Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Mark'em, err, Markham Came Off With Excitement & Hitches

First ever race start for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the streets of a town just North of Toronto,
Markham, Ontario, Canada. Qualifications were impacted by many on track incidences where walls bit cars (as Foster would later say, "like Crocodile teeth") leaving RLL Racing's No. 45 Louis Foster to lead the 25 contenders to the Start/Finish Line for the Green Flag. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks Oil Painting of FOX Broadcast TV program (2026)

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Mark'em, err, Markham Came Off With Excitement & Hitches

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race, long a fixture at Exhibition Place in Toronto, shifted to a newly constructed temporary street circuit in downtown Markham, Ontario, for the 2026 season. Organizers pointed to the logistical pressures of Toronto’s FIFA World Cup hosting duties at BMO Field, ongoing development, aging infrastructure, and limited expansion options at the old lakeshore site. Those realities made continued one-year deals there impractical. Promoters instead secured a five-year commitment with Markham covering 2026 through 2030, drawn by better highway and GO Station access, proximity to much of the existing fan base across the Greater Toronto Area, and room for a fresh 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout.

The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham unfolded August 14–16 with both excitement and unmistakable ... hitches. 

Start-up difficulties on the brand-new circuit complicated opening day. Track construction, especially tire barriers and related safety elements, lagged. The Friday practice session, first set for mid-afternoon, was postponed later into the evening and then cancelled outright. All series activity shifted to Saturday, where two practices and qualifying were compressed into one extended program once officials cleared the circuit. Anyone familiar with the highest levels of motorsports competition recognized how that squeeze, on an entirely new street venue, amplified challenges for teams and drivers alike.

It was not a gentle introduction for several first-year series drivers. AJ Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet made contact with Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian on the opening lap, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Mick Schumacher brought out the first caution on Lap 15 after pounding the Turn 4 wall.

The new circuit delivered the expected mix of action and reaction, producing 258 on-track passes, 242 of them for position—the highest total in an event dating to 1986. Turn 5’s hairpin proved a particular hotspot. Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel dove too deep into the braking zone and struck Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, drawing a penalty for avoidable contact. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger, the previous year’s INDY NXT by Firestone champion, started fifth and was still there when a two-lap slide began: Alex Palou passed him, then David Malukas, and soon he sat 20th. Later Hauger clipped the rear tire of Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who in turn hit Ed Carpenter Racing’s Christian Rasmussen, triggering a caution. Hauger’s Lap 20 contact with Rasmussen and then Pato O’Ward formed part of that fade through the field.

Will Power, Kyle Kirkwood, and Marcus Ericsson pose for a Power Selfie as this team is beginning to gel after a fairly rough start to the 2026 season. Image Credit: Andretti Global via FB/META (2026)

That same section claimed Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, running third behind his two teammates, in a fierce impact that left him 21st. Moments earlier, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster had suffered a sudden end to his afternoon. Starting from the pole for only the second time in his career - the previous occasion at Road America the year before - Foster built a lead of nearly three seconds while leading the first 32 laps. A caution shuffled him to 12th after the other frontrunners had pitted a couple of laps earlier. Undeterred, he charged back, gaining eight positions and stalking Marcus Ericsson for third when they reached Turn 3 on Lap 43. Foster went to the inside, clipped the left-side wall, and was shot straight into the concrete barrier on the right in a virtually head-on shunt. Fortunately he escaped injury.

Kirkwood’s result allowed series points leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing to stretch his advantage still further in pursuit of a fourth consecutive championship and fifth in six seasons, despite starting outside the top 10 for the first time in 30 races. With four rounds remaining, Palou now leads Kirkwood by a nearly insurmountable 133 points, with Team Penske’s David Malukas third, 137 points back after finishing a lap down in 17th.

