Before the INDYCAR teams rolled into town, the foundation for race weekend was already being laid by a different kind of team. Through branding, graphics, course markings, and venue transformation, iMBranded, RoadGrip, and X-Identity helped turn Arlington into a world-class racing destination.
United by a shared commitment to innovation, scale, and excellence, their work extended across nearly every fan touchpoint. These partnerships were not incidental to the event's success; they helped drive it.
Street circuits are unlike permanent race tracks. They begin as a living, breathing part of a city and roads traveled daily by commuters and visitors, lined with businesses and landmarks that define the community. In Arlington, these were not just any streets. They formed the vibrant sports and entertainment district surrounding AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field. Transforming these iconic roadways into a high-performance racing venue required meticulous planning, technical expertise, and seamless collaboration with event organizers and the city itself.
INDYCAR Art Director, Grace Keller, wanted guests to be emotionally connected to the event and echo the city’s deep-rooted sports culture. In her designs, she incorporated large-format graphics across both the track surface and surrounding walls, including the iconic star of the Dallas Cowboys and the bold “T” emblem of the Texas Rangers. These symbols paid tribute to the neighboring landmarks, AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, visually connecting the race to Arlington’s celebrated sports and entertainment district.
“There's nothing like designing a street course from the ground up in the middle of a city,” said Keller. “We had a blank canvas, and the goal was to transform the streets people drive every day into something they've never seen before. As if they knew exactly where they were but were seeing it in a whole new light.”
Here are a few of the partnerships that made the Arlington course come to life:
IMBranded
iMBranded’s relationship with Penske Automotive Group began in 2004 through branded facility design programs for the automotive retail space and expanded into motorsports in 2007 with the company’s first graphics installation for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear.
Those years of collaboration with Penske Entertainment provided a bedrock of trust and operational know-how that positioned iMBranded to support increasingly complex and temporary environments. That expertise was on full display race weekend.
To help bring the course vision to life, iMBranded produced and installed 4.6 miles of scrim throughout the venue. Enough scrim to stretch across more than 80 football fields and 61 baseball diamonds edge to edge. The large-scale branding and visual elements helped transform Arlington’s entertainment district into a world-class street race environment.
For Penske Entertainment and iMBranded, Arlington represents the intersection of history and opportunity, which is proof that long-standing partnerships, when built on trust and innovation, continue to drive growth and deliver world-class experiences for fans, partners, and communities alike.
RoadGrip
Traveling from the United Kingdom, RoadGrip Motorsport brought its internationally recognized expertise to the United States to help transform the roads of the entertainment district. With over 15 years painting circuits for Formula 1, MotoGP, World Superbikes, V8 Supercars, and more, RoadGrip added the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington to their global resume and brought their expertise to NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition.
The scope of the work matched the scale of the circuit: 2.73 miles of temporary street course, 14 turns, and a 0.9-mile straight where cars would reach speeds exceeding 180 mph. Every line painted on the asphalt would guide drivers at those speeds, defining braking zones, racing lines, and track limits across a double-sided pit lane and the technical horseshoe section framing AT&T Stadium. Precision was paramount; even the smallest deviation could impact performance and safety. Using a combination of VR stencils, advanced spray systems, and meticulous hand-finishing, the team rendered signature graphics including a larger that 6 foot "T" marking the road and oversized stars on the Cowboys side of the circuit with the precision and consistency needed for maximum visibility both trackside and on broadcast.
Central to RoadGrip's work was the application of a water-based acrylic anti-slip coating, transforming standard road surfaces into high-traction zones across the full footprint. This specialized system enhanced skid resistance in critical areas, helping drivers maintain control under extreme racing conditions. The team installed expansive run-off areas and striking surface branding designed to be as functional as they were visually impactful.
X-Identity
Before a single line was painted or a scrim installed, X-Identity had already brought the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington to life digitally. A globally diverse design studio known for creating dynamic concepts and iconic identities across retail, hospitality, sports, and entertainment, X-Identity used the latest, advanced 3D modeling and visualization to render the circuit in stunning detail long before the track physically existed. Hailing from Detroit, the studio brought proven credentials to the project, having previously produced renderings, animations, and immersive VR visualizations for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. This work put their technological expertise in front of a global racing audience and drew praise from drivers themselves. That same expertise translated seamlessly to Arlington, giving partners, sponsors, and stakeholders a way to see and feel the race before a single car ever turned a wheel on the city's streets.
This early visualization map and animations did more than preview the circuit; it helped shape it. By modeling the track through and around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, X-Identity gave the GPArlington team a tool to test sightlines, branding placement, and the overall fan experience well ahead of construction, turning an unbuilt space into a shared vision everyone could rally around.
A Lasting Impression
From the earliest 3D renderings to the final coat of paint, X-Identity, RoadGrip, and iMBranded's work had quietly set the stage for every thrilling moment that followed. Though their roles often unfold behind the scenes, their impact is unmistakable. Together, they helped shape the vision, build, and experience for drivers, fans, and viewers around the world.
The added investment didn’t go unrecognized. High praise for the elevated look and feel of the event was heard throughout the paddock all weekend long and in the days following.
"The entire championship benefits from benchmark events like the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington," said Will Buxton, FOX Sports commentator, on an episode of SPEED with Harvick & Buxton. "Arlington should be the new standard for IndyCar."
Their collaboration on the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington stands as a testament to the expertise and innovation required to bring a street race to life. Their craftmanship is proof that with the right vision, and the right partners, the unbelievable becomes believable.
