Photo: Alex Palou climbs into the IR-28 for an initial run this morning. IndyCar photo.
Good morning from a damp Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It seems as ion we sawn this same movie yesterday. Alex Palou made an early run at 9 am before rain hit again. When the track dries, the rest of the time allowed for testing today should be dry.
Testing is suposed to end at 2 pm, followed by a brief media availability with Palou. I’ll be back at the end of the day with a wrap up.
Team Penske’s strongest race of the year only netted them a second, a third, and a Fourth as Alex Palou used a timely pit stop just ahead of a caution flag to win his fifth race of the year at yesterday’s rain delayed Brochet\ta Bourbon Grand Prix.
While Palou won the pit strategy battle, pole sitter Kyle Kirkwood came up on the short end as another yellow flag flew while he was in the pits. Kirkwood was on the same tire strategy as Palou, finishing on primaries, but he had a lot of track position to make up.
On Saturday, Palou appeared to be struggling, and he was not happy with his car during the first two stints of the race.
“Saturday, I was not that comfortable in the car,” Palou said. “But Julian (Robertson, engineer) and everybody on the 10 and CGR prepared a really, really good car for today. The beginning of the race we were not that comfortable in traffic, but the last two stints I was just super comfortable.
“It was a close battle there with Newgarden. It just seemed like he had so much speed there, and I was flat-out for the last 30, 35 laps. Just awesome to win here.”
The win capped a glorious weekend for Spain, with Palou’s country winning the World Cup.
David Malukas turned in the best performance of the day finishing third after starting 25th. Malukas started the wekend with a morning crash which sent him to a local hospital for evaluation. He return for the early evening practice and set the fastest time. Malukas cycled to the lead during the first round of pit stops as the team attempted a three stop fuel save strategy. It didn’t quite work out, but Malukas still ended with his third podium in four oval races.
I am impressed with how much Malukas has matured on ovals in 2026. Last year he was impatient with slower cars, and he paid the price. Yesterday, he chose his moves wisely and backed off when he needed to. How he hasn’t won a race this year yet is puzzling.
Malukas was first through the second place revolving door, although Palou’s lead is now 83 points. Kyle Kirkwood falls to third, 87 points behind Palou. Monday was likely Kirkwood’s last best shot at catching Palou.
Unsung- Marcus Ericsson has been very competitive in the last two oval races, and Andretti Global was wise to resign him for 2027. he had a podium at Gateway, and he nearly snagged another one yesterday.
Rinus VeeKay continues to show great talent. The pit cycles knocked him out of what should have been a top 10 result. Whichever team signs him for 2027 is getting a very good driver.
Mick Schumacher scored his first top 10 in IndyCar- on an oval, no less. Schumacher was the bright spot in an another otherwise dismal day for RLL. Louis Foster was 17th and Graham Rahal finished 19th. Rahal was quite slow on track. I can’t figure out why the team can’t put a better car on the grid for him.
Palou’s fifth win of the season was his first since Detroit on May 31.
In the three weeks before Portland, we may see the 2028 car on track. Also, on Thursday Indiana Sprint Week begins with an event at IMS on the dirt track.
Thanks for following along on what turned out to be an extended weekend. I hope IndyCar has seen the last of rainy ovals for 2026. Please stay dry, Milwaukee.
There is now a third certainty in life. In addition to dea and taxes, add Ale Palou on pole for an IndyCar race. Alex Palou won his fifth straight pole for 2026 and joins an elite list of consecutive pole winners:
1. Bobby Unser 8 (1971-72)
2. Mario Andretti 7 (1965-66)
3. Alex Zanardi 6 (1996-97
4. Mario Andretti 5 (1984) 4T. Danny Sullivan 5 (1988), Palou
Incredibly, all-time pole winner Will Power never won five consecutive poles. Palou was just sixth fastest in practice this morning, but the team returned to yesterday’s settings to allow the points leader to stay at the front. David Malukas starts second for the second race in a row.
Palou’s lap of 1:43.6615 beat Malukas by 0.29 seconds.
Marcus Armstrong was the favorite going into qualifying, but he ended the session third, just ahead of teammate Felix Rosenqvist. Marcus Ericsson and Scott McLaughlin complete the Fast Six.
“It’s incredible, five in a row this year,” Palou said. “This team, man. This team and everyone on it is giving me the best car, all the power we needed. We suffered quite a lot there in Q2. Couldn’t really get the lap we wanted, but the car was super rapid.”
Road America’s IndyCar weekend is looking a lot like the Sebring 12 Hour race. While roaming the track this morning, I saw more campers, cars, and golf carts than I have ever seen here. The last two years that I attended Sebring I had the same feeling of an event that was bulging at the seams with vehicles are shoehorned into the place, and I trust management here has a plan to prevent that from happening.
