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 - |
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
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FULL RACE RESULTS
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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
Josef Newgarden
Kyle Kirkwood
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 - |
FULL RACE RESULTS
| 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 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 |