– The IndyCar series returns to its routine this weekend. After the time since the last race so far, the oval race in mid-July in Nashville, was used to present the car for the new IndyCar era from 2028 and this very Dallara IR-28 has since also undergone a successful shakedown, the racing operation of the current 2026 season now resumes.
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Next weekend marks the 13th of a total of 18 season races in the 2026 IndyCar calendar. It is the road course race in Portland. It marks the start of the hot final phase of the season. Because starting with Portland, the last six races now take place on five consecutive weekends. The season ends on the first weekend of September.
The Portland International Raceway is one of the traditional tracks on the IndyCar calendar. In 1984, then under the CART banner, the flat natural race track in the US state of Oregon was raced on for the first time. After the end of the ChampCar era, there was a longer break before the current IndyCar series returned to Portland in 2018. Since then, races have been held there annually again, with the Corona year 2020 being an exception.
The course in Portland is 3.16 kilometers long, has 12 turns, and is located in a green area north of the city center. Characteristic of the track, besides its overall flowing layout, is the tight chicane at the end of the start/finish straight. Start collisions were more the rule than the exception in this chicane for years. Since the first corner has been generously shortened (title photo), start collisions have become rarer. However, they cannot be ruled out.
Mick Schumacher again in the Nereus design
Mick Schumacher comes to Portland with his best IndyCar result so far in his luggage. At the oval race in Nashville, the rookie in the service of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) finished strong in eighth place. It was Schumacher’s first top-10 finish as an IndyCar driver and this result came at exactly the right time, not least against the background of the new situation at RLL for 2027.
Visually, the Rahal-Honda driven by Schumacher with the starting number 47 will again feature the Nereus design this weekend in Portland, which was first seen in Nashville. Portland is the second of a total of four races with this design. The other two will be Washington (August 23) and Laguna Seca (September 6).
Photo gallery: Mick Schumacher’s car designs in the 2026 IndyCar season
Purely in terms of sport, Mick Schumacher’s best result so far on a permanent race track is 17th place from Elkhart Lake. Whether he will manage to get into the top 10 for the first time on a road course directly after his first top-10 result on an oval remains to be seen.
The Portland history of the Rahal team is quite positive. In the CART era, they won a race on this track, namely in 2001 with Max Papis. And also when Portland returned to the IndyCar calendar in 2018 after a decade-long break, a Rahal driver was victorious. It was Takuma Sato, who is no longer a full-time driver.
The current full-time drivers at RLL, apart from rookie Mick Schumacher, are last year’s rookie of the year, Louis Foster, and veteran Graham Rahal. Graham Rahal’s best race result in Portland is P4 from last year. In 2023, he was the polesitter.
Schedule IndyCar Portland 2026 (CEST)
For local time, nine hours must be subtracted.
Friday, August 7
23:30 – 01:00: 1st Free Practice
Saturday, August 8
19:00 – 20:30: 2nd Free Practice
Sunday, August 9
01:00 – 02:00: Qualifying
19:00 – 19:30: Warm-up
22:27: Race start
Livestream and TV broadcast IndyCar 2026
The TV rights in Germany for the 2026 IndyCar season are split, but the series is not available on free TV: As usual, the pay-TV channel Sky in Germany shows all IndyCar races – again on Sky Sport F1, the channel that primarily covers Formula 1. (IndyCar 2026 on TV and livestream: All details)
Photo gallery: Mick Schumacher’s results in the 2026 IndyCar season
Motorvision is another pay-TV channel that has been broadcasting the IndyCar races live since 2025. The coverage is broadcast via Motorvision+ and is available not only in Germany but also in Austria and Switzerland.
In addition, there is a paid offer from IndyCar with livestreams of all sessions on the official website Indycarlive.com. These can also be watched “on demand” at any time.
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Friday, August 7
23:30 – 01:00: 1st Free Practice
Saturday, August 8
19:00 – 20:30: 2nd Free Practice (Sky)
Sunday, August 9
01:00 – 02:00: Qualifying (Sky)
22:00 – 00:30: Race live (Sky)
22:00 – 00:30: Race live (Motorvision+)
Monday, August 10
18:00 – 20:00: Race replay (Sky)
Entry list IndyCar Portland 2026
In the 2026 IndyCar series, 25 drivers from ten different teams are registered. All 25 cars have a so-called charter, which entitles them to start at all races but also obliges them. Guest starters in the form of additional entries are still allowed at all races until the end of the 2026 season, from 2027 only at the Indy 500.
