'It’s Going to be Fantastic': NASCAR-INDYCAR Weekend Brings Excitement to Phoenix

INDYCAR joins the NASCAR weekend at Phoenix Raceway, and drivers from both series seem to hope to enjoy some of the flavor of the year.

In releasing its 2026 schedule, INDYCAR announced Tuesday that it would race Saturday of the March 6-8 weekend on the 1-mile oval. The INDYCAR race will be the same day as the Xfinity race, with INDYCAR most likely kicking off the doubleheader in midafternoon, early evening on the East Coast, followed by an early evening race for Xfinity (night-time in the East).

[Read more: 2026 INDYCAR Schedule: Phoenix Weekend With NASCAR, Laguna Seca Finale ]

It marks the first time since 2023 that the series have raced at the same venue (from 2021-23 they both raced the Indianapolis road course on the same weekend), but the way the garage layout was at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there wasn’t as much interaction between NASCAR and INDYCAR drivers. 

"As a fan, I love it just imagining that you get to see different races of different series at the same time, the same weekend, it’s amazing," four-time INDYCAR champion Alex Palou said during a taping of the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. "I would love if we can be a little more together, not like we had two years ago — we were very separate.

"I just wanted to see the NASCAR cars as well. I wanted to be close to that car. I think it’s going to be a lot better. It’s super fun for drivers and fans."

INDYCAR first raced at Phoenix Raceway in 1964 but hasn’t raced on the 1-mile Phoenix oval since 2018, prior to the reconfiguration that moved the start-finish line.

"It’s going to be fantastic, and I like that INDYCAR is going back to Phoenix," said 2023 Cup champion Ryan Blaney. "It’s been a while since they’ve run in Phoenix and I think it