A few final thoughts about Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500.

IndyCar needs more ovals. The first half of the 2026 season included three oval races, and they were the best three races of the year. While three more oval, races are on the schedule for the second half of the season, only two venues will host oval races, Nashville and Milwaukee.

IndyCar needs one more night oval. Night racing is some of the best racing I’ve seen, and the time of day adds several variables to how a race plays out. Cars change when the sun goes down.; Look at David Malukas this weekend. He qualified second but had no pace during the race. Malukas said the team missed the setup. He finished seventh on a race where he was one of the favorites.

Was it as good a race as the 2026 race? No, but it was still a very good race. Christian Rasmussen said in the post race media availability that last year’s package raced better, yet there was a record 268 passes for position, more than 35 by the Danish driver himself.

Keep in mind that Marcus Ericsson started 12th, meaning he passed nearly half the field to get to the lead on lap 47. Ericsson passed pole winner Alex Palou on track for the first place.

It was evident from the start that Ericsson and Jopsef Newgarden had the two fastest cars. Both drivers said after the race that their cars were nearly equal. Newgarden got the jump on the last pit stop to get ahead.

Christian Rasmussen and Newgarden battled for the lead for 15 laps near the end before Ericssson got past Rasmussen for second. Newgarden led the final 40 laps and won by 0.6 seconds.

Rasmussen is one to watch for on the remaining ovals. He won at Milwaukee last year, and he was about to win at Phoenix in March before tangling with Will Power.

When Caio Collet finally gets a break, he just might end up being the next new winner in IndyCar. His brilliant drive Sunday on lap 226 with a blown engine. He led seven laps after starting 20th, and Collet had a podium finish in sight.

Has Dixon Lost a Step?

Scott Dixon has seemed to be step behind this season, and Sunday was an example as the Ganassi driver’s usually great fuel save strategy failed. Dixon needed emergency service a closed pit and finished 12th. He was still in better shape than teammate Alex Palou.

In a rare error by the number 10 crew Palou ran out of fuel and stopped on pit lane. It took several minutes to get the car refired. The points leader finished 17th, two laps down. Palou has won four consecutive poles, but he has converted just one of those to a win.

Is the Window Closing?

Time is running out for David Malukas, Marcus Armstrong, or anyone else who has never won a race to get to the top step of the podium. The first of an IndyCar is where we normally see a variety of winners, but in the second, the championship contenders usually sweep up all the hardware.

Granted, last year Christiuan Rasmussen got his breakthrough first victory late in the season, but things like that don’t occur very often.

After a much neede3d week off IndyCar goes to Road America for the next race Jube 21 to begin the second half of the 2026 schedule. I plan to have a couple of posts between now and then. Thanks to all who followed here this past weekend.