Biggest Mover Award - Fully Earned - Image Credit: Andretti Global (2026)

Romain Grosjean settled for second ... his best result since Barber Motorsports Park in 2023, while Will Power took third - starting P24 of 25 cars on the grid, Palou fourth and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward fifth. Grosjean, who led 28 laps and recorded his first top-five of 2026, later reflected that the team had done everything possible. He had hoped to keep Palou at bay with a safe gap, only for Ericsson to arrive and turn the day against them. Several other drivers could say the same.

Ontario INDY unveiled its all-new Herend Canada Official Ontario Honda Dealers Indy trophy at Markham trophies. Image Credit: Ontario INDY via FB/META (2026)

Ericsson’s victory arrived 10 days after confirmation of his return to Andretti Global for a fourth season and ended a 63-race drought dating to his 2023 season-opening win in St. Petersburg. It marked his fifth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES triumph and denied Grosjean a first, leaving the latter one step short of the top of the podium for the sixth time. 

Coincidentally, Grosjean’s last win of any kind had come in a GP2 race in Hungary in 2011, a race in which Ericsson finished fifth. Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, now owns four street-course victories; he had previously emerged from a trouble-filled 2021 Nashville street race in similar fashion, even after his car went airborne.

In the post-race interview his voice cracked, which he attributed to screaming after the checkered flag. He described a bold and aggressive drive over the challenging street-course laps, insisting the car had been the fastest all day. Multiple cautions forced a longer final stint, yet the gamble of staying out paid off. 

Emerging seventh after the Lap 69 stop, Ericsson used the car’s pace to slice through the leaders. That charge included contact in the Turn 5 hairpin with Andretti Global teammate Will Power while fighting for third. Ericsson called the hard bump unfortunate but necessary; Power indicated he understood. Ericsson later noted that one never wants such contact, yet he knew the race was there to be won. 

Mark'em, or Markham ... you make the call.

... notes from The EDJE

NEXT RACE >>> Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington DC

FREEDOM 250 Grand Prix - Theme 

The last race to officially take place on Pennsylvania Avenue was a Horse Race in the sweltering summer of 1801. This was the idea of President Thomas Jefferson. 

Fast-forward 225 years to January 30, 2026. President Donald Trump, flanked by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and racing impresario Roger Penske, signed an executive order launching the Freedom 250 Grand Prix - an IndyCar street race set for August 23, 2026, as the centerpiece of America250 celebrations marking a quarter-millennium of independence.

"From Horse Race To Horsepower On Pennsylvania Avenue"

TAGS: #IndyCar, #Markham, #OntarioHondaDealersIndy, #EricssonWins, #Palou, #Grosjean, #StreetCircuit, #IndyMarkham, #NTTIndyCar, #HondaIndy, #MarcusEricsson, #AlexPalou, #WillPower, #PatoOWard, #NewTrack, #IndyCar2026

Will Power, Andretti Global, And The Parity Push At Barber – Four Races In March And A 25-Car Field That Refuses To Settle

Human ingenuity amplified by AI - Andretti INDYCAR has partnered with TWG AI as the primary sponsor for the #26 Andretti Honda driven by first year Honda & Andretti Global Driver, Will Power. Image Credit Andretti Global via FB/META (2026)

Will Power, Andretti Global, And The Parity Push At Barber – Four Races In March And A 25-Car Field That Refuses To Settle

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES rolls into one of its most picturesque and physically demanding venues this weekend for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park, and the early-season script keeps getting more interesting.

In just three races held so far in 2026, the series has produced three different winners from three different teams. That kind of spread-out victory lane is exactly what fans love to see, and the fourth race of the month crammed into a 29-day window offers another prime opportunity for the competitive balance of this 25-car field to assert itself even further.

It has been more than 50 years since the series packed March this aggressively. In the past decade, only the month of July has hosted as many events across different locations. The pace has been relentless, the racing sharp, and the storylines fresh.

