FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| AUG 23 Freedom 250 WASHINGTON D.C. - Lap TBA |
| Summary of each IndyCar Race in 2026 By Dan Vielhaber |
| 2026 INDYCAR RACE REVIEWS |
Copyright © 2026 IndySpeedway.com All Rights Reserved
| MAR 29 GP of Alabama BARBER MOTORSPORT PARK BIRMINGHAM AL - 90 LAPS |
| MAY 19 SONSIO GP INDY MOTOR SPEEDWAY R/C INDIANAPOLIS IN - 85 LAPS |
| MAR 7 Good Ranchers 250 PHOENIX RACEWAY Avondale AZ - 250 LAPS |
| MAR 1 Firestone Grand Prix of ST PETERSBURG Street/Airport Race - 100 LAPS |
Firestone GP of St. Petersburg
Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway
Java House GP of Arlington
Children's of Alabama Indy GP at Barber Motorsports Park
Acura GP of Long Beach
Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
Indianapolis 500 at IMS
Chevrolet Detroit GP on the Streets of Detroit
Bommarito Auto Group 500 at WWT Raceway
Sonsio GP at Road America
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Borchetta Bourbon Music City GP at Nashville Superspeedway
Bitnile.com GP of Portland at Portland Int'l Raceway
Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham
Freedom 250 GP of Washington D.C
Milwaukee Mile 250 - Race 1
Milwaukee Mile 250 - Race 2
Firestone GP of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway
Java House GP of Arlington
Children's of Alabama Indy GP at Barber Motorsports Park
Acura GP of Long Beach
Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
Indianapolis 500 at IMS
Chevrolet Detroit GP on the Streets of Detroit
Bommarito Auto Group 500 at WWT Raceway
Sonsio GP at Road America
Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio
Borchetta Bourbon Music City GP at Nashville Superspeedway
Bitnile.com GP of Portland at Portland Int'l Raceway
Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham
Freedom 250 GP of Washington D.C
Milwaukee Mile 250 - Race 1
Milwaukee Mile 250 - Race 2
Firestone GP of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
| INDEX |
| MAY 24 Indy 500 INDY MOTOR SPEEDWAY INDIANAPOLIS IN - 200 LAPS |
| MAY 31 Chevrolet Detroit GP Street Race DETROIT, MI - 100 Laps |
| JUNE 21 Sonsio GP ROAD AMERICA ELKHART LAKE, WI - 55 LAPS |
| JULY 5 Honda Indy 200 MID-OHIO LEXINGTON, IL - 90 LAPS |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 53 |
| JULY 19 Borchetta Bourbon Music City GP NASHVILLE Superspeedway - 225 LAPS |
| AUG 29 Milwaukee Mile 250 - RACE 1 Milwaukee Mile - 250 LAPS |
| JUNE 7 Bommarito Auto Group 500 WWT Raceway ST LOUIS - 260 LAPS |
| AUG 9 Bitnile.com GP of Portland Portland Int'l Raceway PORTLAND OR - 110 LAPS |
| SEPT 6 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey WeatherTech Raceway CA - 90 LAPS |
| MAR 15 Java House GP of Arlington STREET COURSE Arlington Tx - 70 LAPS |
| AUG 16 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy MARKHAM CANADA - LAPS TBA |
| Points Leader - Kyle Kirkwood - 126 |
| Points Leader - Kyle Kirkwood - 156 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 237 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 273 |
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 327 |
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| Points Leader - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
FULL RACE RESULTS
Mar 1
Mar 7
Mar 15
Mar29
Apr 19
May 9
May 24
May 31
June 7
June 21
July 5
July 19
Aug 9
Aug 16
Aug 23
Aug 29
Aug 30
Sept 6
Mar 7
Mar 15
Mar29
Apr 19
May 9
May 24
May 31
June 7
June 21
July 5
July 19
Aug 9
Aug 16
Aug 23
Aug 29
Aug 30
Sept 6
Alex Palou
Josef Newgarden
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Christian Lundgaard
Felix Rosenqvist
Alex Palou
Josef Newgarden
Kyle Kirkwood
Alex Palou
Alex Palou
Christian Lundgaard
Felix Rosenqvist
Alex Palou
WINNER
| Points Leader - Josef Newgarden - 78 |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Rating
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| Points Leader - |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| APR 19 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach LONG BEACH CA - 90 LAPS |
Dan's Race Rating (out of 3 stars)
| Points Leader - Alex Palou - 205 |
| AUG 30 Milwaukee Mile 250 - RACE 2 Milwaukee Mile - 250 LAPS |
A new rule forced teams to run the soft tires twice in the race.
Both Dale Coyne Racing cars qualified in the Fast 6. That was a surprise as their driver
Romain Grosjean had just joined the team, and did not race in IndyCar last year. Their
other driver, Dennis Hauger is a rookie and was competing in his first IndyCar race. They
would go on to finish in the Top 10!
Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin won pole for the 2nd year in a row.
The weather was mild.
