IndyCar is going on a European vacation next summer. The series has scheduled a race at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for July 18. It will mark the first time IndyCar has visited the continent since 2007.
IndyCar is looking to leverage the popularity of five-time champion and Barcelona native Alex Palou while also taking advantage of Formula 1’s decision to not race at the track in 2027, as it shifts to a two-year rotation on the schedule. The deal with IndyCar is for 10 years.
“This is a monumental day for our sport,” Penske Entertainment Corp. President and CEO Mark Miles said in a news release. “We are pleased to be able to take our ultra-competitive brand of wheel-to-wheel racing to Europe and thrilled that we can showcase INDYCAR in Alex Palou’s hometown. We have seen Alex’s remarkable skill and talent for several years and know his fans in Spain have been clamoring to watch him race in person.”
There’s room on the IndyCar schedule after the Nashville race was dropped due to low attendance since it moved from downtown to the Superspeedway in 2024. Nashville’s promoter, Scott Borchetta, said he’s working to bring the race back into the city once construction of the new Nashville Titans football stadium is complete. IndyCar will also not return to the streets of Washington, D.C., following this yer’s Freedom 250.
Here is the full 17-race 2027 schedule:
March 7: Streets of St. Petersburg
March 13: Phoenix Raceway
March 21: Streets of Arlington
April 4: Barber Motorsports Park
April 18: Streets of Long Beach
May 15: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
May 30: Indy 500
June 6: Streets of Detroit
June 13: World Wide Technology Raceway
June 27: Road America
July 4: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 18: Grand Prix of Barcelona
Aug. 1: Portland International Raceway
Aug 15: Streets of Markham
Aug 28: Milwaukee Mile Race 1
Aug 29: Milwaukee Mile Race 2
Sept. 5: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
This story has been updated with additional information