Andretti Global dominates the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington weekend! Kyle Kirkwood capped the day in style by driving the No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Honda to the win in the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. Marcus Ericsson led the field to green from pole position, while Will Power delivered a strong run to finish third, giving Andretti Global three cars in the top four on the new 2.73-mile Arlington street circuit. The victory marks Andretti’s 78th INDYCAR win and their 21st on a street circuit. With the win, Andretti Global now leads the INDYCAR driver championships as the series heads to Barber Motorsports Park after a short break. Image Credit: Andretti Global via FB/META (2026)

Will Power, now in his first campaign with Andretti Global, sat down for a press conference this week and delivered his usual mix of blunt honesty, dry humor, and quiet confidence. The veteran corrected the moderator early on: he finished third at the Streets of Arlington, not fourth, behind teammate Kyle Kirkwood's impressive victory and Alex Palou in second. It was a strong weekend for the team overall.

Power acknowledged the slow start in the points incidents at St. Petersburg and Phoenix hurt but stressed the underlying speed has been there. The team led at Phoenix before the trouble, and he believes a top-five finish was likely at St. Pete. "The capability to contend for the championship is there," he said. "It's a very good team."

This weekend at Barber carries extra weight for Power. He owns two wins and five podiums at the Alabama rollercoaster, a flowing, elevation-heavy road course that rewards rhythm and precision. Yet it marks his first time piloting the current Andretti car on a proper fast-flowing road course. Friday practice will be critical as he evaluates setup and where the package stacks up in a field that grows tighter every year.

High commitment series of corners and an elevation rise at the end of a high-speed practice run by Will Power has him finishing day one in the top ten drivers in a field of twenty-five. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski - Penske Entertainment (2026)

Power made it clear he expects to be at the pointy end again, but he also knows this stop will reveal plenty about whether Andretti has closed the road-course gap they identified last season.

No discussion of the 2026 title chase skips Alex Palou. Power, the last driver to win a championship against the Ganassi star, described him plainly as the standout and the one setting the standard. While other Ganassi entries haven't matched that level, Palou remains consistently at the front no matter the track type.

To beat him, Power noted, a team and driver cannot afford a single glaring weakness not in qualifying, race pace, strategy, or pit stops. "You can't have a weakness ultimately 'cause he will get you," Power observed. He even joked (mostly) about wanting an in-car camera of Palou on a road or street course just to study the man's technique.

Pitlane ponderings run through Will Power's mind while in his box at Practice 1 of the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park. Image Credit: Joe Skibinski - Penske Entertainment (2026)

Power drew a parallel to his battles with Dario Franchitti years ago but noted the modern era is tougher: a misstep today drops you to 17th, not third, thanks to the depth in the field. Still, he sees Andretti currently led in the standings by teammate Kirkwood as right in the mix.

Power has been impressed with his new squad. He described their debriefs as very military like more structured than what he experienced at Penske with strong processes and ample resources. "They've got everything they need to win a championship," he said. He's providing feedback drawn from years at another top organization, and the team is already making directional improvements.

The whirlwind of adapting to new people, procedures, and car feel has been intense. A recent weekend off helped him catch our breath and digest lessons, especially valuable while prepping for the Indianapolis cars. Power believes the ingredients for a title fight exist right now, not in three years as he once projected. Arlington showed the pace; Barber will test it on a classic road course.

He also tipped his cap to the late George Barber, praising the passion and presentation that turned the venue into one of the series' best from the museum to the sculpted grounds and flowing track layout. Tributes and stickers honoring Barber will feature prominently this weekend.

Full ZOOM Call:

Power sounded genuinely upbeat about the health of INDYCAR. Ratings, crowds, and event quality are rising. He credited the new Arlington layout, partnerships with major sports owners like Jerry Jones, and the overall push for bigger, better spectacles. "From when I first started to now, it's only progressively got better and better every year," he remarked.