On the first lap, Sting Ray Robb came in too fast into Turn 4 and knocked Santino Ferrucci
and rookie Mick Schumacher out of the race, bringing out the first caution. Robb was able
to continue, but received a stop-and-go penalty for Avoidable Contact.
On the restart, David Malukas, now with Team Penske, locked up and flat spotted a tire
which fell apart several laps later. He had to limp back to the pits, losing a lap. He would
eventually work his way back up to finish in 13th, however he'd qualified 5th and could have
finished higher if not for that mistake.
Lap 21 - Will Power, in his first race for Andretti Global, wrecked in the hazardous Turn 10,
damaging his rear suspension. He returned 24 laps later to just run laps.
Lap 40 - After a pit stop, Scott Dixon lost a wheel nut which caused him to go off track as
his right rear wheel left the car. This brought out the 2nd caution. It proved fortuitous for
Palou as he had just pit and he stayed out and took the lead from Louis Foster, who along
with some other drivers on his tail, Rinus VeeKayand Alex Rossi, had to use the
oppportunity to pit under yellow.
Palou began pulling away from the field. Before his pit stop on Lap 67, he was 13 seconds
ahead of 2nd place McLaughlin.
With 8 laps to go, Kyle Kirkwood was running 2nd, but his tires were going away. He was
passed by McLaughlin and Lundgaard. Kirkwood finished in 4th, just ahead of Pato O'Ward.
Palou won his 20th IndyCar race. The top 8 drivers only pit twice during the race.
Josef Newgarden was the biggest mover of the race, having starting in P23 and finishing P7.
Both Dale Coyne Racing cars qualified in the Fast 6. That was a surprise as their driver
Romain Grosjean had just joined the team, and did not race in IndyCar last year. Their
other driver, Dennis Hauger is a rookie and was competing in his first IndyCar race. They
would go on to finish in the Top 10!
Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin won pole for the 2nd year in a row.
The weather was mild.
On the first lap, Sting Ray Robb came in too fast into Turn 4 and knocked Santino Ferrucci
and rookie Mick Schumacher out of the race, bringing out the first caution. Robb was able
to continue, but received a stop-and-go penalty for Avoidable Contact.
On the restart, David Malukas, now with Team Penske, locked up and flat spotted a tire
which fell apart several laps later. He had to limp back to the pits, losing a lap. He would
eventually work his way back up to finish in 13th, however he'd qualified 5th and could have
finished higher if not for that mistake.
Lap 21 - Will Power, in his first race for Andretti Global, wrecked in the hazardous Turn 10,
damaging his rear suspension. He returned 24 laps later to just run laps.
Lap 40 - After a pit stop, Scott Dixon lost a wheel nut which caused him to go off track as
his right rear wheel left the car. This brought out the 2nd caution. It proved fortuitous for
Palou as he had just pit and he stayed out and took the lead from Louis Foster, who along
with some other drivers on his tail, Rinus VeeKayand Alex Rossi, had to use the
oppportunity to pit under yellow.
Palou began pulling away from the field. Before his pit stop on Lap 67, he was 13 seconds
ahead of 2nd place McLaughlin.
With 8 laps to go, Kyle Kirkwood was running 2nd, but his tires were going away. He was
passed by McLaughlin and Lundgaard. Kirkwood finished in 4th, just ahead of Pato O'Ward.
Palou won his 20th IndyCar race. The top 8 drivers only pit twice during the race.
Josef Newgarden was the biggest mover of the race, having starting in P23 and finishing P7.
| Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing Won |
IndyCar returned to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018.
The race was held on Saturday with a Nascar Cup race on Sunday.
Unlike the stock cars, IndyCar drivers were not allowed to cut across the apron.
They were told to treat the yellow line like a wall.
Weather was 75 degrees at start of race, and 81 degrees at the end.
David Malukas was on pole. This was his first IndyCar pole.
Romain Grosjean's car suffered mechanical problems and was unable to start the race.
RACE:
CAUTION 1:
On Lap 10, Christian Rasmussen, came up on the back of rookie Dennis Hauger at the
exit of a turn. The backend broke loose on Hauger's car and he spun toward the inside wall.
Miraculously, he kept it off the wall, and then began driving backwards! After some cars
went by, he found his window to spin the car back around and continue racing.
The race was held on Saturday with a Nascar Cup race on Sunday.
Unlike the stock cars, IndyCar drivers were not allowed to cut across the apron.
They were told to treat the yellow line like a wall.
Weather was 75 degrees at start of race, and 81 degrees at the end.
David Malukas was on pole. This was his first IndyCar pole.
Romain Grosjean's car suffered mechanical problems and was unable to start the race.
RACE:
CAUTION 1:
On Lap 10, Christian Rasmussen, came up on the back of rookie Dennis Hauger at the
exit of a turn. The backend broke loose on Hauger's car and he spun toward the inside wall.
Miraculously, he kept it off the wall, and then began driving backwards! After some cars
went by, he found his window to spin the car back around and continue racing.
| Dennis Hauger about to hit wall, but saves it and drives backward |
CAUTION 2:
Two laps after the restart, Graham Rahal passed Alex Palou on the inside. A moment later
Rinus Veekay charged to pass Palou on the outside. However, Palou was drifting up into
the turn and there was no room. The rear of Palou's car made contact with the nose of
Veekay, who should have backed off, and they both crashed. This put Palou out of the race.
