IndyCar

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy debuts in Markham on TSN

By
TSN.ca Staff

Published: 

Alex Palou, of Spain, drives through the third turn during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) (Michael Conroy)

The NTT IndyCar Series comes to Canada with the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy, and the race will be held at the Markham Street Circuit for the first time.

The Grand Prix of Toronto had been held at Exhibition Place since 1986. It was announced in September 2025 that the race would move to Markham, Ontario on a five-year deal starting in 2026.

The Markham Street Circuit is a 3.52 KM, 12-turn track. Drivers will race for 90 laps along the grounds of the Unionville GO station, around the York University Markham Campus and the Markham Pan Am Centre.

Watch the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on August 16 at 12 pm ET/9 am PT on TSN1/4, TSN.ca, and the TSN App.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Álex Palou holds a 110-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship. Palou is coming off back-to-back wins at the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix and the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.

Palou’s victory in Portland was his sixth of the season. He’s on track to win his fifth championship and a record-tying fourth in a row.

Three of Palou’s victories this season came on street circuits. The only street circuit race Palou did not win was the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, where he finished second to Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood.

Kirkwood moved to second in the Drivers’ Championship with a fifth-place finish in Portland. Kirkwood’s only win of the season came in Arlington. He has finished in the top four at each street circuit race in 2026.

Team Penske driver David Mulakas dropped to third in the standings, eight points behind Kirkwood, after a 12th-place finish in Portland.

Mulakas is still looking for his first win in IndyCar since joining the series in 2022. He achieved his first pole position at the Good Ranchers 250 in Phoenix earlier this year.

Mulakas has a career-high five podiums in 2026, including a second-place finish at the Indianapolis 500.

However, he has struggled on street circuits in 2026. His best result is a sixth-place finish in Arlington.

With five races remaining in the IndyCar season, Palou’s lead is as much as two races’ worth of maximum points. The next two stops on the IndyCar calendar are street circuits, where Palou has dominated in 2026.