Looking ahead, Long Beach remains a traditional strength for Andretti, and Power expects the car to shine there. Indy 500 preparations continue, with focus on building a qualifying-fast machine to complement the team's noted race-handling strengths.

With three different winners from three different teams already on the board, Barber represents another chance for the parity narrative to deepen or for someone to stamp authority. Power and Andretti arrive optimistic but realistic: the road course will be telling. Palou lurks as the benchmark. The 25-car field remains deep and unpredictable.

Four races in March. A sport showing renewed vitality. And a veteran driver in a new home still chasing that championship feel while enjoying the ride.

The Alabama hills are calling. The pointy end awaits. And the early-season story of balance and opportunity has every reason to continue.

As this article is sent to the web to be published, the first practice session is in and Will Power unloads and finishes, during the last and final session of Practice 1, as the 4th quickest Honda and nearly one-half of a second behind the top Chevy driven by former teammate Scott McLaughlin.

POST RACE UPDATE - From P23 to P12 & Biggest Mover:

... notes from The EDJE 

TAGS: #IndyCar, #BarberMotorsportsPark, #WillPower, #AndrettiGlobal, #AlexPalou, #NTTIndyCarSeries, #IndyCarParity, #ChildrensOfAlabamaIndyGrandPrix, MotorsportsJournal, #TheEDJE

Phoenix Raceway Pre-Unser Open Test Press Conference Unfolds With Palou And O'Ward

First of the 2026 on-site open test press conference with Pato O'Ward and INDYCAR series Champion Alex Palou at Phoenix Raceway. Drivers share a laugh about events about the tire test held at Sebring a week earlier. Image Credit: NICS ZOOM Call Video (2026)

Phoenix Raceway Pre-Unser Open Test Press Conference Unfolds With Palou And O'Ward

As the sun rose over Phoenix Raceway on a crisp February morning in 2026, and the paddock buzzed with the familiar hum of anticipation that only a season-opener test can generate. Here, in the desert air still carrying a hint of winter chill, two of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES' brightest stars - four-time reigning champion Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and the ever-competitive Pato O'Ward piloting the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet - stepped to the microphones. 

The moderator set the scene plainly: Phoenix was back on the calendar, a throwback oval welcoming most of the field to virgin territory, and the Unser Open Test was the first real chance to shake out the cobwebs before the green flags flew in earnest. Palou, fresh off a season of utter dominance with eight victories in 2025, spoke with the quiet confidence of a man chasing history. A four-peat would place him in rare company, only Sébastien Bourdais having achieved the feat in the modern era. Yet for all the laurels, he admitted the workload ahead felt endless - Sebring the week prior, Phoenix now, and no real pause until May. The Chip Ganassi team had poured hours into preparations over the winter, aiming to replicate or perhaps even eclipse the magic of the previous year. This test, especially on an unfamiliar oval, represented starting from scratch, but Palou welcomed the luxury of multi-day running rarely afforded on ovals outside Indianapolis. Confidence in the car, the ability to attack rather than merely survive the laps - that was the true measure of success he sought.

Pato O'Ward - The Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway - Image Credit: Joe Skibinski via NICS (2026)

O'Ward, entering his seventh full season and armed with nine career wins including two last year, approached the 1-mile tri-oval with the curiosity of a newcomer. Only a handful of veterans - Power, Newgarden, Rossi, Dixon - had turned laps here in anger, and the last INDYCAR visit dated back to 2018. He likened the layout to a blend of Gateway and Iowa, old-school and fast, and hoped the test could coax a proper second lane into life for the race to come. Sebring's times? Dismissed with a laugh; that was tire development and experimentation, not outright speed. What mattered now was building comfort, finding a setup that allowed aggressive running without the car dictating terms. Ovals demand trust - if the machine isn't planted, the delta between control and chaos widens dramatically. 

