Mario Andretti lays out high expectations for IndyCar's 2026 Grand Prix of Arlington

Mario Andretti has shared his feelings about IndyCar's inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington in March 2026. The four-time champion predicted that the event will be the next "marquee" event on the racing calendar of the premier American open-wheel series.

The Grand Prix of Arlington promises to be a special race. It birthed out of a three-way partnership between IndyCar owner Penske Entertainment, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the MLB's Texas Rangers. The official announcement was made in October 2024.

The race will take place on a 2.73-mile circuit on the streets of Arlington, Texas. It will feature the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T stadium and the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Stadium, similar to F1's Miami GP featuring the Miami Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium.

Mario Andretti laid out his expectations of the event in a recent appearance on IndyCar's Pit Pass Indy podcast. When host Bruce Martin asked him about the race's potential, the 85-year-old replied [32:53 onwards]:

"I think it's a great potential. I think that the ambience will be fantastic and I can just envision the presentation will be first class. I'm very, very excited about this event. It's gonna be another marquee event for the IndyCar series."

IndyCar CEO Mark Miles played up the Grand Prix of Arlington in a similar manner earlier this year, predicting that the race will be "sensational" with "great racing." The street circuit will feature an unorthodox dual pit lane like the Detroit Grand Prix.

IndyCar raced at the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas until 2023 before it lost its place on the schedule because of poor audience turnout.

Mario Andretti honored at IndyCar's Long Beach Grand Prix

Mario Andretti at the 2022 Acura Grand Prix Of Long Beach - Source: Getty

Mario Andretti, who won four times at the Long Beach Grand Prix, was co-grand marshal for the 50th edition of the race on Sunday (April 13), alongside six-time winner Al Unser Jr. Ahead of the race weekend, the four-time IndyCar champion relived his best moments at the track.

He said (via IndyCar):

"The fondest memories I have racing on the streets of Long Beach are my four victories. I won the second Formula One race at Long Beach in 1977. In 1984, when the event switched from Formula One to INDYCAR, I won for the second time. That began a run of three victories in four years. On top of that, my son Michael had his first and last career INDYCAR wins at Long Beach. This track is obviously a family favorite."

Andretti and Unser Jr. gave the iconic "Start your engines" command to the 27-driver grid. They received a loud applause from the audience before and after the command.

Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood won the race from pole, recording his second win at the track. He last won there in 2023 to take his first IndyCar win.