Veekay would pit for repairs and fall four laps down.
Christian Rasmussen, who had qualified 16th, was charging through the field, making daring
passes and impressing the crowd. He briefly took the lead on Lap 73 as the leaders pit, but
soon he also had to make a pitstop.
Rasmussen again began passing cars and by Lap 108, was again in the lead, followed by
Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden.
CAUTION 3:
On Lap 141, Louis Foster got high and into the marbles, slid up and made slight contact with
the wall. Most drivers took advantage of the yellow to pit, though Kyle Kirkwood and Will
Power, who had last pit on Lap 128, stayed out and took the lead.
On the restart, Rasmussen was in 4th, behind Scott Dixon.
Rasmussen pit on Lap 161. With fresh rubber, he caught and passed Dixon on Lap 174.
Another series of pit stops occurred around Lap 192.
CAUTION 4:
As Rasmussen was passing leader Will Power on the outside, Power went high, pushing
Rasmussen into the wall. Power ended up cutting his right rear tire on Rasmussen's front
wing. As Power pit, Rasmussen stayed out, but reported his car didn't feel right.
On the restart, Rasmussen now led, followed by Kirkwood and Malukas. Newgarden came
out in 10th but began charging to the front. By Lap 239, he passed Malukas for 3rd.
With twenty laps to go, it was evident that Rasmussen was struggling with his damaged car.
With ten laps to go, Kirkwood and Newgarden got by him causing him to rub the wall again.
He soon began falling back through the field and would finish down in 14th.
Newgarden, on fresher tires, was able to charge by Kirkwood and take the lead on Lap 244.
Six laps later, he was the winner.
Felix Rosenqvist was the Big Mover of the race, improving from position 24th to 12th.
Two laps after the restart, Graham Rahal passed Alex Palou on the inside. A moment later
Rinus Veekay charged to pass Palou on the outside. However, Palou was drifting up into
the turn and there was no room. The rear of Palou's car made contact with the nose of
Veekay, who should have backed off, and they both crashed. This put Palou out of the race.
Veekay would pit for repairs and fall four laps down.
Christian Rasmussen, who had qualified 16th, was charging through the field, making daring
passes and impressing the crowd. He briefly took the lead on Lap 73 as the leaders pit, but
soon he also had to make a pitstop.
Rasmussen again began passing cars and by Lap 108, was again in the lead, followed by
Pato O'Ward and Josef Newgarden.
CAUTION 3:
On Lap 141, Louis Foster got high and into the marbles, slid up and made slight contact with
the wall. Most drivers took advantage of the yellow to pit, though Kyle Kirkwood and Will
Power, who had last pit on Lap 128, stayed out and took the lead.
On the restart, Rasmussen was in 4th, behind Scott Dixon.
Rasmussen pit on Lap 161. With fresh rubber, he caught and passed Dixon on Lap 174.
Another series of pit stops occurred around Lap 192.
CAUTION 4:
As Rasmussen was passing leader Will Power on the outside, Power went high, pushing
Rasmussen into the wall. Power ended up cutting his right rear tire on Rasmussen's front
wing. As Power pit, Rasmussen stayed out, but reported his car didn't feel right.
On the restart, Rasmussen now led, followed by Kirkwood and Malukas. Newgarden came
out in 10th but began charging to the front. By Lap 239, he passed Malukas for 3rd.
With twenty laps to go, it was evident that Rasmussen was struggling with his damaged car.
With ten laps to go, Kirkwood and Newgarden got by him causing him to rub the wall again.
He soon began falling back through the field and would finish down in 14th.
Newgarden, on fresher tires, was able to charge by Kirkwood and take the lead on Lap 244.
Six laps later, he was the winner.
Felix Rosenqvist was the Big Mover of the race, improving from position 24th to 12th.
| Rasmussen disappointed after hard fought race |
| Newgarden Won |
This was a new circuit. Many drivers liked it a lot. It was fast and hilly.
It was also bumpy and had varying surfaces: pavement and new and old concrete.
It also had pits on both sides of the pit lane, like Detroit.
Nice 75-degree weather, but windy.
Marcus Ericsson won his first IndyCar pole position.
START:
On Lap 3, Mick Schumacher hit and spun Christian Lundgaard, sending Lundgaard to the
back of the pack. Schumi got a drive-through penalty for that.
Will Power then passed Pato O'Ward for 3rd place. While various drivers had planned a
2-stop strategy, only Power pulled it off. In question was how long the softer alternate tires
would last. Each driver was required to run 2 stints on them.
Power made his first stop on Lap 22 from the lead. He regained the lead on Lap 35 and held
on to it until he pit again on Lap 46. He ended up behind Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood.
Kirkwood had a fast car and would not be denied, He passed Palou for the lead with
15 laps to go.
The three Andretti cars did great on track, but Power and Kirkwood suffered numerous set
backs in the pits. They fought back and finished well.
