Why IndyCar will race on Monday and the World Cup final's role in it
IndyCar battled weather and the World Cup final in a bid to get racing underway on Sunday, before ultimately admitting defeat
IndyCar will race the Music City Grand Prix on Monday after the FIFA World Cup final and rain played havoc with the planned Sunday schedule.
The 12th round of the 2026 IndyCar season was scheduled to take place on Sunday in Nashville, with the green flags expected to be shown shortly after the conclusion of the football match between Spain and Argentina at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
However, with the World Cup final going to extra time, the start time was pushed back, with IndyCar stating via social media: "The command to fire engines from Nashville Superspeedway will air on FOX immediately following the trophy presentation."
However, this delay saw weather begin to creep into the region, with lightning strikes forcing fans out of the grandstands, and necessitating a further delay.
As the rain fell, weather in which cars will not compete on an oval, the light began to fade, and IndyCar bosses were forced to make the tough decision to push the race back to Monday.
This is not uncommon, especially on ovals, with the flagship Indianapolis 500 having been contested on 15 separate occasions on a Monday.
However, this has resulted in a further complication, with "record temperatures and dangerous heat index conditions" forecast, meaning the championship has shortened the race distance from 300 laps to 225.
The action will get underway on Monday evening at 3:05PM ET [8:05PM BST].
Sam joined Crash.net in February 2026 with extensive experience in motorsport media, having covered numerous championships around the world.