Weird thought- How many pounds over minimum weight would the 10 car be if IndyCar implemented Balance of Performance?
Today’s crowd was massive. I have never seen the grandstands so filled for qualify and practice. Tomorrow’s attendance may shatter the record for IndyCar here.
Note Santino Ferrucci and Alexander Rossi will be assessed six grid positions each. Official starting lineup will post tomorrow morning.
It was his worst track. Until today. Alex Palou turned a blistering average of 174.35 to beat David Malukas for the top spot in tomorrow’ night’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The margin was more one mile an hour.
In an ominous statement to the rest of the field, Palou said after practice that he was'”…happier than I’ve ever been at this track.”
Malukas was not too upset with the result, in fact, he was happy his team found something for qualifying after finishing sixth in the morning practice.
Today’s pole is Palou’s fourth in a row, tying a record set by Scott Dixon. The four time series champion has been on pole at Long Beach, the Sonsio Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and now at WWTR. Long Beach is the only race he converted to a win.
The last winner from the pole at Gateway was in 2003 when Helio Castroneves won from the first grid position.
Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist spent time at the top of the scoring pylon, as did Marcus Armstrong.
The final three drivers, Palou, Kirkwood, and Malukas- were all too strong for the rest of the field.
Mick Schumacher had a respectable qualifying in 18th.
Will Power will start a disappointing 21st.
The difference in speed between Palou and 25th place Sting Ray Robb is 6.2 mph.
Next up is highline practice at 8 pm Eastern. Today’s high line practice is different tan at most tracks. Each group will have two 10-minute sessions, alternating between groups. A full 60 minute practice follows at 9 pm Eastern.
In the end the race came down to pit strategy and how the cautions fell- just the way a race is supposed to play out. Alex Palou once again came out on the good side, and Kyle Kirkwood fell just short.
The Chevrolet Grand Prix of Detroit delivered an entertaining race, arguably the best race in the Motor City in a while. It was by far the best of the four races held at this edition of a downtown circuit.
Today’s race was the type of event that might keep the casual fan who tuned in today after watching last week’s Indianapolis 500 and saw plenty of action to maybe want to give Gateway a look next Sunday. It was not the post-500 buzzkill that we have often seen.
Here are my thoughts on seven topics from today’s race.
IndyCar officiating has been criticized for not throwing yellows when warranted. Today the yellow flew frequently, perhaps a bit too much. Three cautions were called for cars that spun but were able to restart and keep going. Only once did I think the flag was justified as the car was in the middle of the track.
The officials overcorrected their previous reluctance to make a call. I can give the race director a bit of a pass since this was the new IOB’s first street course event.
Did the yellows hurt some drivers? yes, Kyle Kirkwood among them, but that’s racing. I’m sure a middle ground will eventually be reached for when to wave the yellow flag and when not to.
Scott Dixon dropped out of the race, losing a top 10 finish because of a hybrid failure. He was not complimentary about the unit afterwards.
After nearly three years, I’m still not sure how the hybrid adds anything to the sport. The street racing especially has not been great since the hybrid’s introduction to IndyCar. The added weight has slowed speeds, as we saw at IMS last week.
Perhaps it is time to ditch this experiment with the 2028 car.
Graham Rahal earned his third podium of the season, the first time since 2020 that he has been on the podium that often. Rahal is ninth in points, just one point behind Josef Newgarden.
I’m glad to see Rahal once again competing at the top of the grid. RLL seems to have their road and street packages figured out. I hope the team can find a solution to their oval issues.
Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi raced despite their ailing lower extremities. For Rossi, it was his second race since his injury on May 18, and Newgarden was in his first race since hitting the wall last Sunday.
Newgarden started 21st, and Rossi rolled ff 14th. Rossi had made his way to second place near the end of the race before a penalty pushed him down to17th at the end.
Newgarden drove a steady race all day and finished 10th.
Two gutsy performances from these drivers. They should be in better shape for next Sunday’s oval race at Gateway.
There is nothing more annoying during the FOX broadcast that the chime the network uses to tell the audience that a radio communication is imminent. It sounds to me like a doorbell or the sound at a sports league draft to announce the next pick.
Is it too difficult for Will Buxton to say to just say, “Here’s what Barry Wanser just told Alex?”
The chime is the most unnecessary prop I have ever seen or heard on a race broadcast.
What does Will Power have to do to stay in a race and actually win? This morning I felt great about his chances to win today, and when he passed Palou for the lead during the first stint, I was sure it was his day.
He got behind on pit stops but was making his way back toward the front until co0ntact with Scott McLaughlin sidelined him. The New Zealander was not given a penalty, but he finished 19th after being in contention for the win, so justice was served.
I really hoped Power would win today, in a Honda, in Roger Penske’s backyard. what delicious irony that would have been.