Surprisingly, there were no cautions... until the very end. A full course yellow came out on Lap
66 when Christian Rasmussen's car died on the pit exit. The restart was a 1-lap shootout.
As the cars were flying by the starting line, Felix Rosenqvist made a pass right before
reaching the passing line - an illegal move. He was dropped from the order immediately.
IndyCar listed him finishing behind all the cars still on the lead lap - back in 20th! Sad, as he
had ran a great race and would have finished in 7th.
A moment later, Kyffin Simpson crashed Romain Grosjean and Nolan Siegel, who were 2
laps down, and the race finished under yellow with Kyle Kirkwood winning.
TOP 5 FINISHERS
1. Kyle Kirkwood
2. Alex Palou
3. Will Power
4. Marcus Ericsson
5. Pato O'Ward
The Most Improved Driver in the race was Scott Mclaughlin, whom, unable to qualify, started
last in P25, but finished the race in P11.
It was also bumpy and had varying surfaces: pavement and new and old concrete.
It also had pits on both sides of the pit lane, like Detroit.
Nice 75-degree weather, but windy.
Marcus Ericsson won his first IndyCar pole position.
START:
On Lap 3, Mick Schumacher hit and spun Christian Lundgaard, sending Lundgaard to the
back of the pack. Schumi got a drive-through penalty for that.
Will Power then passed Pato O'Ward for 3rd place. While various drivers had planned a
2-stop strategy, only Power pulled it off. In question was how long the softer alternate tires
would last. Each driver was required to run 2 stints on them.
Power made his first stop on Lap 22 from the lead. He regained the lead on Lap 35 and held
on to it until he pit again on Lap 46. He ended up behind Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood.
Kirkwood had a fast car and would not be denied, He passed Palou for the lead with
15 laps to go.
The three Andretti cars did great on track, but Power and Kirkwood suffered numerous set
backs in the pits. They fought back and finished well.
Surprisingly, there were no cautions... until the very end. A full course yellow came out on Lap
66 when Christian Rasmussen's car died on the pit exit. The restart was a 1-lap shootout.
As the cars were flying by the starting line, Felix Rosenqvist made a pass right before
reaching the passing line - an illegal move. He was dropped from the order immediately.
IndyCar listed him finishing behind all the cars still on the lead lap - back in 20th! Sad, as he
had ran a great race and would have finished in 7th.
A moment later, Kyffin Simpson crashed Romain Grosjean and Nolan Siegel, who were 2
laps down, and the race finished under yellow with Kyle Kirkwood winning.
TOP 5 FINISHERS
1. Kyle Kirkwood
2. Alex Palou
3. Will Power
4. Marcus Ericsson
5. Pato O'Ward
The Most Improved Driver in the race was Scott Mclaughlin, whom, unable to qualify, started
last in P25, but finished the race in P11.
| Kyle Kirkwood's Winning Car |
| 2nd - Alex Palou |
| 1st - Kyle Kirkwood |
| 3rd - Will Power |
George Barber, who founded the near 900-acre Barber Motorsports Park in 2003, died in
February at age 85.
There were two scary crashes on Saturday -
* During morning practice, Scott McLaughlin spun at high speed into Turn 1 and slid backwards
into the tire wall, totally penetrating through it. The car rose enough to miss the Armco barrier
and pushed through the fencing, almost going out of the circuit! McLaughlin was not injured and
said the crash was not as bad as it looked. His Penske team then got busy preparing his backup
car for the upcoming qualifying session
February at age 85.
There were two scary crashes on Saturday -
* During morning practice, Scott McLaughlin spun at high speed into Turn 1 and slid backwards
into the tire wall, totally penetrating through it. The car rose enough to miss the Armco barrier
and pushed through the fencing, almost going out of the circuit! McLaughlin was not injured and
said the crash was not as bad as it looked. His Penske team then got busy preparing his backup
car for the upcoming qualifying session
| Alex Palou Led From Start to Finish |
* During the start of qualifying, the rear brakes failed as Will Power approached turn 5 at a
high rate of speed. He ran head first into the tire barrier. He was not injured.
Alex Palou captured the pole.
Race day was 65 degrees and mostly cloudy.
It was predicted that the race would be a 3 stopper and that the soft tires would be preferred.
As it ended up, it was a 3-stopper and it seemed most drivers preferred the harder tires.
START
The Top 5 -
Palou and Graham Rahal started on hard tires.
David Malukas , Marcus Armstrong and Kyle Kirkwood started on soft tires.
Lap 15 - Rahal Passed Malukas for P2.
Christian Lundgaard started the race in P10 and methodically began passing cars. After the
first round of pits tops, he was in P3 on Lap 26, behind Palou and Rahal.
Lap 34 - Rinus Veekay came in a bit too hard inside of Alex Rossi. They touched and Veekay
got spun around, losing four positions, but no caution came out. There were no cautions during
the race.
Lap 69 - on the final pit stop, there was a problem at the right rear tire on Lundgaard's car
resulting in a long stop. That resulted in giving P2 back to Rahal.
