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Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Penske Entertainment/Joe Skibinski Monterey, CA -It’s rare that Alex Palou has a bad day at the racetrack. It's even more surprising when it's at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, a circuit where he has found so much success in the past. A difficult adjustment to a four-stop strategy saw Palou fall through the pack in Sunday's Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey. Fortunately, he was able to rally back for an eighth-place finish. “It's toug

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Penske Entertainment/Travis Hinkle Monterey, CA - A drawn-out drought comes to an end for Scott McLaughlin in the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey. After two years, McLaughlin finds victory lane with Team Penske holding off a charging Kyle Kirkwood, who takes second-place honors in the championship standings at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday afternoon. “A culmination of some hard work,” McLaughlin, driver of the No.3 Team Pe

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle/Motorsports Today (St. Louis 2026) Monterey, CA - For Ed Carpenter Racing, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca marks the end of a turbulent season for the Chevrolet-backed organization. Bad luck, combined with an inconsistent road-course program, has left the team mired in the driver standings. A fourth-place qualifying effort for Alexander Rossi, driver of the No.21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chev

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd/MotorsportsToday (Barber Motorsports Park 2026) Monterey, CA - Building a better foundation. After rumors circulated that Josh Pierson may have been one of the sole INDY NXT SERIES prospects to be promoted to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2027, it was announced earlier this week that an approval process will be put in place to determine the drivers who will move up to the next level. While the announcement wasn't directly relat

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd/Motorsports Today (Markham 2026) Monterey, CA - A change to the season finale and the success of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., have fans, race personnel and drivers split on which venues should make an appearance on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar. Graham Rahal, driver of the No.15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda, believes media attention and market size need to be the determining factors when building futur

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle/Motorsports Today (St Louis, 2026) Kyle Kirkwood’s “King of the Streets” moniker rang true once more in the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., leading 128 laps en route to victory in the event’s inaugural running Sunday afternoon. He led Christian Lundgaard and Will Power for his sixth victory on a street course. "To be able to win in what will be considered probably my home race, right, being the Freedom 250 as an Amer

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle (Motorsports Today 2026) It’s not uncommon to be unlucky. Marcus Armstrong’s summer stretch is not only unlucky, but it has been a curse that turned a decent season start into one to forget. A fifth-place qualifying effort in Firestone Fast 6 on Saturday afternoon looks to be the first sign to break this spell. “We haven't exactly had the best run lately, and it's tricky really because we've had a bit of bad luck,” Armstrong, d

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) Although it was Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood who showed the most pace through the first two practice sessions of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Alexander Rossi made significant noise near the top of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES charts. He looks to rebound after an abysmal weekend on the streets of Markham that marked his fourth straight sub-19th-place finish. Even with the a

JEFFREY HRUNKA - INDYCAR CONTRIBUTOR Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) Kyle Kirkwood is in pursuit of his first championship, only sitting second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings entering the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. race weekend. The kicker is that he is over 100 points behind championship leader Alex Palou, who is poised to take his fifth championship in the last six years. Still, confidence to close that gap this weekend is at an all-time high.

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) Not close enough. Romain Grosjean was four laps short of his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory, after being passed by Marcus Ericsson late in the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Grand Prix at Markham. He was forced to settle for a runner-up finish after leading 28 laps on Sunday afternoon. "Nothing much you could do to defend. Not meant to be today. Very happy for Dale Coyne Racing,” Grosjean, driv

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports 2026) Markum, ON - After wrecking out of first practice to start Saturday morning, Marcus Ericsson finds himself in victory lane after chasing down Romain Grosjean in the closing laps of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham on Sunday afternoon. He led Grosjean and teammate Will Power to an all-Honda podium. "I mean, it feels great to have the confidence from the team to continue. But I feel like this year,

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) Winning changes everything. It’s widely known in motorsports that to continue racing at the next level, you need significant sponsorship or results. For all three rookies on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid this season, this couldn’t be more true as all three are left unsigned with less than a month left in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. “I would love top be on the grid again next year, but obviously it

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsport Today, 2026) A new track record. Louis Foster dominated the timing sheets in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ debut around the Markham Street Circuit on Saturday, topping the final practice session en route to his second career pole and his first on a street course. “I think we just rolled off with a good car. From the get-go I felt comfortable and confident in the car from FP1,” Foster, driver of the No.45 Rahal Letterma

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) While fans, race teams and NTT INDYCAR SERIES personnel were all disappointed that on-track action was delayed to Saturday, opening practice for the Ontario Honda Dealers INDY Markham proved that the unpredictability of a new circuit caught every driver off guard, even those in contention for the championship. “We've been dealing with [difficulties], especially just me and my car, just trying to bui

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) Hype, crowd fare and driver approval couldn’t get the first practice session of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham off the ground, as several delays due to track repairs meant on-track activity was shifted to Saturday. “Yeah, I think there are a day behind,” Will Power, driver of the No.26 Andretti Global Honda, said. Race teams arrived at the track on Friday morning to find barriers being mo

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle (Motorsports Today, 2026) Alex Palou continued to extend his championship lead with a dominant victory in the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway on Sunday evening. The Spaniard out-strategized the field with an early overcut en route to his sixth victory this season. “Having Alex and his talent, like there's nothing that replaces that,” No.10 Chip Ganassi Racing Race Strategist Barry Wanser said.

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2026) The right strategy at the right time. After running outside the podium places for the first half of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix, Alex Palou caught a caution to assume the lead and led 97 laps en route to his first career victory at Nashville Superspeedway. “I'm so happy. I knew we had a great car. It's one of those tracks that we've been struggling in the past. I know last year we w

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle (Motorsports Today, 2026) After a promising weekend with top-ten pace, a hard hit in the opening laps of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix sends rookie Caio Collet out of the race. The incident marked his third DNF in four oval races. Collet saw his day end in the Turn 4 wall after losing the front end of his car and hitting the wall at a 45-degree angle into the barrier. Even after the hard hit, he exited the car and

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Casey Shepherd (Motorsports Today, 2025) Even the World Cup buildup couldn’t stop the rain from delaying the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix from its prime-time slot. NTT INDYCAR SERIES officials have moved the race to Monday, July 19th, at 3:00 pm EST on FOX. With the time change, drivers will have to deal with record temperatures and an excessive heat index of over 100 degrees. For the safety of the drivers, the race will revert

Jeffrey Hrunka - INDYCAR Contributor Riley Ogle (Motorsports Today, 2026) Kyle Kirkwood continues hot streak at Nashville Superspeedway with second career Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix pole. He nearly tops every timing sheet en route to an almost-perfect Saturday. “Quick in practice. Quick again in qualifying there,” Kirkwood said. “Happy that our pace has stayed true over the past three years that we've run around this place.” Although Kirkwood made noise in all t