Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Friday, May 8, 2026
Palou Claims First Pole of 2026 Season at Sonsio Grand Prix
Championship leader Alex Palou claimed his first pole position of the 2026 season on Friday, posting a lap of 1 minute 9.341 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver saved a new set of Firestone alternate tires for the race while still gapping second-place Graham Rahal by four tenths of a second. Palou has won three of the first five races in 2026 and leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES standings by 17 points over Kyle Kirkwood. He starts from pole for the second time at this venue and will chase a fourth consecutive Sonsio Grand Prix victory on Saturday.
Sources: Yahoo Sports, AutoRacing1
RLL Places All Three Cars in Fast Six at Sonsio Grand Prix Qualifying
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing produced one of the qualifying performances of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, placing all three of its cars inside the Firestone Fast Six for Saturday's Sonsio Grand Prix. Graham Rahal qualified second and Louis Foster third, with the third RLL entry also advancing through the knockout rounds. For rookie Foster, starting third on only his second visit to the IMS road course signals a rapid rise through the series. Foster called his lap time "amazing" on his personal website, adding that attention now turns to the Indianapolis 500 following the weekend. The result marks RLL's strongest collective qualifying performance in recent memory.
Sources: Sportskeeda, Louis-Foster.com
Palou Bids for Record Fourth Straight Sonsio Grand Prix Win
Alex Palou arrives at the Sonsio Grand Prix on the verge of a piece of INDYCAR history. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has won the last three runnings of this event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and would become only the fifth driver since 1946 to win four consecutive races at the same circuit if he takes Saturday's victory. Palou leads the 2026 standings by 17 points and has dominated the IMS road course since 2023. Rivals entering the weekend cited Ganassi's setup advantage on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn layout as a key challenge, with Andretti Global and Arrow McLaren searching for answers ahead of Friday qualifying.
Sources: IndyCar.com
O'Ward and Kirkwood Miss Fast Six as Championship Rivals Struggle at IMS
Two of Alex Palou's closest championship rivals endured difficult qualifying sessions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. Pato O'Ward, fourth in the standings, will start eighth after reporting a loss of two tenths of a second on the main straight that his team was investigating following the session. Kyle Kirkwood, Palou's nearest title challenger, also failed to advance to the Fast Six and will start from midfield. Will Power, who joined Andretti Global for 2026, qualified seventh. Both O'Ward and Kirkwood will need strong race strategy to offset the deficit from the back half of the top ten on a circuit where clean air and track position are critical.
Sources: Yahoo Sports
Team Penske Runs 60th Anniversary Verizon Throwback Livery at Sonsio Grand Prix
Team Penske marked its 60th anniversary season with a special throwback livery at the Sonsio Grand Prix, debuting David Malukas in the iconic silver Verizon Chevrolet scheme from the team's 200th IndyCar Series victory at the IMS Grand Prix in 2018. Malukas, in his first season with the squad, drives the No. 12 entry normally associated with Will Power, who transferred to Andretti Global for 2026. The throwback is part of a broader anniversary programme that will see Team Penske run retro paint schemes across its IndyCar, NASCAR and IMSA entries throughout the season. Malukas sits third in the 2026 championship standings with 142 points, leading all Penske drivers.
Sources: TrackSideOnline
Rosenqvist Carries Long Beach Momentum and New Fatherhood into Month of May
Felix Rosenqvist enters the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway carrying momentum from a runner-up finish at Long Beach, where he also captured pole position. The Meyer Shank Racing driver, in his third season with the team, described the period as particularly meaningful after recently becoming a father for the first time. Rosenqvist starts 12th for Saturday's Sonsio Grand Prix but holds ninth in the standings with 109 points, a career-best position at this stage of a season. MSR, which also campaigns Marcus Armstrong, is considered one of the stronger Honda-powered programmes heading into the Indianapolis 500 later this month.
Sources: TrackSideOnline
Drivers' Championship
1. Alex Palou — 205 pts
2. Kyle Kirkwood — 188 pts
3. David Malukas — 142 pts
4. Pato O'Ward — 136 pts
5. Christian Lundgaard — 131 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 130 pts
7. Scott McLaughlin — 127 pts
8. Scott Dixon — 120 pts
9. Felix Rosenqvist — 109 pts
10. Graham Rahal — 106 pts
11. Alexander Rossi — 105 pts
12. Marcus Armstrong — 104 pts
13. Marcus Ericsson — 104 pts
14. Will Power — 89 pts
15. Rinus VeeKay — 79 pts
16. Dennis Hauger — 76 pts
17. Kyffin Simpson — 75 pts
After Round 5 (Long Beach) — indycar.com/Standings
Teams' Championship
1. Chip Ganassi Racing — 500 pts
2. Team Penske — 399 pts
3. Andretti Global — 381 pts
4. Arrow McLaren — 267 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 213 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 182 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 105 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 79 pts
9. Dale Coyne Racing — 76 pts
After Round 5 (Long Beach) — OpenWheelWorld.net
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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