The most exciting part of the race was the end as Lundgaard, with more push-to-pass time left,
stalked Rahal. Rahal did a great job keeping him behind him, but Lundgaard managed to pass
him with 3 laps to go. Malukas, with even more push-to-pass, was not able to get by Rahal and
Rahal finished in P3.
Palou pulled away from the field in every stint and handily won the race. His only competiton
was Lundgaard, who stood a chance of winning, except tor the botched pit stop.
The Biggest Mover of the race was Power, who improved from P23 to P12.
high rate of speed. He ran head first into the tire barrier. He was not injured.
Alex Palou captured the pole.
Race day was 65 degrees and mostly cloudy.
It was predicted that the race would be a 3 stopper and that the soft tires would be preferred.
As it ended up, it was a 3-stopper and it seemed most drivers preferred the harder tires.
START
The Top 5 -
Palou and Graham Rahal started on hard tires.
David Malukas , Marcus Armstrong and Kyle Kirkwood started on soft tires.
Lap 15 - Rahal Passed Malukas for P2.
Christian Lundgaard started the race in P10 and methodically began passing cars. After the
first round of pits tops, he was in P3 on Lap 26, behind Palou and Rahal.
Lap 34 - Rinus Veekay came in a bit too hard inside of Alex Rossi. They touched and Veekay
got spun around, losing four positions, but no caution came out. There were no cautions during
the race.
Lap 69 - on the final pit stop, there was a problem at the right rear tire on Lundgaard's car
resulting in a long stop. That resulted in giving P2 back to Rahal.
The most exciting part of the race was the end as Lundgaard, with more push-to-pass time left,
stalked Rahal. Rahal did a great job keeping him behind him, but Lundgaard managed to pass
him with 3 laps to go. Malukas, with even more push-to-pass, was not able to get by Rahal and
Rahal finished in P3.
Palou pulled away from the field in every stint and handily won the race. His only competiton
was Lundgaard, who stood a chance of winning, except tor the botched pit stop.
The Biggest Mover of the race was Power, who improved from P23 to P12.
| Scott McLaughlin's Practice Crash |
Race day was sunny and 75°.
Fate, more than man or machine, determines success. One slight stutter can change the
course of destiny in the ultra-competitive IndyCar series Perhpas this is most evident at Long
Beach, where starting position is so critical and passing is difficult.
During qualifying, a slight wiggle in the last corner, resulted in Alex Palou qualifying in third,
while perfect laps from Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward earned them the front row –
they were separated by 4/100th of a second.
While Rosenqvist grabbed the lead, Palou quickly got around O’Ward and held onto second
place.
The only caution period during the race (debris on the track) happened two-thirds of the way
in, coinciding with the second and final pit stop planned by nearly all drivers. All the drivers pit
at once in the tight and tricky pit lane of Long Beach.
A slight stutter by the MSR team during during Rosenqvist’s pit stop, allowed Palou to reach
pit exit first and handed the lead to him.
Palou held the lead to the end and won the race, while Rosenqvist finished second.
Rules require each driver run two stints on the softer, alternate tires. The majority of drivers
planned to pit twice during the 90-lap race, hoping the tires would last at least 30 laps each
stint, which they did.
However, several drivers toward the back of the grid, rolled the dice and pit early, hoping
some future caution might help them leapfrog toward the front. Included with them was
Josef Newgarden. After pitting on lap 10, he enjoyed racing around in clean air with no
traffic, and making the the fastest laps of the race. The strategy failed. In the end, he
finished back in 14th where he started.
Marcus Ericsson suffered full hybrid failure and was the only car that did not finish the race.
Will Power ran over the feet of Foyt pit crew member Ryan Marzec, who was working on
the No. 4 car of Caio Collet, when Power exited his pit box during the frenzied caution stop.
The resultant penalty took Power out of the running and he finished down in 19th.
Nolan Siegel was the biggest mover of the race, moving from P25 to P12.
Fate, more than man or machine, determines success. One slight stutter can change the
course of destiny in the ultra-competitive IndyCar series Perhpas this is most evident at Long
Beach, where starting position is so critical and passing is difficult.
During qualifying, a slight wiggle in the last corner, resulted in Alex Palou qualifying in third,
while perfect laps from Felix Rosenqvist and Pato O’Ward earned them the front row –
they were separated by 4/100th of a second.
While Rosenqvist grabbed the lead, Palou quickly got around O’Ward and held onto second
place.
The only caution period during the race (debris on the track) happened two-thirds of the way
in, coinciding with the second and final pit stop planned by nearly all drivers. All the drivers pit
at once in the tight and tricky pit lane of Long Beach.
A slight stutter by the MSR team during during Rosenqvist’s pit stop, allowed Palou to reach
pit exit first and handed the lead to him.
Palou held the lead to the end and won the race, while Rosenqvist finished second.
Rules require each driver run two stints on the softer, alternate tires. The majority of drivers
planned to pit twice during the 90-lap race, hoping the tires would last at least 30 laps each
stint, which they did.
