By: Ashley McCubbin

TORONTO, Ontario — After spending the past 39 years on the streets of Toronto, the fastest party in Ontario is on the move as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy will be contested on the streets of Markham on August 16.

“Look, it’s a very exciting time for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham,” Ontario Honda Indy President Jeff Atkinson told News From The Pits. “It will bring a lot of people to the North York region, the city of Markham, and I think they’re going to put their mark on the map – not just on the world stage, but I think the racers competing against each other. We are going to see a very competitive race circuit as they compete on the streets of Markham. This track is getting repaved from turn one through turn 12, and a double side pit lane which will obviously bring a lot of entertainment and allow our fans to see a lot more action of pit lane compared to what some of our fans might have been used to. It will definitely have better sight lines for our fans to enjoy.”

The original negotiations for the event began in January 2025, with the signed agreement being put in place by July of the same year. It was then announced to the public in September.

“Fantastic collaborative would be an understatement,” Atkinson said in working with the city of Markham. “Everyone is very much into the common goal of making sure we can put on the best race that we can not just for the drivers, but for the fans. Fan experience is absolutely paramount and here today, we are here today (at the Canadian International Auto Show) celebrating Destination Markham promoting the Ontario Honda Indy Dealers at Markham and they are a great partner and they see what we’re trying to accomplish, and we see what they’re trying to accomplish. This collaborative approach will be great for our fans.”

The NTT IndyCar Series will highlight the weekend, but there are a slew of other series that will keep fans entertained from the USF Pro Championship ladder divisions, to the Canadian Radicals and NASCAR Canada Series.

“I’m very excited to bring NASCAR Canada back into the field,” he commented. “Having those NASCARs back on our circuit here in Markham, I know they are as excited as we are. Right now, there’s a lot of planning underway to really work on what’s going on beyond just the race itself. So my team is working with a lot of the community to develop a really good fan experience for fans as they enjoy watching the drivers take the turns around the circuit.”

Off the track, the event is expected to deliver for fans in attendance as Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti noted the great variety of cuisine in the city, as well as the historic main streets surrounding the track for fans to explore after the event concludes.

“There’s a lot of stuff that we weren’t able to do at Exhibition Place and whether it happens in the first year – we can’t fit every idea that we have in our first year,” Atkinson expressed. “We want to put on the best race possible, but we are exploring several other things that I know our fans said you used to have this years ago when it was the Molson Indy at the time and some of these things went away. Well, I want the fans to know we’re looking at a lot of new things for Markham and hopefully each year of the event, fans will see new things happen.

“We want them to enjoy the entire weekend and we know a lot of our fans come and stay in hotels in the community, in the region. The region is very excited for this event, whether it be Vaughn, Richmond Hill, or other surrounding communities beyond just Markham. So we know having those events whether it be at the event or just outside the event. It’s so important to our success and the enjoyment of our fans.

“So fans will still get to enjoy Thunder Alley. There’s going to be unique components that they may have saw 25 years ago and for whatever reason it couldn’t happen anymore at Exhibition Place. Maybe not all in the first year, but in the future…..”