Both drivers agreed the test's value lay not in headline lap times but in feel and foundation. Palou emphasized subtle adjustments and the freedom to experiment without the pressure of a race weekend's limited laps and identical fuel loads. O'Ward echoed the sentiment: a solid base here could carry forward, even if NASCAR rubber, weather shifts, or race-day dynamics later scrambled the picture. Phoenix before the Indianapolis 500 offered another oval outing early, but neither saw it as direct preparation for the Brickyard - Indy, they noted, remains its own unpredictable beast, defying easy translation from other tracks.

The No. 10 Honda piloted by reining NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion blisters by at around 170 miles per hour on the tight banked turns of Phoenix Raceway. Image Credit: Matt Fravervia NICS (2026)

Conversation drifted to lighter matters: the new FOX commercials drawing praise (Palou singled out Will Power's spot as a standout), the grueling early-season stretch demanding no radical changes to conditioning regimens, and the visual spectacle INDYCARs might provide to crossover NASCAR fans during the shared weekend. Track limits drew a firm line - unlike NASCAR's apron exploits, INDYCAR would enforce boundaries strictly, and Palou, after a track walk, deemed the rough outer edges a recipe for disaster rather than daring passes.

Firestone's tweaked right-front tire, wider for better following and second-lane grip, came under discussion as a welcome evolution for short-oval racing. Palou referenced prior testing by veterans like Dixon and Rossi, crediting it as a step toward multi-groove action. The session underscored a mature approach from both stars: gone were the days of treating every test lap like qualifying. Now, plans guided the process - team strategy over raw bravado - though the inner drive to demonstrate speed never fully receded.

FOX Sports promotional commercial (click-image) shows Alex Palou rushing through a grocery store check-out line passing by a magazine stand featuring a magazine cover with Pato O'Ward on the face hinting that O'Ward may be getting more attention and press than the three-time and reining NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion himself. Image Credit: NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Chip Ganassi Racing (2026)

As the press conference wrapped and the first day of the two-day Unser Open Test was engaged, the timing screens told their own story by dusk. David Malukas led a Team Penske 1-2, but Palou slotted solidly fifth overall with a best of 21.0088 seconds at 171.357 mph, clocked on his 48th of 55 laps - a clean, confident marker amid the Honda contingent's strong showing.

O'Ward, meanwhile, ended the day 16th of 25 drivers at 21.2509 seconds and 169.405 mph on his 19th of a busier 98 laps, a cautious tally that spoke to methodical exploration rather than early fireworks. The sense lingered that Phoenix 2026 would test more than setups. For Palou, it was another chapter in a quest for immortality; for O'Ward, a fresh proving ground to harness his talent on ovals that define the series' soul. The cars would roll out again tomorrow, and in the desert heat, the real answers would emerge ... not in words, but in the howl of engines and the lines carved into the blacktop.

... notes from The EDJE








TAGS: #IndyCar, #UnserOpenTest, #PhoenixRaceway, #AlexPalou, #PatoOWard, #NTTIndyCarSeries, #FourPeatChase, #OvalTesting, #2026Season, TheEDJE, #MotorsportsJournal, #IndyCarOnFOX, #INDYCAR

NTT INDTCAR’s 2026 Hybrid Season: Western Focus And The Push For A 20-Race Calendar

Pato O'Ward leads teammate Christian Lundgaard and eventual 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Season Champion Alex Palou through Turn 1 at The Thermal Club in the season's  second race of the first full season utilizing a hybrid power formula. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2025)

IndyCar’s 2026 Hybrid Season: Western Focus And The Push For A 20-Race Calendar

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has unveiled its 2026 schedule, marking the second full season of its hybrid power era, blending electric and combustion engines in a formula that has intensified competition since its 2024 Mid-Season introduction. The 17-race calendar, spanning from St. Petersburg’s streets to Laguna Seca’s finale, mixes ovals, road courses, and street circuits. While the schedule highlights a Western focus, with key races in Phoenix (oval), Long Beach (temporary street circuit), and Laguna Seca (established road course), it sidesteps ambitions for Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and the talk of reigniting the Gold Coast of Australia, leaving international expansion on hold for another year.