However, several drivers toward the back of the grid, rolled the dice and pit early, hoping
some future caution might help them leapfrog toward the front. Included with them was
Josef Newgarden. After pitting on lap 10, he enjoyed racing around in clean air with no
traffic, and making the the fastest laps of the race. The strategy failed. In the end, he
finished back in 14th where he started.
Marcus Ericsson suffered full hybrid failure and was the only car that did not finish the race.
Will Power ran over the feet of Foyt pit crew member Ryan Marzec, who was working on
the No. 4 car of Caio Collet, when Power exited his pit box during the frenzied caution stop.
The resultant penalty took Power out of the running and he finished down in 19th.
Nolan Siegel was the biggest mover of the race, moving from P25 to P12.
| Winner Alex Palou |
| Palou's black OpenAI livery was new. |
Race day weather was perfect - sunny and 72-degrees.
Qualifying was rained out yesterday and was ran this morning, which caused the morning
warmup session to be cancelled.
Alex Palou easily captured the pole with a margin of 0.5475 seconds. This was his 3rd
pole in a row at this event.
At the start, Rinus Veekay suffered front end damage before even reaching the starting
line.
A moment later, there were crashes at the front of the field as the drivers entered Turn 1
bringing out the first caution. It was triggered by Felix Rosenqvist (P3) who came in too
hard and hit Pato O'Ward (P2) spinning him. Scott Dixon (P8) seemed to get rear
ended by Josef Newgarden (P10) and was pushed toward the nose of the backward
facing O'Ward. Caio Collet (P12) then crashed into both of them. Since this happened
at the front, all the driver had to take evasive action, except for Palou, the leader. All of
the damaged cars were able to pit and get repaired. Rosenqvist and VeeKay were
moved to the back for pitting under yellow.
Qualifying was rained out yesterday and was ran this morning, which caused the morning
warmup session to be cancelled.
Alex Palou easily captured the pole with a margin of 0.5475 seconds. This was his 3rd
pole in a row at this event.
At the start, Rinus Veekay suffered front end damage before even reaching the starting
line.
A moment later, there were crashes at the front of the field as the drivers entered Turn 1
bringing out the first caution. It was triggered by Felix Rosenqvist (P3) who came in too
hard and hit Pato O'Ward (P2) spinning him. Scott Dixon (P8) seemed to get rear
ended by Josef Newgarden (P10) and was pushed toward the nose of the backward
facing O'Ward. Caio Collet (P12) then crashed into both of them. Since this happened
at the front, all the driver had to take evasive action, except for Palou, the leader. All of
the damaged cars were able to pit and get repaired. Rosenqvist and VeeKay were
moved to the back for pitting under yellow.
Lap 21 - Alex Rossi slowed to a stop on front straight near start/finish line. It seemed
that only a local yellow was called when it should have been full course caution. Rossi
soon climbed from car and jumped the pit wall, afraid he might get hit from behind. Some
drivers pit and then the course went full yellow. In the confusion, the two leaders, Palou
and Kyle Kirkwood, pit and were moved to the back for pitting under caution.
Two laps after the restart, there was another big wreck, this time in Turn 13. Sting Ray
Robb approached the corner too hard and hit O'Ward. At the same time, Kyffin
Simpson dove into the corner, cutting off Rosenqvist who hit him and was launched into
the air. This time, it was not Rosenqvist's fault. Rosenqvist was now out of the race.
that only a local yellow was called when it should have been full course caution. Rossi
soon climbed from car and jumped the pit wall, afraid he might get hit from behind. Some
drivers pit and then the course went full yellow. In the confusion, the two leaders, Palou
and Kyle Kirkwood, pit and were moved to the back for pitting under caution.
Two laps after the restart, there was another big wreck, this time in Turn 13. Sting Ray
Robb approached the corner too hard and hit O'Ward. At the same time, Kyffin
Simpson dove into the corner, cutting off Rosenqvist who hit him and was launched into
the air. This time, it was not Rosenqvist's fault. Rosenqvist was now out of the race.
| Race Leader Alex Palou Escapes Melee at First Turn |
Lap 33 - The leaders were now David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard, and Graham
Rahal. Josef Newgarden had been working his way up from 12th and was now in 5th.
Palou found himself toward the back in 20th.
There would be no more cautions. Pit stops were rather scattered and it seemed there
were now three different strategies to make it to the end.
Lap 39 - Palou pit to break free of traffic and get some open track to run flat out. He
would begin moving toward the front quickly. Kirkwood also pit, but a problem with a
wheel nut delayed him 8 seconds.
Lap 68 - After a round of pit stops, Lundgaard passed Malukas for the lead. Behind 3rd
place Rahal, was Newgarden and Palou. That is the order they finished. Kirkwood, a
favorite, ended up in 9th
The Biggest Mover was Dennis Hauger who improved 16 positions (Started 24 / Finished 8).+
Rahal. Josef Newgarden had been working his way up from 12th and was now in 5th.
Palou found himself toward the back in 20th.
There would be no more cautions. Pit stops were rather scattered and it seemed there
were now three different strategies to make it to the end.
