Against the tide of a lingering Indianapolis 500 hangover, the Detroit Grand Prix begins today with a practice at 3 pm for the IndyCar series. The Detroit race on the downtown streets usually presents a less than scintillating show, and its place on the schedule does the event no favors. IndyCar goes from a 220 mph drag race for the Borg-Warner trophy to a sub 100 mph tour in the Motor City.

This weekend is the fourth edition of the Detroit race since its move from Belle Isle, a track where the racing became decent in the late 20 teens. I used to wish the series would not race there because the contests were dull processions. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

Detroit is the eighth race on the 18 race calendar for 2026, and unlike the last two years, the potential for a title fight remains. David Malukas has moved into second place, trailing Alex Palou by 37 points. Kyle Kirkwood has dropped to third, 49 points behind. Kirkwood lost 32 points to Palou in May.

Here are some things to watch for:

Andretti Rebound

Andretti Global had a difficult May at IMS, but the team returns to the discipline which is their strength. Kirkwood has won three street course races since 2025, and he is the defending winner at Detroit.

Will Power has been a winner on several street courses, and Marcus Ericsson also has a street victory to his name.

Look for this trio, especially Kirkwood, to be at or near the front the entire weekend.

Rosenqvist 500 Hangover

Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist might have the ultimate post=race hangover following a week of activities honoring the new Indianapolis champion. The race might be his most relaxing time of the past eight days.

Winners of the 500 don’t traditionally fare well in the race following the 500. It was true in Milwaukee, and it remained true in Texas and continued to Detroit.

Malukas Momentum?

David Malukas remains agonizingly on the cusp of his first series win. He has an average finish of 7.3 this season in the three previous street races. AS result in that range will keep him in the title hunt. I think he gets his first win at Gateway next weekend.

A solid result on a course that is not Malukas’s strength will go a long way toward erasing the pain he felt at the end of the race five days ago.

The Indianapolis 500 is a tough act to follow no matter which race is next. There have been rumblings this week about giving everyone in the series a break after the 500. The schedule is hard on the crews and staff, and this year there are consecutive weekends following the 500. IndyCar is afraid of losing momentum by taking a week off, but a break would allow about 12 days to celebrate the winner of the biggest race in the world and promote the rest of the season.

If the series wants to build on the momentum of the 500, an oval race should be the next contest. Gateway and Detroit should swap dates on the calendar.

I see Kyle Kirkwood reestablishing his street course dominance with a victory on Sunday, inching closer to second place and gaining on Palou.

I will be covering the race from home with results of all sessions and reports on anything else I hear.