New race in Barcelona tops 17-event '27 IndyCar season
IndyCar will stage a race next year in Barcelona, the hometown of five-time series champion Alex Palou, as part of a 17-event campaign in 2027, officials announced on Friday.
The IndyCar Grand Prix of Barcelona, set for July 18 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, will be the open-wheel series' first race in Spain.
The homecoming for 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner Palou, who captured his fourth consecutive season crown this year for his fifth title in six seasons, is part of a multi-year agreement, IndyCar said.
It marks IndyCar's first race outside North America since 2013 at Sao Paulo, Brazil, and its first European race since 2007 in the Netherlands.
"We're 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," series-owner Penske Entertainment Corporation president Mark Miles said.
The complete season schedule was announced Friday, topped by the 111th Indianapolis 500 on May 30.
The campaign launches March 7 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, and concludes September 5 at California's Laguna Seca road course.
Other highlights include races at Road America on June 27, Mid-Ohio on the July 4 Independence Day holiday, the streets of Markham, Canada on August 15 and the Milwaukee Mile on August 28-29.
The schedule does not include a return to the streets of Washington, where the series staged a one-off event in August as part of celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
M.Gonzalez--PI