Motorsports testing used to be a wild free-for-all where teams could burn fuel and rubber wherever they pleased, but sanctioning bodies eventually stepped in to save teams from themselves. Rather than hemorrhaging money crisscrossing the country, strict regulations now dictate when and how outfits can hit the track. Even with those handcuffs, every single run remains a pressure-packed learning exercise where precious data is gathered on every lap.
With Firestone Firehawk Racing Tires strictly limited to keep costs down, teams have to execute a delicate balancing act. Drivers must be razor-sharp because even minor mistakes can ruin a whole data set, making entries into specific testing programs a careful calculation. Under the rulebook, any NTT IndyCar SERIES team fielding one or more cars in at least 12 races gets two test days to use between the previous season finale and the next one—a window stretching from Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, to Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.
Beyond those baseline allowances, the series splits extra track time into several distinct categories. Open Tests function like glorified public practice days complete with timing and scoring, with two scheduled for 2026 at Phoenix Raceway on Feb. 17-18 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on April 28-29. Then there are rookie requirements ahead of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, where drivers must complete a speedway oval test first. The 2026 rookie class features Dennis Hauger, Caio Collet and Mick Schumacher, with Hauger and Collet having already tackled their oval test on Nov. 6 at Nashville Superspeedway, while Schumacher is booked to test next month on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval.
Teams running a rookie for at least 12 races also unlock two extra test days reserved exclusively for that driver, a perk Hauger tapped into on Oct. 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course while Collet and Schumacher still hold two in reserve. Meanwhile, full-time entries get one driver evaluation test day for prospects with 10 or fewer series starts or those who have sat out for 24 months, capped at one per season. Teams can also use a day to evaluate current or former INDY NXT by Firestone drivers without blocking them from a standard evaluation day. Lochie Hughes did just that for Andretti Global on Oct. 13 on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, leaving him eligible for an evaluation run, while Collet used both an evaluation day and an INDY NXT test for AJ Foyt Racing at Mid-Ohio on Oct. 1 and the IMS road course on Oct. 13.
Organizations running both a full-time NTT IndyCar SERIES entry and a full-season INDY NXT by Firestone entry under the same license earn an extra team test day once their NXT side hits its fifth race. Andretti Global, Chip Ganassi Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing all qualify for this bonus, mirroring Chip Ganassi Racing's outing at Nashville Superspeedway last season. Finally, Firestone manufacturer tests require at least two cars per session, with teams capped at two tire tests apiece. Firestone used this framework for two-car winter tests at Phoenix Raceway featuring Scott Dixon for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside Alexander Rossi for Ed Carpenter Racing on Nov. 6-7, followed last week by Will Power driving for Andretti Global and Josef Newgarden representing Team Penske.
