IndyCar, NASCAR Share Phoenix Saturday in 2027
IndyCar and the NASCAR O'Reilly Series will share the Saturday lineup at Phoenix Raceway from March 12-14, 2027.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Motorsports
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IndyCar and the NASCAR O'Reilly Series will share the Saturday lineup at Phoenix Raceway from March 12-14, 2027. Executives cited ticket sales growth and fan engagement from joint weekends as reasons for the format.
Why it matters
The joint weekends build on a format first tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, and the Phoenix race drew strong on-track action in March 2026. The arrangement signals that both series see value in sharing a weekend audience.
The March 2026 IndyCar race at Phoenix ran 250 laps and produced 565 total passes and 18 lead changes among 11 drivers. Saturday ticket sales rose 100% in the prior year's joint weekend, though the extraction does not detail the scheduling beyond 2027.
The players
IndyCar
The open-wheel racing series that stages its race on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway as part of the shared weekend format.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
NASCAR's second-tier stock car series that shares the Saturday lineup with IndyCar at Phoenix Raceway.
Josef Newgarden
Two-time IndyCar champion who drives for Team Penske and won the March 2026 race at Phoenix.
The details
IndyCar and the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series first held a joint weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, running the format on the road course through 2023 before NASCAR returned the Brickyard 400 to the oval. Josef Newgarden of Team Penske won the March 2026 IndyCar race at Phoenix, with the NASCAR Cup headline event on Sunday.
Timeline
2020: First joint IndyCar and O'Reilly weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
2021-2023: Joint dual-header format continued at Indianapolis.
March 2026: Desert Double weekend held at Phoenix Raceway.
March 12-14, 2027: Next joint IndyCar and O'Reilly Series weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
Season Trajectory
The Phoenix plan extends the joint-weekend format NASCAR and IndyCar first tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, a model that ran on the road course through 2023 before NASCAR returned the Brickyard 400 to the oval. Gibson said joint weekends will not occur every weekend, so the format remains selective rather than a standing schedule change.
Fans planning to attend the March 2027 Phoenix weekend can expect IndyCar on Saturday with the O'Reilly Series race that same day. The on-track timing of the two series was within 75 minutes of each other during the 2026 Phoenix weekend.
The takeaway
Fans who want to see both series in one day should watch for the March 12-14, 2027 Phoenix weekend, since Gibson noted joint weekends will not happen every year.
What happens next
The joint IndyCar and O'Reilly Series weekend at Phoenix Raceway is scheduled for March 12-14, 2027.
Further reading
For more on the racing calendar, see Motorsports.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Motorsport.
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