2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Schedule: Following a 2025 season with 27% viewership growth on FOX Sports, averaging 1.36M viewers and crowned by Álex Palou’s historic three-peat, IndyCar’s 17-race 2026 calendar promises dynamic racing. “Our growth is industry-leading and will accelerate with FOX Sports and new venues,” said Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles. “We can’t wait for 2026.” Graphic Credit: Penske Entertainment (2025)

The Western region gains prominence with three pivotal races. Phoenix Raceway opens the Western swing on March 7, a Saturday slot to avoid clashing with NASCAR, where the hybrid-powered Dallara chassis will tackle the one-mile oval. On April 19, Long Beach’s street circuit follows, its tight corners and waterfront straight leveraging the hybrid system’s energy recovery for strategic overtakes. The season concludes on September 6 at Laguna Seca, a track restored as the championship-deciding venue, signaling INDYCAR’s intent to reconnect with West Coast fans and capitalize on the region’s racing prominence and heritage.

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca’s return as the season finale replaces Nashville Superspeedway. This shift prioritizes the 2.238-mile road course’s challenging layout over Nashville's urban street spectacle once-removed, from a temporary street course to 2024's change to the oval course, located roughly 40 miles East outside of the city. 

The WeatherTech Raceway's elevation changes and iconic Corkscrew will test drivers like Álex Palou, the defending - and now 4-time / with a 3-peat - champion, as they navigate the hybrid system’s regenerative capabilities. This Western trio - Phoenix, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca - aims to draw crowds and boost INDYCAR’s visibility in a key market, reinforcing the series’ commitment to its coastal fanbase after two years of absence from Monterey.

Despite the schedule’s strengths, 17 races feel insufficient compared to other motorsport series. NASCAR’s Cup Series runs 36 races, Formula 1 schedules 24, and IMSA exceeds a dozen. INDYCAR’s calendar, though varied with additions like Arlington’s street circuit (March 13-15), Toronto GP venue change about 20 miles North to the Streets of Markham, Ontario, Canada (August 14-16) and Milwaukee’s doubleheader (August 28-30), lacks the depth to match its rivals’ intensity. The hybrid formula, with its complex battery management and push-to-pass tactics, calls for a broader stage to showcase driver skill and team strategy, ensuring the series remains competitive in a crowded motorsport landscape.

To reach elite status, we at Motorsports Journal believe INDYCAR should expand to 20 races, adding depth without exhausting teams. Reinstating Iowa Speedway’s short oval in the summer could highlight the hybrid system’s efficiency, fitting neatly without overlapping local events like the Iowa State Fair. A return to The Thermal Club’s 3.67-mile road course in March would tighten the early-season schedule, offering a California-based test of speed and strategy. These additions, possibly replacing less distinctive ovals, would create a more robust championship while maintaining balance.

Expanding to 20 races would benefit teams, broadcasters, and fans. Engineers would gain more data to refine hybrid setups, FOX Sports’ coverage through 2030 would have more content, and fans would have more opportunities to engage, potentially growing the series’ audience. The Western focus already sets the stage, with Phoenix and Long Beach drawing diverse viewers early on in the season. Additional races, perhaps in the Midwest or Pacific Northwest/West Coast of Canada in addition to Portland, Oregon, could further diversify the schedule, creating a championship that tests endurance and skill across varied landscapes.

As INDYCAR prepares for 2026, its hybrid era holds immense potential. The Western emphasis, anchored by Phoenix, Long Beach, and Laguna Seca, is a strategic move, but a 20-race schedule would elevate the series to new heights. More races mean more chances for drivers to shine, fans to rally, and legacies to form. INDYCAR’s hybrid engine is ready - now it just needs many more roads of competition to prove its change in formula worth.

... notes from The EDJE

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