Indycar goes to Barcelona, and Alex Palou will probably be racing at house

Alex Palou will get to defend a championship in entrance of his hometown crowd. INDYCAR introduced Friday that it’s going to race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, July 18, 2027, the collection’ first occasion in Spain.

The Grand Prix of Barcelona is a multiyear deal. It ends a protracted stretch for the collection away from worldwide racing. INDYCAR’s final race outdoors North America was in 2013, when James Hinchcliffe received on the streets of São Paulo. Its final European race was at Assen within the Netherlands in 2007.

Palou, a 29-year-old Barcelona native, arrives because the face of the collection. He received his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title this 12 months and has taken 5 championships in six seasons. His 4 straight titles make him solely the second driver to do this, after Sebastien Bourdais received 4 in a row from 2004 to 2007. Only A.J. Foyt, with seven championships, and Scott Dixon, with six, have extra.

“It means so much to me to have a race at home in Barcelona, it’s hard to put into words,” Palou mentioned. He added that he and his Chip Ganassi Racing crew will attempt to carry the trophy house.

The circuit in Montmeló opened in 1991 and has since hosted Formula One and MotoGP. It is thought for quick corners and a demanding format.

Barcelona is the twelfth cease on a 17-race 2027 calendar. The season opens March 7 on the streets of St. Petersburg, and the 111th Indianapolis 500 follows on May 30. After Barcelona, the collection returns to Portland on Aug. 1 after which goes to Markham, Ontario, on Aug. 15, the place the road race that debuted this 12 months produced 258 passes, essentially the most of any road circuit in 2026.

The remaining stretch features a Milwaukee Mile doubleheader on Aug. 28 and 29. The first race there this 12 months produced a season-high 696 passes. The season ends Sept. 5 at Laguna Seca, house of the Corkscrew, which can host the finale for the thirteenth time and current the Astor Challenge Cup.

Other summer time stops embody St. Louis on June 13, Road America on June 27 and Mid-Ohio on the Fourth of July. For the third straight 12 months, each race will air on FOX.