Lap 39 - Palou pit to break free of traffic and get some open track to run flat out. He
would begin moving toward the front quickly. Kirkwood also pit, but a problem with a
wheel nut delayed him 8 seconds.
Lap 68 - After a round of pit stops, Lundgaard passed Malukas for the lead. Behind 3rd
place Rahal, was Newgarden and Palou. That is the order they finished. Kirkwood, a
favorite, ended up in 9th
The Biggest Mover was Dennis Hauger who improved 16 positions (Started 24 / Finished 8).+
| Rosenqvist Knocked Out Of Race |
| Christian Lundgaard and Arrow McLaren Won the Sonsio Grand Prix |
Alex Palou won the pole.
Race day was cloudy. The race started on time and the fear of a rain-out proved unfounded.
There were a couple of short caution periods during the race for sprinkles.
Ryan Hunter-Reay lost control and wrecked on Lap 17, which caused Katherine Legge to
swerve hard to miss him, which caused her to crash too.
Ed Carpenter had been running in 15th when he crashed after a restart on Lap 26 and hit the
Turn 1 wall.
Alex Rossi was swapping the lead at the start of the race with Alex Palou, but had to retire
on lap 91 with engine problems.
Josef Newgarden was running in 4th, but then made a mistake on a restart and hit the safer
barrier hard in Turn 4, ending his race on Lap 124.
Rookie Caio Collet had an up and down day, leading the race early, going a lap down, and
then moving up to 11th. He put it in the Turn 4 wall with nine laps to go! Lots of fire came
from the car as he rebounded off the wall.
That accident brought out the red flag.
After the restart, with just a few laps to go, rookie Mick Schumacher brushed the wall, and,
though he kept going, a caution flag came out.
The race went green for the final time with 1 lap to go. David Malukas led in his #12
Penske Chevy and seemed to have the race won, but Felix Rosenqvist decided to floor it
and risk passing cars on the outside through turns 3 & 4. Gaining momentum, he was able to
catch Malukas and nosed ahead of him at the last second! It was the closest finish in history!
A sad Malukas finished 2nd last year too.
The biggest mover of the race was Romain Grosjean. He improved 15 positions (Started 24 /
Finished 9).
Mick Schumacher won Indy 500 Rookie of the Year.
Race day was cloudy. The race started on time and the fear of a rain-out proved unfounded.
There were a couple of short caution periods during the race for sprinkles.
Ryan Hunter-Reay lost control and wrecked on Lap 17, which caused Katherine Legge to
swerve hard to miss him, which caused her to crash too.
Ed Carpenter had been running in 15th when he crashed after a restart on Lap 26 and hit the
Turn 1 wall.
Alex Rossi was swapping the lead at the start of the race with Alex Palou, but had to retire
on lap 91 with engine problems.
Josef Newgarden was running in 4th, but then made a mistake on a restart and hit the safer
barrier hard in Turn 4, ending his race on Lap 124.
Rookie Caio Collet had an up and down day, leading the race early, going a lap down, and
then moving up to 11th. He put it in the Turn 4 wall with nine laps to go! Lots of fire came
from the car as he rebounded off the wall.
That accident brought out the red flag.
After the restart, with just a few laps to go, rookie Mick Schumacher brushed the wall, and,
though he kept going, a caution flag came out.
The race went green for the final time with 1 lap to go. David Malukas led in his #12
Penske Chevy and seemed to have the race won, but Felix Rosenqvist decided to floor it
and risk passing cars on the outside through turns 3 & 4. Gaining momentum, he was able to
catch Malukas and nosed ahead of him at the last second! It was the closest finish in history!
A sad Malukas finished 2nd last year too.
The biggest mover of the race was Romain Grosjean. He improved 15 positions (Started 24 /
Finished 9).
Mick Schumacher won Indy 500 Rookie of the Year.
| Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing Won the INDY 500! |
Alex Palou won pole. David Malukas crashed during qualifications and started last.
The weather was nice for the race with mostly sunny skies and the temperature ranged from
68-73 degrees.
Two drivers were racing injured from accidents at Indy - Alex Rossi and Josef Newgarden -
both with foot injuries.
RACE
The race began clean with no incidents.
On Lap 10, Christian Rasmussen brought out the first caution when he crashed coming out
of turn 1. He was ok, but out of the race.
After the restart, the passing action began. Will Power made his way to the front, passing
Palou on Lap 17. Christian Lundgaard worked his way up to 4th by Lap 25,
After most drivers pit, another caution came out on Lap 40 when Kyffin Simpson ran into the
back of Graham Rahal, causing him to spin. Rahal had worked his way up to 9th, but now
fell back to 20th. Simpson received a drive-through penalty which put him at the back of the
field. Marcus Armstrong dove into the pits too soon during the caution and was penalized -
he fell from 10th spot to the back of the field. He worked his way back toward the front over
the next 55 laps to finish in 11th.
There was a lot of exciting, hard-charging racing on the tight street course, with cars bumping
each other. Rinus VeeKay hip-checked Santino Ferrucci and passed him for 12th place on
Lap 47.
