Pato O’Ward Opens Call for IndyCar to Change Schedule After Mexico Misses IndyCar Date in 2026

In the high-octane world of open-wheel racing, few stories capture the blend of passion, frustration, and unyielding optimism quite like Pato O’Ward’s crusade to bring IndyCar back to his native Mexico. The 26-year-old sensation from Monterrey, now a cornerstone of Arrow McLaren’s lineup, has long been the face of this push, leveraging his growing stardom to bridge the series’ North American roots with Latin American fervor. But on September 13, 2025, the dream hit a significant roadblock when Penske Entertainment, IndyCar’s parent company, announced that the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez would not host a race in 2026. Citing insurmountable scheduling conflicts with the FIFA World Cup—a global spectacle co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada from June 11 to July 19—the decision left fans and drivers alike grappling with disappointment. Yet, in a recent interview, O’Ward didn’t just lament the setback; he issued a bold call for IndyCar to rethink its calendar entirely, arguing that flexibility is key to unlocking the series’ international potential.

The announcement came just weeks after the 2025 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway, where O’Ward clinched a career-best second-place finish in the championship standings behind Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou. Throughout the year, whispers of a Mexico City race had grown into a roar, fueled by O’Ward’s tireless advocacy and the series’ strategic pivot under new media partner FOX Sports. Early in 2025, IndyCar CEO Mark Miles had teased progress during a pre-season briefing, noting that negotiations with promoters at the iconic 4.2-kilometer circuit—home to Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix and Formula E events—were advancing. O’Ward, who has invested personal time and resources into the effort since joining IndyCar full-time in 2019, was at the forefront. “I’ve spent years and thousands of dollars trying to make this happen,” he told reporters in July, his voice laced with the weight of a decade-long absence. IndyCar’s last visit to Mexico was in 2007, a Champ Car event at the same track before the series’ merger with the Indy Racing League.

The World Cup’s shadow loomed large from the start. Mexico’s role as a co-host meant stadiums, hotels, and transportation networks in Mexico City would be stretched thin during the tournament’s summer window, clashing directly with IndyCar’s preferred mid-season slot. Promoters offered dates outside that period, but O’Ward revealed in a September 17 interview with Sportskeeda that those alternatives were “horrendous”—either too early in the spring, risking unpredictable weather, or too late in the fall, overlapping with the NFL season and FOX’s packed broadcast slate. “They weren’t dates that would allow us to build something sustainable,” O’Ward explained, his frustration evident but tempered by realism. “We need the right timing for fans, sponsors, and logistics. Rushing into a bad slot would doom it from the start.”

This isn’t the first false start. Efforts to revive a Mexican round date back to 2015, with O’Ward amplifying the call since his breakout 2018 Indy NXT title. His star power—bolstered by near-misses at the Indianapolis 500 in 2020 and 2024, plus a dramatic win at the 2021 Detroit Grand Prix—has made him IndyCar’s most marketable asset south of the border. Surveys by Penske Entertainment in 2024 showed O’Ward outpolling even legends like Hélio Castroneves in Latin American fan engagement metrics. A home race could draw 100,000 spectators, injecting millions into the local economy and expanding IndyCar’s footprint amid competition from Formula 1 and NASCAR. Yet, the series’ calendar remains a delicate puzzle: 17 races squeezed between March and September to align with FOX’s programming, avoiding conflicts with the Indianapolis 500’s Memorial Day anchor.

O’Ward’s response has been characteristically proactive. Speaking at the Victory Lap Championship Celebration on September 20, he urged series officials to “open up the calendar” for 2027 and beyond. “We can’t keep treating international expansion like an afterthought,” he said, according to a FOX Sports clip shared widely on social media. “Look at how FOX has integrated us with the NFL—cross-promotions that grew our audience by 25 percent this year. Why not build in flexible windows for markets like Mexico or even Brazil? Shift some ovals if needed, or pair street circuits with doubleheaders. The fans deserve it, and the growth demands it.” His words echo broader critiques: IndyCar’s 2026 outline, partially revealed last week, adds fresh venues like Phoenix Raceway (in a NASCAR co-bill) and a suburban Toronto street course in Markham, Ontario, but omits high-profile returns like Pocono Raceway and a Northeast U.S. event. Three three-week gaps in the schedule, necessitated by Olympic broadcasting and weather contingencies, further highlight the rigidity O’Ward seeks to challenge.

For O’Ward, this is personal. Raised in Texas after his family relocated from Mexico, he embodies the borderless spirit of modern motorsport. His 2025 season—three wins, including a poignant victory at Iowa Speedway that snapped Chevrolet’s early drought—cemented his status as the series’ emotional core. Fans mobbed him during his FP1 stint for McLaren’s Formula 1 team at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix, chanting “Pato! Pato!” in scenes reminiscent of soccer icons. “Racing in Mexico isn’t just about me winning; it’s about inspiring the next generation,” he reflected in a post-announcement statement on X (formerly Twitter). “I’ve seen kids in Monterrey wearing my helmet replica, dreaming big. We owe them this shot.”

IndyCar isn’t closing the door entirely. Miles affirmed in the September 13 release that “we will continue to work to bring an event to Mexico City in the future,” pointing to 2027 as a realistic target now that World Cup logistics are clearer. O’Ward echoed this optimism, telling Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, “I’m confident we can make it happen in ’27. We need to continue these talks, because otherwise, we’re going to be rushing at the end of ’26 and stuck in the same dilemma.” Behind the scenes, sources indicate January 2026 meetings with promoters could accelerate planning, potentially slotting a late-summer date post-Olympics.

As IndyCar finalizes its full 2026 calendar—expected imminently—the series stands at a crossroads. O’Ward’s call for change underscores a truth: in a globalized era, stagnation risks irrelevance. His vision isn’t radical; it’s evolutionary. By prioritizing adaptability—perhaps trimming domestic redundancies or embracing hybrid events—IndyCar could transform a missed opportunity into a landmark triumph. For now, Mexican fans will cheer O’Ward from afar, at tracks like the new Arlington street course near Dallas. But when the green flag waves at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, it won’t just be a race; it’ll be a homecoming, proving that persistence, like a well-tuned Dallara, always finds the podium.