INDYCAR heading to Barcelona in 2027, giving five-time champion Alex Palou a long-awaited homecoming

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INDIANAPOLIS -- INDYCAR is taking its show to Barcelona, and five-time series champion Alex Palou is helping bring it to his own backyard.

The series announced Friday a multiyear agreement to race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya beginning July 18, 2027, marking INDYCAR’s debut in Spain and its first race outside North America since 2013. The addition represents a significant step in INDYCAR’s efforts to expand its international presence, with its most dominant driver playing a central role in bringing the deal together.

Palou, the five-time champion from Chip Ganassi Racing, participated in meetings with circuit officials and promoters that helped finalize the agreement. The Barcelona native grew up just 20 minutes from the track, where he spent countless afternoons and weekends watching some of the world’s best drivers.

Now he will return as one of the biggest stars in American open-wheel racing, with an opportunity to compete in front of family members and friends who have never seen him race in INDYCAR.

“This is super special. I never thought that this could even be an option, I obviously always dreamed about it because that is where I’m from,” Palou said. “I think there’s not really anything more special than racing at home and feeling the love from the fans at home.”

The homecoming carries particular significance for Palou, who left Spain to pursue his racing career and eventually became one of the most successful drivers in INDYCAR history.

“I feel like I am very lucky that a lot of people in the U.S. are showing me the love that I would receive at home, but being able to go sleep at home, I have some family members who are a little bit older, or they are not able to travel and they have never been able to see me race,” he said. “It will be super cool to bring it there and to a lot of friends, as well.”

The agreement brings INDYCAR to one of Europe’s most recognizable racing facilities.

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, located in Montmeló outside Barcelona, opened in 1991 and has been a longtime fixture on the Formula 1 calendar. The 4.657-kilometer (2.894-mile) circuit features 14 turns, a lengthy front straightaway and a combination of high-speed corners and technical sections that have made it a popular testing venue for international racing series.

The circuit also hosts motorcycle racing and has infrastructure developed over decades of staging major international events.

For Palou, it was practically a second home.

“My parents still live like 20 minutes from the track, so I grew up 20 minutes from the track going to every single practice session I could after school, and during the weekends that I was free,” Palou said.

He believes the facility will set a new benchmark for INDYCAR.

“The standards are huge. That track is incredible, all the amenities, everything is to another level,” he said. “We don’t have any track on our current calendar that is even close to that. It will be good for us to learn and see what things we can implement in our tracks and see what’s worth it and what’s not.”

Despite his familiarity with the circuit, Palou acknowledged that success there has been elusive.

“The track is incredible, although I have never had a lot of success there. I will change that next year,” he said.

The race will also provide a rare international showcase for INDYCAR, which has largely confined its schedule to the United States and Canada for more than a decade.

The series last raced outside North America in 2013, when it competed on the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Its international history also includes events in Japan, Australia and several other markets, although sustained expansion beyond North America has proven difficult.

The Barcelona agreement offers an opportunity to test whether INDYCAR can build a lasting European presence, particularly with Palou’s success providing a natural connection to Spanish motorsports fans.

Team owner Chip Ganassi believes the timing is ideal.

“With Alex being the champion, it’s a great opportunity for us to go to a place where they want us to race and I think there are great motorsports fans in that country that want to see great racing,” Ganassi said.

Ganassi supports a measured approach to international expansion rather than an aggressive overhaul of the schedule.

“I think a few races to start with, a race or two to expand our footprint is a good idea,” he said.

Palou sees an opportunity for INDYCAR to follow other American sports leagues that have successfully taken events overseas, including the NFL, which has expanded its international games.

“I think for the series it will be incredible to showcase our product, to test if going international is something that help the series grow,” Palou said.

“Even in the U.S., it will be cool for fans to see their drivers going to Europe or another market. Hopefully we have fans who will go to Spain for vacation and then also go to the race.”

Palou won’t be the only Ganassi driver arriving with experience at the circuit.

Teammate Christian Lundgaard, a Danish driver who competed in Europe’s junior formula ranks before moving to INDYCAR, has logged extensive mileage at Barcelona in multiple racing categories.

“I think it will be awesome to go abroad,” Lundgaard said. “Obviously it’s been a long time since the series has gone outside the U.S., other than Canada, to pursue new opportunities.”

Lundgaard believes his familiarity with the circuit could prove valuable when INDYCAR arrives with cars that differ considerably from those typically raced at Barcelona.

“I have a lot of laps around Barcelona in my life in various different series, so hopefully there will be some valuable information from that,” he said.

He also credited INDYCAR’s growing television exposure through Fox Sports and Palou’s five championships with helping make the series more attractive to international markets.

“I think we’re seeing the effect from FOX, Alex as well having now won five championships,” Lundgaard said. “That helps show off the series and taking us to see new places.”

The biggest unknown may be how enthusiastically Spanish fans embrace a series that has never raced in their country.

Spain has a rich motorsports tradition, particularly in Formula 1 and motorcycle racing, but INDYCAR has never established a comparable foothold there.

Palou hopes his championship success and the novelty of an American racing series competing on Spanish soil will help attract a substantial crowd.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he said when asked what kind of reception he expects. “I think the last time I raced in Spain was in a junior series and I was 17 or 18, so it was a long time ago, 10 years or so. Hopefully it’s huge.”

For INDYCAR, Barcelona represents an opportunity to reach new fans and establish a foothold in Europe.

For Palou, the stakes are more personal.

The boy who once hurried to the circuit after school to watch racing will return as a five-time INDYCAR champion, competing in front of the people who watched him grow up.

And this time, he’ll be one of the drivers everyone has come to see.