Arrow McLaren books fan fest as prelude to INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team has scheduled a fan-friendly, meet-and-greet event leading into next month’s inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington street race.
The Arrow McLaren Arlington Fan Fest presented by Mission Foods is booked for Wednesday, March 11, from 4-8 p.m. (CT) at the Arlington Backyard inside the Texas Live!
Fans are invited to join the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team for a kick-off party prior to the headline NTT IndyCar Series race on Sunday, March 15. Arrow McLaren drivers Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel will be on-site and sign autographs at select times throughout the evening.
“I’m excited to get back to Arlington for what will be a massive race weekend in an amazing place,” said O’Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio and driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. “Of course, I’m looking forward most to getting in the car and on-track, but I’m equally pumped to see all our great fans down in Texas, a state that holds a very special place in my heart as a second home to me. The Fan Fest will be the perfect way to kick-off a big weekend.”
Recall that O’Ward scored his first INDYCAR victory on Texas Motor Speedway’s high-banked/1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth on May 2, 2021 in the XPEL 375 _ Race No. 2 of a double-header weekend in Cowtown. O’Ward became the first Mexican driver to win in INDYCAR since 2004.
O’Ward won two races en route to finishing second in the final 2025 driver standings to four-time/reigning INDYCAR champion Alex Palou of Spain and Chip Ganassi Racing. Lundgaard, a 24-year-old native of Denmark, finished fifth in points in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet while native Californian Siegel, 21, placed 22nd overall.
The Fan Fest program will include a live livery unveiling of the No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to be driven by Siegel, giving fans a first look at the car before it maneuvers the streets of Arlington during the March 13-15 weekend of practice, qualifying and racing.
Additional on-stage programming will include a Q&A between Dallas-based comedian Ralph Barbosa and O’Ward, and a Women in Sports Panel presented by team partner NTT DATA featuring female sports executives and race organizers.
Fans will be able to sample various activations across the Arlington Backyard event space, including Mission Foods and VELO product stands, SmartStop racing simulators, merchandise offerings, a “Get Ready Zone” where attendees can glam-up before race weekend, a kid’s zone and more.
The Arlington Backyard event venue is located next to Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, and just east of AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. INDYCAR will contest Race No. 3 of its expanded 2026 schedule around both landmarks on a 2.73-mile/14-turn circuit. Construction of temporary suites has begun for a race that will be broadcast nationally on FOX on March 15 at 11:30 a.m. (CT). Race tickets are available at gparlington.com.
Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team continues the tradition of native New Zealander Bruce McLaren, who founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd. In 1963. A race-winning driver, McLaren also was known for his hands-on engineering as he designed and built championship winning cars for Formula 1 and Can-Am competition.
Within INDYCAR, the team’s legacy includes three McLaren Indianapolis 500 victories _ 1972 with Mark Donohue in a car fielded by Team Penske, and factory entries in 1974 and 1976 with Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth, Texas. McLaren Racing’s INDYCAR resume features a total of 27 wins, 30 poles and 87 podium finishes.
Following a dominant run in the 1970s, McLaren Racing re-entered INDYCAR 40 years later with Indianapolis 500 entries in 2017 and 2019 for two-time (2005-2006) Formula 1 World Driving Champion Fernando Alonso of Spain. In 2020, McLaren Racing solidified its full-season return through a partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before securing majority ownership in 2021 and full ownership at the end of 2024.
In addition to full-timers O’Ward, Lundgaard and Siegel, Ryan Hunter-Reay will compete with the team at the 110th Indianapolis 500 in the No. 31 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Hunter-Reay, a 45-year-old resident of Florida nicknamed “Captain America,” won the INDYCAR championship in 2012 and the Indianapolis 500 in 2014.
NTT IndyCar Series teams will participate in the Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway Feb. 17-18 in preparation for the Good Ranchers 250 on Saturday, March 7.
The INDCAR event _ Round 2 of an expanded 18-race schedule _ will be part of a busy weekend at the famed 1-mile oval alongside NASCAR, providing a joint showcase of North American racing in partnership with FOX Sports.
INDYCAR most recently raced at Phoenix Raceway on April 7, 2018, an event won by Josef Newgarden of Team Penske. It was the last event contested on the track’s original configuration before it was reconfigured _the former Turn 3 is now Turn 1 _ and repaved.
The test honors the open-wheel legacy of brothers Al and Bobby Unser, the natives of Albuquerque, N.M., who combined to win 10 races at the track formerly known as Phoenix International Raceway. Al Unser won a record six INDYCAR races and added six poles at the facility in Avondale, Ariz., from 1969 to 1985. In addition to his four victories, Bobby Unser scored a track-record 11 poles.
Two-time INDYCAR champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr. finished runner-up at Phoenix four times.
“I’ll speak for our family and say how pleased we are to be honored in this way by INDYCAR,” Little Al said. “Dad simply loved racing at Phoenix, and no one took it to the edge in qualifying there quite like Uncle Bobby. It was exciting to see the track added to the schedule this year, and the Open Test will be crucial for drivers and teams as they get ready for the race in March. I can’t wait to see the NTT IndyCar Series back at Phoenix.”
On-track testing will take place from 2-7 p.m. EST (noon-5 p.m. MST) on Tuesday, Feb. 17, and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. EST (9 a.m.- noon) and 3:30-6:30 p.m. EST (1:30-4:30 p.m.) on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Four-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou of Spain and Chip Ganassi Racing and nine-time INDYCAR race-winner Pato O’Ward of Mexico and Arrow McLaren will be part of a news conference at 12:30 p.m. EST (10:30 a.m. MST) on Tuesday.
The Unser INDYCAR Open Test at Phoenix Raceway will only be open to fans on Feb. 18. Access will be free and include an autograph session from 12:45-1:15 p.m. (MST) for the first 300 fans to visit the Phoenix Raceway display in the Midway.
The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season will begin with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Fla., street race on Sunday, March 1. Race-day coverage will begin at noon (ET) on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One and the FOX Sports app. Audio coverage will be available via the INDYCAR Radio Network on SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
The recently revised 18-race schedule includes new venues in Arlington, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market; Markham, Ontario, Canada and Washington, D.C. For information about the series or teams, visit www.indycar.com.
FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES RACE BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Note _ All times Eastern
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., Noon
Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 _ 110th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, 10 a.m.
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA
Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.
Note _ Dates and times subject to change.
