Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 by a record margin, Alex Palou claimed his fifth title and the series averaged 1.68 million viewers on FOX.
Series figures put 2026 among the strongest seasons the NTT INDYCAR SERIES has had. Rosenqvist's victory margin in the 110th Indianapolis 500 set a new record, and Palou, at 29, took his fifth title with Chip Ganassi Racing. FOX broadcasts averaged 1.68 million viewers across the 18 races.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES says 2026 ranked among its strongest seasons, both on track and on television. Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 by a record margin, beating the 1992 record of .043 of a second, and Alex Palou won his fifth championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. The series paid out $30,906,400 in total prize money, also a record.
On track
Every one of the 10 full-time teams led laps during the season, and all of them reached at least one Firestone Fast Six round, which is staged at road and street races. Nine teams finished on the podium. Eight drivers won races, more than in any season since 2022, and eight also took NTT P1 Awards as top qualifiers. Sixteen drivers earned a top-three finish, matching the most since 2015. The 25 full-time starters came from 14 countries.
Indianapolis 500
The 500 sold out for the second consecutive year. It produced a race record of 70 lead changes, a total that ranks third in series history. Fourteen of the 33 drivers held the lead at some point, a figure that also ranks third all-time. Rosenqvist was in front for 25 laps, while Palou led 59, Scott Dixon 32 and David Malukas 30. Team Penske's Malukas finished second.
Palou and the Ganassi record
Palou won eight poles and six races in 2026, leading both categories. Over a seven-week run, which took in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis and then XPEL's race at Road America, he won five poles and gained 43 points on second place, a gain the series said put his rivals on notice. He led the standings by 133 points at one stage and finished 86 points clear. At 29, he became the youngest five-time series champion. His title also gave Chip Ganassi Racing its record 18th series championship, breaking Team Penske's total of 17.
Television
The series drew its biggest TV audience in nearly two decades. Across the 18 races, the average was 1.68 million viewers on FOX. That was up more than 23 percent on 2025 and more than 57 percent on 2024. Nine races averaged at least one million viewers, the most since 2008. The Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., drew 3.28 million viewers on average, the highest figure for any race other than the Indianapolis 500 since 1995. All 18 races, plus four other events, aired live on network television.
