INDYCAR has reported approximately 20 percent growth in race-weekend attendance and a nearly 40 percent increase in trackside merchandise sales during its 2026 season.
The series published the figures in an official season review on 22 September 2026. They are INDYCAR's own aggregate measures; the announcement does not provide independently audited totals, event-by-event revenue or the value of merchandise sold.
The commercial update follows an earlier broadcast report showing an average US audience of 1.681 million viewers across the 18-race season on FOX, 23 percent higher than in 2025 and the series' strongest average since 2008.
Attendance grows across established and new events
INDYCAR says total race-weekend attendance increased by about one fifth. The Indianapolis 500 recorded another grandstand sellout, while the new Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. attracted 215,000 people across its weekend.
The series also reported a record weekend in St Petersburg, a record-equalling attendance at Long Beach and a grandstand sellout at the inaugural Arlington event. Its return to Phoenix Raceway doubled Saturday attendance for the promoter, according to INDYCAR.
These figures point to growth across several event formats rather than one isolated race. They do not, however, establish uniform performance at every round because the series did not publish a common event-by-event attendance table or explain how weekend totals were counted.
Merchandise and digital channels set new marks
Race-weekend merchandise sales increased by nearly 40 percent year on year, INDYCAR says. Arlington set a new non-Indianapolis 500 sales record before the Washington event surpassed it later in the season.
The series attributed part of the retail expansion to new or extended ranges with Homefield, True Brand, Flag & Anthem, Under Armour, TravisMathew and Lululemon. It did not disclose unit volumes, gross sales, licensing income, margins or how revenue is divided among the series, events, teams and suppliers.
INDYCAR also reported more than 250 million video views across its social and digital channels. The Indianapolis 500 generated more than 1.5 million engagements on race day, which the series described as its most popular digital day.
Its app recorded the highest average number of race-day users in its history and almost 20 percent more screen views than in 2025. On YouTube, watch time increased 58 percent, average viewing duration rose 41 percent and livestream views grew by almost 70 percent.
The ALL IN: INDYCAR docuseries, produced with FOX Sports and Shadow Lion, accumulated more than six million YouTube views and averaged nearly 500,000 views per episode, according to the announcement.
Growth broadens the series' commercial inventory
Taken together, the reported gains give INDYCAR and its event promoters more evidence to use in sponsorship, media, hospitality and licensing discussions. Attendance growth supports trackside inventory, while merchandise and digital engagement create additional ways for partners to measure activity beyond television audiences.
The figures should still be read as company-reported performance indicators. INDYCAR did not publish financial results, sponsorship revenue, profitability, demographic breakdowns or comparable costs for the 2026 programme. Those omissions prevent the percentage gains from being translated into a valuation of the series or its commercial rights.
The verified development is the breadth of the reported growth: broadcast, venue, retail, app and social measures all moved higher in 2026. The durability of that growth will depend on how the series converts larger audiences into repeat attendance, partner renewals and sustained spending in 2027.