The roar of IndyCars around Toronto’s Exhibition Place has been a summer tradition for nearly four decades. Since 1986, fans have flocked downtown to watch open-wheel stars tear through the tight 11-turn street course, making the event one of the staples of the IndyCar calendar. But now, for the first time in its history, the race is moving. Starting next year, the only Canadian stop on the IndyCar Series schedule will no longer be in Toronto it’s heading north to Markham.
Some will mourn the end of what was affectionately called the “Roar on the Lake Shore.” The Toronto Indy wasn’t just a race; it was part of the city’s culture. Exhibition Place provided a dramatic urban backdrop, and the annual event gave locals and tourists alike a chance to see world-class motorsport right in the heart of downtown. Losing that kind of history and atmosphere feels like closing the final chapter on something uniquely Toronto.
But the move to Markham isn’t without merit. In fact, it might be the refresh this event desperately needs.
Exhibition Place, while iconic, has been dealing with mounting challenges from overlapping scheduling conflicts to upcoming redevelopment plans. The looming 2026 FIFA World Cup was a clear catalyst. With BMO Field hosting six matches and construction schedules colliding, the IndyCar race risked either being sidelined or drowned out. IndyCar officials knew that if they took a break from Toronto, the race might never return. So instead, they’ve chosen to reinvent it.
Markham offers something new. A 3.52-kilometre course through the city’s eastern downtown precinct promises modern infrastructure, better sightlines, and more flexibility for fan experiences. Organizers are already talking about music events, RV clubs, and festival-like programming that never quite took off at Exhibition Place. That’s a forward-looking approach IndyCar needs if it’s going to compete for attention in a crowded sports market.
Of course, there’s risk. Will fans make the trek north? Will Markham deliver the same electric atmosphere that downtown Toronto provided? Time will tell. But the five-year commitment from the city shows confidence, and the projected 140,000 attendees suggest that demand is very much alive.
Toronto may have lost the race, but the spirit of the IndyCar in Ontario isn’t gone it’s just moving up the road. For fans, that means new traditions to build, new memories to make, and perhaps a chance for the event to thrive in a way it no longer could in the shadow of Toronto’s ever-expanding event calendar.
For now, Toronto should tip its cap to 40 years of racing history. And Markham? Buckle up the spotlight is about to be yours.
