With five races remaining on the 2025 IndyCar schedule, Toronto begins the final third of the year. Alex Palou has virtually clinched the championship while second place is very much in play between Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood, and Scott Dixon. Just 51 points separate the three drivers.

The 39th running of the race at Exhibition Place faces an uncertain future. The event renews annually, and with the calendar shifts coming in2026 and beyond, this tight track and this ever-changing venue may be a casualty. It would be a shame for IndyCar to lose this race and this city. I have only attended once, but it was one of the best times I have ever had at a race weekend.

Andretti Bounce Back

The team most happy to come to Toronto is Andretti Global. They had a miserable two races at Iowa last weekend with three tire failures and each car crashing at least once.

But Andretti drivers Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood finished 1-2 at Toronto last year, and they have dominated the street courses in 2025. Kirkwood has won at Long Beach and Detroit. Both drivers have a street course pole this season as well.

I will give the nod to Herta as your winner again Sunday, but it very well could be Kirkwood.

The Penske Roller Coaster

In race 1 at Iowa, it appeared Team Penske might have regained some momentum, but that balloon quickly deflated in race 2. The team comes to a track where their last podium is a second place by Simon Pagenaud in 2018 and thei next best finish was in 2023 when Josef newgarden ended the race in fifth place.

Penske’s street course record this season shows a pole for McLaughlin at St. Pete, a podium for Newgarden at St. Pete, Fifth for Power and sixth for McLaughlin at Long Beach, and fourth for Power at Detroit. McLaughlin is the only Penske driver to make the Fast Six this season, adding a sixth place start at long Beach to his pole.

Notes

Nolan Siegel has been cleared by IndyCar Medical to drive this weekend. Siegel had to sit out last Sunday’s race at Iowa after suffering a mild concussion in Saturday’s race 1.

On Monday Arrow McLaren signed Linus Lundqvist as a reserve driver to cover situations like last weekend.

ECR will build a new race shop in Westfield.

Toronto is third of four straight IndyCar weekends., Next weekend’s race at Weather Tech raceway in Monterey will conclude a five races in four weeks stretch. A much deserved but too short one week break follows.