All rookies’ cars in the IndyCar series are marked with a yellow marking on the rear so that those behind know they are dealing with an inexperienced driver. (Overview: Mick Schumacher and his 24 opponents in detail)
#2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske – Chevrolet
#3 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske – Chevrolet
#4 – Caio Collet – A.J. Foyt Enterprises – Chevrolet (Rookie)
#5 – Patricio “Pato” O’Ward – Arrow McLaren – Chevrolet
#6 – Nolan Siegel – Arrow McLaren – Chevrolet
#7 – Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren – Chevrolet
#8 – Kyffin Simpson – Chip Ganassi Racing – Honda
#9 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing – Honda
#10 – Alex Palou – Chip Ganassi Racing – Honda
#12 – David Malukas – Team Penske – Chevrolet
#14 – Santino Ferrucci – A.J. Foyt Enterprises – Chevrolet
#15 – Graham Rahal – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – Honda
#18 – Romain Grosjean – Dale Coyne Racing – Honda
#19 – Dennis Hauger – Dale Coyne Racing – Honda (Rookie)
#20 – Alexander Rossi – Ed Carpenter Racing – Chevrolet
#21 – Christian Rasmussen – Ed Carpenter Racing – Chevrolet
#26 – Will Power – Andretti Global – Honda
#27 – Kyle Kirkwood – Andretti Global – Honda
#28 – Marcus Ericsson – Andretti Global – Honda
#45 – Louis Foster – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – Honda
#47 – Mick Schumacher – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing – Honda (Rookie)
#60 – Felix Rosenqvist – Meyer Shank Racing – Honda
#66 – Marcus Armstrong – Meyer Shank Racing – Honda
#76 – Rinus “VeeKay” van Kalmthout – Juncos Hollinger Racing – Chevrolet
#77 – Sting Ray Robb – Juncos Hollinger Racing – Chevrolet
Data on Portland International Raceway
Type: permanent road course
Location: Portland (Oregon)
Length: 1.964 miles (3.160 kilometers)
Turns: 12
On calendar since: 1984 (with interruptions)
Race title: BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland
Race distance: 110 laps
Lap record: 57.347 seconds – 123.292 mph (198.377 km/h)
Lap record holder: Will Power (2018)
Most poles: Emerson Fittipaldi (3)
Most wins: Michael Andretti, Will Power (3)
All IndyCar winners in Portland
2025 (IndyCar): Will Power
2024 (IndyCar): Will Power
2023 (IndyCar): Alex Palou
2022 (IndyCar): Scott McLaughlin
2021 (IndyCar): Alex Palou
2020 not on calendar (Corona pandemic)
2019 (IndyCar): Will Power
2018 (IndyCar): Takuma Sato
2008 to 2017 not on calendar
2007 (ChampCar): Sebastien Bourdais
2006 (ChampCar): A.J. Allmendinger
2005 (ChampCar): Cristiano da Matta
2004 (ChampCar): Sebastien Bourdais
2003 (CART): Adrian Fernandez
2002 (CART): Cristiano da Matta
2001 (CART): Max Papis
2000 (CART): Gil de Ferran
1999 (CART): Gil de Ferran
1998 (CART): Alex Zanardi
1997 (CART): Mark Blundell
1996 (CART): Alex Zanardi
1995 (CART): Al Unser Jr.
1994 (CART): Al Unser Jr.
1993 (CART): Emerson Fittipaldi
1992 (CART): Michael Andretti
1991 (CART): Michael Andretti
1990 (CART): Michael Andretti
1989 (CART): Emerson Fittipaldi
1988 (CART): Danny Sullivan
1987 (CART): Bobby Rahal
1986 (CART): Mario Andretti
1985 (CART): Mario Andretti
1984 (CART): Al Unser Jr.
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