The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is visiting a second new venue during the 2026 season.

In addition to the previously announced INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington scheduled for March 13-15 and set to take place on a street circuit around the Dallas Cowboys’ and Texas Rangers’ stadiums, Green Savoree Toronto ULC, the City of Markham and INDYCAR SERIES announced Sept. 3 that the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race will move from Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto to a brand-new street circuit in Markham, scheduled for Aug. 14-16, 2026. The City of Markham, population 365,000, is located 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Exhibition Place.

“Markham, start your engines, the Indy race is coming to our city,” Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said. “This is a major milestone for us. We’re thrilled and honored to host this prestigious three-day racing event. We’re transforming our city streets into a thrilling racetrack.”

Renowned track designer Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting, who has worked on several NTT INDYCAR SERIES circuits, led the design of the new Markham street circuit. The temporary track will feature a 12-turn, 2.19-mile (3.52 km) layout.

“This is a very exciting track, thanks to Tony (Cotman),” Scarpitti said. “I asked them, ‘How are you going to design a racetrack around all these facilities?’”

Building a street circuit requires more than erecting concrete barriers and catch fencing; it’s about sculpting a race-ready course from existing infrastructure. Street circuit construction demands vision, coordination and careful planning, from selecting suitable roads and designing a competitive layout to obtaining permits and working around community and business needs affected by street closures.

The Markham circuit is situated in a dynamic downtown core, home to numerous Canadian corporate headquarters, the York University Markham Campus and the acclaimed Markham Pan Am Centre -- a key venue during the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.

“We literally explored sites all over Ontario before landing on this location,” said Kevin Savoree, president and COO of Green Savoree Racing Promotions.

Green Savoree Racing remained as the promoter of the event, just as it did for Honda Indy Toronto.

Honda Indy Markham

The track (map in photo, above) will be built in the eastern precinct of downtown Markham, with the Unionville GO Train line running through the area. Because of the train line, the layout includes a double-sided pit lane – similar to the ones used at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear and the new street race in Arlington, Texas.

“Months of planning went into this,” Savoree said. “We’re excited to have a double-sided pit lane. It’s becoming something iconic in INDYCAR.”

The track features several prime passing zones, including some good passing areas between Turns 8-10 and most notably a Turn 5 hairpin that feeds onto a long straightaway along Enterprise Boulevard, where cars are expected to exceed 180 mph before approaching the right-hand Turn 6.

The Turn 5 hairpin is wide enough to provide multiple racing lines.

That’s also the same area where cars will pass beneath the Union GO Station train line between Turns 4 and 5, then again under the train line after the exit of Turn 5 before continuing east on Enterprise Blvd.

“There’s a massive straightaway and incredible speed potential,” Savoree said. “It’s an impressive circuit. Frank and his team worked tirelessly to bring this to life. And when I say it took pounds of paperwork to make this happen, I’m not exaggerating.”

Jeff Atkinson, president of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham, believes the new venue will offer an improved fan experience compared to Exhibition Place, which featured an 11-turn, 1.786-mile course.

INDYCAR first raced at Exhibition Place in 1986 and remained there – except in 2008 due to open-wheel unification and again in 2020 and 2021 due to the global pandemic.

“It was a long journey,” Atkinson said. “But this location provides new sight lines and experiences we just couldn’t offer at the old site.”

Exhibition Place had maxed out its available space. Markham offers the opportunity to accommodate a larger, younger and more diverse audience, which comes at a perfect time. There was an 81 percent increase in viewers aged 18-34, with a 72 percent rise in female viewers within that demographic, in FOX Sports’ first year of NTT INDYCAR SERIES coverage.

The City of Markham has begun early development on the track and festival site, working in coordination with Metrolinx, which helps to ensure smoother transit in the greater Toronto area, and other area partners.

“Imagine the sound. Imagine the sights. Imagine the smell of race cars going over Enterprise Road at more than 180 mph, legally, on your streets,” Penske Corporation President Bud Denker said. “I can’t wait.”