Chevrolet Grand Prix 2026: Full Schedule, Race Timetable, TV Coverage & Streaming Guide

The 2026 Detroit Grand Prix weekend packs three full racing programmes across three days. Thursday is a travel and setup day. Friday brings the first on-track action from INDY NXT and IMSA. Saturday features IMSA qualifying, IMSA’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic, and IndyCar qualifying. Sunday closes the weekend with INDY NXT’s race, IndyCar Warm-Up, and the main event: the Chevrolet Grand Prix at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

All times below are Eastern Time (ET). For Central (CT): subtract 1 hour. For Mountain (MT): subtract 2 hours. For Pacific (PT): subtract 3 hours. For UK (BST): add 5 hours.

Thursday, May 28 — Arrival Day

Friday, May 29 — Opening Practice

Saturday, May 30 — Qualifying & IMSA Race

Sunday, May 31 — Race Day

⚠ All times are subject to change. Verify final timings at DetroitGP.com and IndyCar.com before race weekend.

The Streets of Downtown Detroit circuit is unlike anything else on the IndyCar calendar. It is not a permanent road course. It is not an oval. It is a temporary street circuit assembled from concrete barriers on the roads of a major American city — Jefferson Avenue, Bates Street, Atwater Street, St. Antoine, Franklin Street, and Rivard Street — a route that runs parallel to the award-winning Detroit Riverwalk.

The 1.7-mile layout features nine turns and an unusually long front straight: 0.7 miles along Jefferson Avenue, the longest straight on any IndyCar street circuit. That straight allows cars to reach genuine open-wheel speeds before braking hard for Turn 1 — creating an instant overtaking opportunity that sets up the entire rhythm of the race. Furthermore, the circuit’s mix of low-speed hairpins and medium-speed transitions creates a setup challenge that teams have only been refining since the downtown return began in 2023.

Circuit Statistics

The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is the biggest-reach IndyCar broadcast of the year so far. The main race airs live on FOX nationally — not on FS1, not behind a paywall. This is free over-the-air television for the IndyCar Cup race, making the Detroit Grand Prix accessible to the widest possible American audience. Local Detroit viewers get an additional broadcast on WJBK-TV Channel 2.

Saturday’s IMSA Chevrolet Sports Car Classic moves to NBC and local Detroit station WDIV-TV Channel 4, while Sunday morning’s INDY NXT race airs on FS1. For streaming, FOX One (formerly the FOX Sports App) carries the main race live and free for three days’ trial. In-car cameras are available on HBO Max, providing a deeper broadcast layer for committed motorsport fans. Radio coverage from the INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM completes the access picture.

The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix 2026 green flag drops at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday May 31. The actual race start time (post-ceremony) was recorded at 12:52 p.m. ET. Below are the start times across every major time zone for American and international viewers.

International Start Times — Sunday May 31

The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is the first race following the Indianapolis 500 — and the emotional weight of what just happened at IMS is very much part of the story going into the weekend. Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Running by 0.0233 seconds over David Malukas in the closest photo finish in the race’s history. That level of intensity does not simply evaporate when the paddock relocates to Detroit. Both men arrive with very different energy: Rosenqvist as the newly celebrated 500 winner returning to competitive action, Malukas with a point to prove after coming so close to the biggest win of his career.

Alex Palou’s Championship Cushion

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou leads the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings by 37 points heading into Detroit. Moreover, Palou has been extraordinarily consistent this season — securing pole position at IMS’s road course, the oval, and the Detroit street circuit in May’s concentrated run of events. That three-pole month is a statistical statement that his car and his approach are calibrated precisely for the current conditions. Furthermore, at Detroit, Palou will be seeking to extend his championship lead at a circuit where Ganassi’s engineering depth gives them a particular advantage in setting up for the unique demands of street circuit qualifying.

Kyle Kirkwood — Can He Defend?

Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) is the defending Detroit Grand Prix winner, having taken the 2025 race after fighting through front-wing damage to hold off Santino Ferrucci. He starts sixth in 2026 — not from the front row. However, Kirkwood has a history of making progress through the field at Detroit, and his team knows this circuit better than most after successive competitive weekends on the downtown layout since 2023. He stated directly that Detroit is “always one we want to win” — and you believe him.

Team Penske’s Start Position Problem

The biggest talking point heading into Sunday’s race is Team Penske’s leading driver (Scott McLaughlin) starting from 25th and last on the grid after a crash in qualifying. Penske has won nine times in Detroit’s history — more than any other team — and McLaughlin’s raw pace has been competitive all season. Starting 25th on a 1.7-mile street circuit with limited passing opportunities is not necessarily a race-ender, particularly if yellow flags bunch the field. However, it is a genuine challenge. His progress through the field will be one of the primary on-track narratives of Sunday’s race.

Championship Standings After Round 7 (Indianapolis 500)

Detroit has been racing longer than most American cities have been hosting motorsport at all. The first Detroit Grand Prix was a Formula One race in 1982 — run through the actual streets of Downtown Detroit, the very same neighbourhoods where the 2026 race takes place. It was the city’s first taste of world-class international racing, and it drew enormous crowds to a city that was rebuilding its identity around its automotive heritage.

The race transitioned from F1 to CART-sanctioned racing in 1989 and moved to Belle Isle — the island park in the Detroit River — in 1992, where it remained until 2022. There it became one of the most beloved events on the IndyCar calendar, offering spectacular water views, passionate Michigan crowds, and a bumpy island circuit that was notoriously difficult to master. Hélio Castroneves won his first career IndyCar race on Belle Isle in 2000, climbed the fence in celebration, and earned the “Spiderman” nickname that would follow him for the next 25 years.

The return to downtown streets in 2023 brought the race back to its roots — and proved immediately that the new layout had its own identity, distinct from both the F1 era and the Belle Isle chapter. Scott Dixon holds the all-time record with four Detroit victories. Team Penske has won here nine times across the event’s history. The 2026 edition is the 36th Grand Prix weekend in the city’s racing story and, as the IndyCar championship reaches its European-summer equivalent midpoint, one of the most consequential rounds of the year. For more on the history of IndyCar’s most important races, see our archive.

Detroit Grand Prix — Notable Milestones