the support of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers, the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington will be keeper along with the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, a relocation of the Toronto street race.

Andretti Global drivers captured all three events, with Kyle Kirkwood winning in Arlington and Washington and Marcus Ericsson victorious in Markham.

Schumacher (Yes, That Schumacher!) Shines on Ovals

The series’ return to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018 went very well, and one of the standouts made his oval-track debut.

Mick Schumacher is best known for being the only son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, who often made it clear he didn’t want any part of INDYCAR’s high-speed oval thrillers. But Mick (photo, above) adapted just fine, so much so that his best performances in the first year in this series were on oval tracks.

Driving Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 47 Honda, Schumacher was quick straight away at Phoenix, qualifying in the fourth position. In the race, he remained on the lead lap until his crew struggled with a tire change on the pit stop at Lap 71. That bobble dropped Schumacher to the 21st position; he finished the race in 18th place.

That was a preview of oval success to come for the Swiss-born German driver. Schumacher completed all 200 laps in the “500,” finishing a respectable 18th to earn Rookie of the Year honors. He backed up that performance by finishing 16th in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, was eighth in the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway and earned the 13th- and 12th-place finishes in the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend, a doubleheader at the tricky Milwaukee Mile.

Schumacher finished second to Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger for the series’ Rookie of the Year Award. AJ Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet finished third.

Rosenqvist Wins Indy in a Thriller

Felix Rosenqvist certainly had been competitive in past oval races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing fourth in 2022 and 2025. But he’d never had a final lap like he delivered in this year’s race – in fact, no one had.

Rosenqvist, who had started fourth and led 24 laps, began Lap 200 in the third position. He got a terrific run coming to the white flag and drew alongside Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian teammate Marcus Armstrong as they crossed the historic Yard of Bricks.

Winning Indy is never easy, and this one certainly wasn’t for the Swede. He spent most of the lap driving on the outside of Armstrong before finally clearing him in the middle of Turn 4. From there it seemed like Rosenqvist’s car was shot out of a cannon as he quickly closed on race leader David Malukas of Team Penske, sweeping past him just ahead of the checkered flag. The separation was a scant .0233 of a second (photo, above), the closest 1-2 finish in the history of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The previous record was .043 of a second in 1992.

The breathtaking race featured an event-record 70 lead changes, breaking the previous mark of 68 set in 2013. With his second career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, Rosenqvist became the third Swedish driver to win Indy, joining Kenny Brack (1999) and Ericsson (2022). Meyer Shank Racing won the “500” for a second time, the other being Helio Castroneves’ record-tying fourth victory in 2021.

Dixon’s Switch Biggest of Silly Season

After 25 seasons and six NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships, Scott Dixon made the startling switch of employers, leaving Chip Ganassi Racing for Arrow McLaren.

Dixon (photo, top) had won 58 races and six series championships with Chip Ganassi’s organization, the partnership becoming an all-time standard in the sport. Dixon joined the team in 2002 and ended his time there after 414 starts, including a series-record 374 consecutively.

Joining Dixon on the move was Rosenqvist, who became the first reigning “500” champion since 2017 winner Takuma Sato to switch teams for the next season. Dixon and Rosenqvist will join Pato O’Ward and Ryan Hunter-Reay for the team’s stellar cast at Indy.

CGR filled Dixon’s seat with Christian Lundgaard, whom Arrow McLaren chose not to re-sign after winning two races and finishing third in the final point standings. MSR elevated Armstrong, who finished fifth at Indy, and added Schumacher for next season.

Schumacher’s former team – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – announced it will be a two-car operation in 2027. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will join the series full-time with Conor Daly as its Honda driver after purchasing a charter from RLL. Several other seats for next year’s lineup are still to be determined.

VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing Earn Top-10 Standing

Rinus VeeKay and Juncos Hollinger Racing took a bite out of many of the sport’s big dogs by finishing 10th in the standings, the highest career finish for both the driver and the team.

VeeKay (photo, above) had finished 12th in two previous seasons – in 2021 and 2023 – while JHR’s prior best was 16th in 2023 with Callum Ilott at the wheel.

This pairing finished third in the second race of the Snap-on INDYCAR Weekend doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile and added three fourth-place finishes. Somewhat overlooked was another outstanding performance: sixth in the “500,” a best finish for the driver and the team.