No team will be happier to see the calendar turn to June 1 tomorrow than ECR. May has not been kind to them.
Both Christian Rasmussen and Alexander Rossi suffered machinal failures in the Sonsio Grand Prix, finishing 24th and 25th.
The highlight of May was rossi qualifying second for the Indianapolis 500. The joy was short lived as Rossi crashed hard in practice the following day, injuring his right ankle.
In the race Rasmussen fell out early with mechanical issues again, finishing 27th. Rossi led for a bit, but a pit fire dropped him the race and he ended the day in 30th place.
Today, in addition to Rossi’s late troubles, Rasmussen was the first car out with wall contact on lap 9.
It was good to see a decent race follow the 500 for once. Next Sunday’s Bommarito 500 should be another great show.
Thanks for following along this weekend.
Alex Palou was fastest in Friday practice for the Detroit Grand Prix, just edging defending race winner Kyle Kirkwood by 19 hundredths of a second. Will Power was third quickest, 22 hundredths of a second behind Palou.
Palou is seeking his third pole in the month of May. He won the pole at the Sonsio Grand Prix, where he finished fifth, then took the coveted Indianapolis 500 pole position for the 110th running. Palou finished seventh last Sunday.
“Good start,” Palou said. “It’s just super tough to get a lap here when everything feels good. Although we looked very good, I think we need to work on the car and try to make it a little bit better because I think there was a ton of people that couldn’t really get a good lap.”
Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist was 11th fastest in today’s practice.
Tomorrow is a short, ,packed day with practice at 9 am Eastern and qualifying at 1 pm. IMSA then has the track for the rest of the day.
Pole position for Alex Palou seemed improbable, but inevitability beat improbability as Palou won the pole for next Sunday’s 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Palou drew number 31 in the qualifying order, which may have resulted in a different outcome had qualifying gone off as scheduled on Saturday.
The 2025 winner ended the first round in 11th, then finished second in the Fast 12. Alexander Rossi went out first in nthe Fast Six and set down a time of 231.990 mph, which held until made his run. Palou finished with an average speed of 232.248 mph win his second Indianapolis pole in four years. Palou also started first in 2023.
Felix Rosenqvist, who dominated the first two qualifying rounds, had nothing for Palou. Rosenqvist will start fourth.
I will have the full lineup up in post late tonight.
Drivers battled sstrong winds all day on their runs.Tgere were several close calls, but no incidents.
Speeds were down from last year, as they have been all week.
It was another heavy attendance day today, with the crowd spread through the grounds.
Biggest surprises: Josef Newgarden in 24th; Takuma Sato in 13th.
I will have a more complete wrapup tomorrow. Thanks for following along this weekend.
Alex Palou turned the fast lap of the at 225.937 to just beat out Marcus Armstrong for top lap of the day. Armstrong laid down a 225.895circuit early in the afternoon as practice for the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 began.
On a sunny warm afternoon the 33 drivers turn a combined 1,996 laps.
“Yeah, it’s good; it’s good now,” Palou said. “We had a couple of issues, but we fixed them. It wasn’t a mechanical issue or anything. It was just balance, not being super happy with it. We found something that explained what I was feeling, and it was good to go back out today before we go to sleep so we can be a bit happier.”
“You always want to do a lot more,” Palou said. “We didn’t do a many laps today, but still we understood a lot of stuff. Feeling much better than (earlier this afternoon).”
Palou was 31st on the chart in the middle of the afternoon when the car went back to the garage. The defending 500 champion returned and took over his accustomed spot on the pylon.
Conor Daly was third fastest. His best lap was 225.839.
Kyle Kirkwood led the non-tow speed chart with a lap of 222.062 mph. Palou was 16th without a tow.
Speed chart and non-tow charts
From earlier
It’s to the point where I can recycle the headline to my qualifications stories. Not only did Palou win the pole for this afternoon’s Sonsio Grand Prix, he won it by a half second over Pato O’Ward. Palou was the only driver to turn a lap under 1 minute 10 seconds.
Palou turned a blazing quick final lap in Rounf=d one to go from 13th to first. The next two rounds were justto make it official.
O’Ward expressed concern yesterday that he would end up in the lower half of the field. He was hoping qualifying would be in the rain yesterday to give his Arrow McLaren car a chance.
“We turned it around,” O’Ward said after aid after qualifying.
Felix Rosenqvist continued his strong qualifying efforts and will start third.
Five teams earned spots in the Fast Six while six different teams advanced from each first round group.
Most disappointing result has to be Kyle Kirkwood’s ninth place starting spot. It will be difficult for Kirkwood to keep with Palou in the points from there.
Will Power will start last in the 25 car field and Scott McLaughlin rolls off 18th.
Many cars began their rounds on the alternate tires. The starting tire selections will be interesting.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 