IndyCar Grand Prix Of Markham Friday Action Cancelled By Track Issues

The highly anticipated IndyCar Grand Prix in Markham, Ontario, began with disappointment as Friday's Practice 1 was canceled, leaving enthusiastic fans who arrived early to watch only construction vehicles. The 2.19-mile street course remained unfinished, primarily due to incomplete tire barriers and fencing, preventing crucial FIA certification. Despite the frustrating delays, drivers like Scott Dixon and Alex Palou expressed high praise for the newly repaved surface and challenging layout, anticipating an excellent race once the track is ready. Veteran Will Power noted such first-day snags are common for new street circuits. Organizers are now working urgently to complete the course for this vital international event on the 2026 IndyCar calendar.

The excitement was high for the Toronto suburb of Markham, Ontario as fans came out early and filled the grandstands around the 12-turn, 2.19-mile street course – site of IndyCar’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy At Markham.

Unfortunately, for the next nine hours, the only action they saw were construction vehicles attempting to complete the building of the race course.

Because of ongoing delays completing the track build, the NTT IndyCar Series Practice 1 on Friday was rescheduled from 3:05 p.m. Eastern Time to 6 p.m. ET. But at 5:35 p.m., Friday’s activities were rescheduled to Saturday.

According to several IndyCar team managers in the paddock, the issue is getting enough tires into the race course for the tire barriers. It’s a lengthy process where tires have to be banded together, installed into the proper areas, then covered with protective covering. Because it's a temporary street course, tires barriers are used because it would be unfeasible to use a SAFER Barrier because that has to be attached to a permanent barrier.

Areas of the hairpin are being completed including fencing and tire barriers remained uncompleted. After that, it needs to be certified by an FIA representative on site.

The unfortunate thing is enthusiasm for this race was very high as a large amount of fans came to the race course early on Friday and stayed throughout a long day where nothing really happened except track construction.

The track build for the 2.19-mile, 12-turn street course race in Markham, Ontario began on July 19. The course is on the site of a GO Train station, which is still in use but the parking lots are the location of the double pit lane being used by IndyCar. The parking lots closest to the pit lane were fully turned over to race promoters Green Savoree Promotions at end of day on Wednesday, August 12.

There are no major issues with the course, it just has to be finalized, which is what race promoters and IndyCar were attempting to be completed on Friday, according to race officials.

The actual track surface drew high praise from drivers in the IndyCar Series as it was recently repaved and will provide a smooth surface. The grandstands are immaculate and were filled with loyal and enthusiastic fans as early as 9 a.m. ET.

“I think honestly the track looks fantastic,” six-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing said. “It looks really cool. It looks like just most of the other street stuff, but yeah, this is typically expected.

“I think for a first-time event, the surface looks really good. Track layout looks really good. A ton of fans here already, which is really cool.”

When asked how he expected the track to race once cars are on course, Dixon believes it will be a very good track for Indy cars.

“Like the surface could be one that grips up really well or doesn't at all,” Dixon explained. “I think a lot of it will depend on just how the tire really works with the surface. I think from the simulation that we had, from what it's seen, it was a lot bumpier. But I think all the scans were done before that actually surface was actually completed, so the track surface looks really good.”

Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing leads Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global by 110 points in the race for the 2026 IndyCar Series Championship. Each IndyCar race has a maximum of 110 points for the winner if he also wins the pole and leads the most laps. If Palou sat out the next two races and the same driver won at Markham and next week on the streets of Washington, DC and scored maximum points in both races, Palou would still lead the championship by two points.

Of course, Palou is competing and is one of the favorites to win this weekend’s race.

Once completed, he believes it will be a great street course.

“It looks great, like the layout and the new tarmac,” Palou said. “I think it’s going to be one of our most fun street courses of the year and of the calendar. I think Markham has done an incredible job with the investment, with the layout, and everything. So far, it looks incredible.

“As I said, the tarmac being brand new, like that's something we don't have. We've never had it on a street course and the layout looks good. There are some overtaking spots. It's super wide at some areas, narrow at some others, but it looks great.”

Alexander Rossi of ECR is another driver who is impressed with everything about the street circuit but remains inactive as the track build is completed.

“I think the layout is incredible,” Rossi said. “Obviously, the surface looks great. A lot of the fencing is awesome, Arlington spec. So, I think there’s a lot of good things about what we have in front of us.”

Will Power of Andretti Global is one of the old veterans of the series. He has experienced many first-day, first-year street course delays while the track is completed included Baltimore 2011, Houston in 2013, the San Jose Champ Car race in 2005 and the first Music City Grand Prix of Nashville in 2021. Each of those races had first-day delays for various issues while completing the track or the grandstands.

Power, however, is excited for this first-time event, even though it’s off to a standing start.

“It’s probably the nicest street course we’re going to go to,” Power said. “Arlington was an event (the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington in March), and the presentation was very good. That was probably our best street course we go to.

“But here, I’m just talking about a track surface. It's a full resurface. That's there's no other place we go to that has done that.”

The next step, however, is getting the course completed in time to resume the weekend schedule for the only international event on the 2026 IndyCar Series schedule.