{"id":1357,"date":"2026-08-28T16:19:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1357"},"modified":"2026-08-28T16:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:19:08","slug":"indycar-refutes-barranquilla-mayor-and-states-race-deal-is-far-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/indycar-refutes-barranquilla-mayor-and-states-race-deal-is-far-away\/","title":{"rendered":"IndyCar refutes Barranquilla Mayor and states race deal is &#8220;far away&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mayor claims 2028 race:<\/strong> <strong>Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char announced an April 2028 IndyCar street race<\/strong>, claiming a 4.3 km layout alongside the Magdalena River was already being designed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>IndyCar denies finalized deal:<\/strong> <strong>IndyCar clarified that a deal is far away<\/strong>, stating officials have not yet visited the proposed city site in person.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International expansion interest:<\/strong> <strong>The series continues analyzing potential international venues<\/strong>, including discussions for a return to South America with a proposed 2027 race in Goi\u00e2nia, Brazil.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IndyCar<\/strong> has officially refuted claims made by <strong>Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char<\/strong> regarding a proposed street race in Colombia for April 2028, clarifying that conversations remain in the early exploratory phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Char publicly declared that Barranquilla had secured an agreement to host the series&#8217; first race outside North America since 2013. The mayor detailed a <strong>4.3 km street circuit<\/strong> incorporating the Gran Malec\u00f3n and V\u00eda 40, citing former IndyCar champion <strong>Juan Pablo Montoya<\/strong> as a key ambassador driving the project forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, IndyCar management swiftly tempered those claims. In a statement released to <em>IndyStar<\/em>, series officials confirmed preliminary meetings took place during the Indianapolis 500, but emphasized that no formal site visit or agreement had occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1001099633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/san-nicolas-3-1920x1280-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">IndyCar refuted claims of a finalized 2028 street race in Barranquilla, Colombia (Photo: Barranquilla Mayor&#8217;s Office)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;<strong>We are frequently approached by parties interested in discussing hosting IndyCar races internationally,<\/strong>&#8221; the series stated to <em>IndyStar<\/em>. &#8220;<strong>We met with representatives from Barranquilla in Indianapolis, but we have not yet visited the city in person. While the city is interested in hosting an IndyCar race in 2028, we are in the early stages of feasibility analysis for this and other potential projects. We are far from an agreement, and any assumption to the contrary is premature.<\/strong>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The development comes as IndyCar evaluates international expansion strategies, including <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/indycar-approaches-goiania-agreement-and-considers-2027-race-in-brazil\/\">ongoing talks for a 2027 event in Goi\u00e2nia, Brazil<\/a>. Meanwhile, the 2026 championship battle reaches a critical phase, with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/palou-heading-to-milwaukee-with-match-point-check-out-the-math-for-the-2026-indycar-title\/&amp;authuser=3\">\u00c1lex Palou holding match-point at the Milwaukee doubleheader<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/indy\/ganassi-pays-tribute-to-zanardi-and-1st-title-with-special-livery-for-palou-at-laguna-seca\/&amp;authuser=3\">Chip Ganassi Racing unveiling a Zanardi tribute livery for Laguna Seca<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IndyCar Series continues this weekend with the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader (Rounds 16 &amp; 17) in West Allis, Wisconsin. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> provides complete live coverage of every session. Follow all updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">IndyCar Championship Standings (Top 5 ahead of Milwaukee)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Pos<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Driver<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Team<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Engine<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Points<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>1<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>\u00c1lex Palou<\/strong><\/td><td>Chip Ganassi Racing<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>553<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>2<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong><\/td><td>Andretti Global<\/td><td>Honda<\/td><td><strong>462<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>3<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Christian Lundgaard<\/strong><\/td><td>Arrow McLaren<\/td><td>Chevrolet<\/td><td><strong>443<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>4<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>David Malukas<\/strong><\/td><td>Team Penske<\/td><td>Chevrolet<\/td><td><strong>411<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>5<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Pato O&#8217;Ward<\/strong><\/td><td>Arrow McLaren<\/td><td>Chevrolet<\/td><td><strong>399<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Has IndyCar confirmed a race in Barranquilla, Colombia for 2028?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. IndyCar stated that rumors of a finalized deal are premature and that discussions remain in early feasibility phases without an official site visit yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. When did IndyCar last race outside of North America?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IndyCar last raced outside North America in <strong>2013<\/strong>, when the series held the S\u00e3o Paulo Indy 300 on the Anhembi Street Circuit in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. When is the next race on the 2026 IndyCar calendar?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 IndyCar Series continues with the <strong>Milwaukee Mile doubleheader on August 29\u201330<\/strong> in West Allis, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IndyCar pushed back against claims from Barranquilla Mayor Alejandro Char, stating discussions for a Colombian street race in 2028 remain in preliminary feasibility stages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1001093682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"IndyCar refuted claims of a finalized 2028 street race in Barranquilla","42wp_featured_image_credits":"IndyCar","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[305,109],"42wp_author":[55],"class_list":["post-1357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indy","tag-barranquilla","tag-colombia","42wp_author-caio-cavalcante"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1358,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1357\/revisions\/1358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001093682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1357"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}