While the NTT IndyCar Series regularly heads north of the border to race in the Toronto area, it’s been a minute since the series went abroad. That changes next season when it heads to Spain, the homeland of defending five-time series champion Alex Palou.
IndyCar released the second phase of its 2027 season schedule — every race of which will be broadcast on Fox for the third straight year — and the big addition was a race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on July 18.
It’s a big deal because it marks the first time that IndyCar has left North America since 2013, and the first time it has held a race since 2007, which predates the Champ Car Indy Racing League merger that formed today’s IndyCar Series.
This is a big deal, and it’s great to see the series taking advantage of a generationally talented driver like Palou to help expand the series abroad.
Just imagine the scenes if he crosses the stripe first on Spanish soil (and it’s not hard to imagine because he usually is at the very least in the picture for a win in just about every race).
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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been a fixture on the F1 calendar and is often used for preseason testing, though it will begin hosting races every other year. It’s also part of the MotoGP schedule.
The track should produce a solid race. In recent years in F1, it’s been criticized for a lack of on-track overtaking. It flows from corner to corner, and there aren’t many heavy braking zones, which are helpful for overtaking. Ironically, that is what makes it a good fit for MotoGP.
But IndyCars are not F1 cars. They’re better when it comes to on-track overtakes, and I think we’ll get to see some great racing all around the track.
Unfortunately, to add this race, some had to come off the schedule, and one casualty was a trip to the Nashville Superspeedway.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix — which was always marketed as a one-off event — will not take place in 2027. Of course, it was announced later than the rest of the schedule. The overwhelming success of this summer’s race should have everyone itching to return to D.C., but at the moment, it’s not happening.