The 2026 edition of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America is now in the books. It was the most intriguing IndyCar race held here since the series returned to this massive 4.088-mile track in 2016. There have been wild finishes, like the year Josef Newgarden lost power on the last lap while leading. There have been a few affected by rain. Last year had very oppressive heat for the first time since we’ve been coming here. Some years, the temperature never broke 60° for the weekend. This year, the weather was about perfect. It would have been rated a little on the cooler side, but compared to what most of the country is experiencing – who’s complaining?
This year’s race had its share of storylines – like can anyone stop Alex Palou? He won his fifth consecutive pole on Saturday. Even though he didn’t win yesterday, he extended his points lead by 11 points before the weekend began. So the answer to that question is; no – no one can stop him, not yet.
The Meyer Shank cars looked so strong throughout the weekend. The smart money said one of their cars would win. Felix Rosenqvist led for eighteen laps midway through the race, but he got caught out when an untimely yellow flag came out for Christian Rasmussen on Lap 31. He did an admirable job playing catch-up to finish eighth. Marcus Armstrong took over the lead at that point and had two stints up front, leading for a total of fourteen laps, before his Honda engine let him down with only four laps to go.
Late in the race, Josef Newgarden was leading but everyone knew he had to pit again. Once he pitted with six laps to go, Armstrong reassumed the lead. It looked like it was clear sailing for the young New Zealander to score his first career IndyCar win. But on Lap 52, Armstrong’s Honda engine let go. Not only was his dream of an IndyCar win over, but he didn’t even get a decent finish. He finished twenty-fourth on a day when he deserved so much more.
With Felipe Nasr on standby, some were wondering if Josef Newgarden would even race this weekend. He qualified mid-pack, but was headed for a Top-Ten finish. He was actually scored in the Top-Ten, but was later penalized thirty-seconds for avoidable contact on the final lap. I don’t even know who it was with, but it must’ve been bad enough to give a thirty-second penalty. Newgarden was rewarded with a twenty-second place finish, for all of his hard work.
But what made this race truly memorable was Christian Lundgaard losing his front wing and puncturing a tire on Lap One, but recovering to win the race from last place
That was just the capper to a very eventful day, with tons of action, good racing and unpredictable results. It just made an enjoyable weekend that more memorable.
TV Coverage: Most race weekends when we are on site, I am able to hear parts of practice and sometimes even portions of the race. This weekend, we never heard one second of any FOX telecasts. We were out on the grounds almost all day every day. So I have nothing to go by to say if FOX did a good job or missed some things. I’ve spoken to a few people that watched from home, and they said nothing of anything egregious. We will watch the replay when we get back home. If there was anything noteworthy, good or bad – I’ll be sure and comment later.
Mr. Second Place: David Malukas now has three second-place finishes this season – the Sonsio Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500 and now at Road America. He also qualified on the front row for Sunday’s race, meaning he started second and finished second. He made a self-deprecating joke about it in Sunday’s post race press conference. I understand his frustration, but there are a lot of drivers in the paddock that would love to have that problem. Where does he currently sit in points? Second.
One Complaint: I realize most of my writing this week makes me sound like I work for the Elkhart Lake Chamber of Commerce. That’s how much we enjoy coming here year after year. But I do have one complaint. If you were there any of this weekend, you know what I’m talking about. The main concession stand near the paddock, and across the road from the gift shop has some massive outdoor speakers that look like they are temporary. I know I sound like the old boomer that I am, but they were blaring music out all day, every day. It was to the point that no one was sitting at the picnic tables in front of them. Not only could you not carry on a conversation, but you would be at risk of permanently damaging your hearing – it was that loud. They were louder than any race car I heard all weekend. The good news is that they were playing decent music – mostly tunes from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I’m not saying they should get rid of the music altogether – just turn it down to where you can think straight.
True Fans: One of the many reasons I enjoy coming to Road America each year are the fans. I’ve not been to every track on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule, but I’ve been to a lot of them. I can honestly say that the fans that go to Road America are the most knowledgeable racing fans I’ve seen.
They aren’t there for the party. There is no Snake Pit. There are no concerts anywhere on the property at any point in the weekend. There aren’t any celebrity sightings like at Long Beach, Indianapolis or Nashville. And thank God, this is a track that the dreaded influencers choose to skip. I guess it’s not cosmopolitan enough for their liking. If those are the things you’re looking for, you can find them at several tracks on the schedule. These folks don’t care about parties or being seen. They come early, set up a lawn chair or a blanket at one of the many viewing areas and will sit and watch race after race all day long. They don’t look for crashes, but they cheer when a driver makes a great pass. The fans that go to Road America are true race fans, and they know their stuff.
Concessions: You have read me write about the concessions at Road America, and how each stand is independently run with different menus. I came across one that I’ve heard about, but never tried. Sunday, I finally tried it just before the start of the race and I will be back. It is a little off of the beaten path, and is located on the outside of Turn Three. While they have many traditional offerings like hamburgers, hot dogs and brats – what they are really known for is their broasted chicken. For years, people have been telling me to go there. When I have, it’s been too crowded. But we tried it yesterday for lunch and I found the broasted chicken to be delicious! If you are ever at Road America, put that one on your list to try.
Strange Day for Andretti Global: The Andretti cars were something of a mixed bag this weekend. Kyle Kirkwood was running second in points, but he had an off weekend all the way around. He was off the pace the entire weekend. He qualified eighteenth and finished tenth, but was never talked about all weekend. Marcus Ericsson was coming off of a great showing at St; Louis two weekends ago, and his weekend started out great. He qualified fifth and was thought to be one of the favorites to possibly win. About halfway through, he was running as high as third, but something happened and he fell back. That is one of the things I won’t know until we get back home and see the replay. Whatever it was it turned a promising weekend into a forgettable thirteenth place finish.
Will Power showed promise by easily making the Fast Twelve in qualifying, but he ended up qualifying eleventh. I don’t think many expected Power to do much, based on the way his season is going. At one point he fell back to eighteenth, and looked to be going nowhere fast. But things worked out and Power’s car was suddenly fast. To Graham Rahal’s dismay, Power finished third and earned his first podium finish in his time with Andretti.
Drive of the Day: Most of the time, I give this prestigious award to someone other than the winner of the race. It usually goes to someone who overcame adversity, and winds up with a good finish. When your race winner had problems early on and is in last place by Lap 2, then charges throught he field to win the race – how can you not give it to him? So the Oilpressure.com drive of the day goes to Christian Lundgaard.
All and All: It was another fun weekend at Road America for us. After eleven straight race weekends here, we have never left saying “this wasn’t as much fun as it usually is”. Quite the contrary, when we were pulling out of the property on Sunday night, we both said something to the effect that it was a very enjoyable weekend and how this place never gets old. You have to have been here to know what I’m talking about. The fact that it was a very compelling race was just a bonus.
After a week off next weekend, the series moves on to another natural terrain road course at Mid-Ohio, then two weeks after that the series comes to our hometown of Nashville. Will Alex Palou stumble and the race gets very interesting, or will he get back to form and put away his fifth chamopionship weeks before it’s over?
Again, thanks to all who followed along with us all through the weekend. I will close with photos that Susan took on Sunday – before, during and after the race. (All photos by Susan Phillips)
George Phillips