The last pit window was expected to be Lap 65 and Palou pit from the lead. Kirkwood now
had the lead and was low on fuel and turning the fastest laps. He just had to pray a caution
didn't come out before he could pit.
Lap 66 - Ferrucci ran into the back of VeeKay spinning him. That brought out the third
caution which reshuffled the field. Palou, Mick Schumacher, Rossi, Malukas and
Newgarden had all pit before the yellow and they would now be in the front at the restart,
with Kirkwood behind them! (However, Rossi received a penalty for entering a closed pit
and that would take him out of contention.) Scott Dixon had to retire due to a hybrid system
failure on his car.
On the restart, Kirkwood passed four cars to move into third. Schumacher was working
hard to keep Malukas behind him, but couldn't make a turn and ran into the tire barrier cutting
off the corner for Malukas, who was on his outside. Schumacher was able to back up and
both drivers got going again, but a full course yellow came out.
The race restarted on Lap 76 and Kirkwood moved up into 2nd, behind Palou.
Power passed McLaughlin for 3rd. McLaughlin then crashed Power while trying to pass him
back, putting him out of the race. Power was furious!
Right after that happened, Ferrucci came to a stop on the course due to mechanical
problems, bringing out another full course caution.
The race restarted on Lap 83 and the order of the top six cars would remain unchanged to
the finish:
1. Palou
2. Kirkwood
3. Rahal
4. O'Ward
5. Lundgaard
6. Rosenqvist
On the next lap, Rossi tried to dive across and under Romain Grosjean and wrecked him.
Grosjean was out and Rossi received a Stop-and-Hold-for-15-seconds penalty. He would
finish last.
McLaughlin was in 7th, but pit with a car problem on Lap 90. He would not finish the race,
nor would Malukas.
The biggest mover of the race was Newgarden, who fought through the pain of his foot injury
to finish 10th, after having started 21st.
There was a unique new trophy for this year's Detroit winners.
The weather was nice for the race with mostly sunny skies and the temperature ranged from
68-73 degrees.
Two drivers were racing injured from accidents at Indy - Alex Rossi and Josef Newgarden -
both with foot injuries.
RACE
The race began clean with no incidents.
On Lap 10, Christian Rasmussen brought out the first caution when he crashed coming out
of turn 1. He was ok, but out of the race.
After the restart, the passing action began. Will Power made his way to the front, passing
Palou on Lap 17. Christian Lundgaard worked his way up to 4th by Lap 25,
After most drivers pit, another caution came out on Lap 40 when Kyffin Simpson ran into the
back of Graham Rahal, causing him to spin. Rahal had worked his way up to 9th, but now
fell back to 20th. Simpson received a drive-through penalty which put him at the back of the
field. Marcus Armstrong dove into the pits too soon during the caution and was penalized -
he fell from 10th spot to the back of the field. He worked his way back toward the front over
the next 55 laps to finish in 11th.
There was a lot of exciting, hard-charging racing on the tight street course, with cars bumping
each other. Rinus VeeKay hip-checked Santino Ferrucci and passed him for 12th place on
Lap 47.
The last pit window was expected to be Lap 65 and Palou pit from the lead. Kirkwood now
had the lead and was low on fuel and turning the fastest laps. He just had to pray a caution
didn't come out before he could pit.
Lap 66 - Ferrucci ran into the back of VeeKay spinning him. That brought out the third
caution which reshuffled the field. Palou, Mick Schumacher, Rossi, Malukas and
Newgarden had all pit before the yellow and they would now be in the front at the restart,
with Kirkwood behind them! (However, Rossi received a penalty for entering a closed pit
and that would take him out of contention.) Scott Dixon had to retire due to a hybrid system
failure on his car.
On the restart, Kirkwood passed four cars to move into third. Schumacher was working
hard to keep Malukas behind him, but couldn't make a turn and ran into the tire barrier cutting
off the corner for Malukas, who was on his outside. Schumacher was able to back up and
both drivers got going again, but a full course yellow came out.
The race restarted on Lap 76 and Kirkwood moved up into 2nd, behind Palou.
Power passed McLaughlin for 3rd. McLaughlin then crashed Power while trying to pass him
back, putting him out of the race. Power was furious!
Right after that happened, Ferrucci came to a stop on the course due to mechanical
problems, bringing out another full course caution.
The race restarted on Lap 83 and the order of the top six cars would remain unchanged to
the finish:
1. Palou
2. Kirkwood
3. Rahal
4. O'Ward
5. Lundgaard
6. Rosenqvist
On the next lap, Rossi tried to dive across and under Romain Grosjean and wrecked him.
Grosjean was out and Rossi received a Stop-and-Hold-for-15-seconds penalty. He would
finish last.
McLaughlin was in 7th, but pit with a car problem on Lap 90. He would not finish the race,
nor would Malukas.
The biggest mover of the race was Newgarden, who fought through the pain of his foot injury
to finish 10th, after having started 21st.
There was a unique new trophy for this year's Detroit winners.
| Alex Palou Won Detroit Grand Prix |