Photo from Road America Facebook page

As you are reading this post, I am on y way to Milwaukee to catch the Brewers’ game this afternoon before I head up to Elkhart Lake as the second half of the IndyCar season begins.

IndyCar has made a change to the hybrid for the rest of 2026, reducing the power from 10-25%, depending on the track. I’m not su if the reduction will be announced before each race.

The reduction was deemed necessary to lessen the load on the hybrid system in order to preserve it. The system has had several failures this season, and they have created a parts shortage. It sounds to me that of more issues may cause the supplier to not have parts available towards the end of the season.

I think the situation calls for a reevaluation of the hybrid system. If there is any question about the availability of replacement parts, which could affect the final standings, maybe the series should consider shutting the units down entirely for the final nine races. That may be the only fair solution.

Crucial Weekend for Kirkwood and Malukas

Alex Palou leads Kyle Kirkwood by 49 points, and he is 68 points ahead of David Malukas. Both drivers need to gain some ground this weekend. With two street race left on the schedule, both of which should favor Kirkwood, and three ovals remaining, of which I think Malukas wins one, nay narro2wing of the gap on Sunday will help them.

Palou won this race last year, and Chip Ganassi racing has won seven times at Road America, so it is a daunting task facing the challengers. We are seeing a few chinks in Palou’s armor, however, another result outside the top 5 or top could provide an opening.

Qualifying is Key

In the past 11 races at Road America, no driver has won from further back than ninth. The winner this weekend will likely come from the first two rows. There is the added element of weather with rain possible both Saturday and Sunday. It seems rain has followed the series since mid-May.

Drivers to Watch

In addition to Palou, Kirkwood, and Malukas, Three drivers I will be watching with a lot of interest are Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal, and Scott McLaughlin.

O’Ward has hung around the top five all season, but he has yet to get on the podium. His teammate, Christian Lundgaard, is ahead of him in the points. O’Ward has not seemed to have the pace he has shown in previous seasons. Perhaps this wekend we see O’Ward break through.\

Graham Rahal has been on the podium three times in 2026, the most podiums he has earned in four years. I look for him to get another one for RLL.

Scott McLaughlin is hungry for a win. He last saw Victory Circle in 2024. Road Americas is his strongest type of track, and Team Penske has made a very good rebound this year.

In the end, Alex Palou should put more distance between himself and his closest pursuers as he gets his fifth victory of the season. The good news is I think he only wins one more after in 2026 after Sunday.

I’ll be back Friday morning with a weather update and any other news tidbits that pop up.