Arlington plans to bring another big sporting event to the city, launching the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington in March 2026.
The race, which will take drivers along a 2.73-mile closed road track passing AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, comes as the result of a partnership between the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers and Penske Entertainment, according to a news release.
Trey Yelverton, Arlington’s city manager, told KERA News the race is currently projected to rake in $45 million in economic benefit for the city.
Yelverton said the impact of the entertainment district for Arlington residents has been reinvestment of tax revenue into the city’s public safety, roads, maintenance and services. The income from the IndyCar race will be used the same way.
The impact of the race itself will be limited, Yelverton said. The city expects fewer people to attend the races than a Rangers or Cowboys game, and road closures will be largely limited to the entertainment district.
The course, revealed at a media event Tuesday in a flashy animated video, will see cars race through turns and curves on the streets of the entertainment district.
Chuck Morgan, the in-ballpark voice of the Rangers and an executive vice president with the baseball club, said the vehicles will reach speeds exceeding 180 mph, the sounds of their engines shaking the floor-to-ceiling windows of Globe Life Field.
Residents in the entertainment district, where new apartments are currently being built, should know that the track will only be in use during the day, Yelverton said. There will be events after dark during the three-day race event, but there won’t be IndyCar engines rumbling and revving while most residents are trying to sleep.
He said more specific economic projects will be available as more research is conducted and plans are solidified.
Yelverton doesn’t predict any changes to Arlington’s public transportation offerings — currently limited to Via, a public-private on-demand rideshare that serves the whole city — because of the event. The impact on traffic should be less than that created by Rangers and Cowboys games, despite the expectation that Grand Prix fans will come from across the country to witness the race.
The race will be a part of the NTT IndyCar Series, which touts itself as North America’s “premier open-wheel racing competition,” according to the release.
The NTT IndyCar Grand Prix, which puts on the Indy 500 each year, had 17 stops this year, with all but one host city being in the U.S.
Other 2024 races were held in in cities like Nashville, Tennessee, Portland, Oregon and Toronto, Canada.
This story has been updated with comments from Arlington City Manager Trey Yelverton and Texas Rangers Executive Vice President Chuck Morgan.
