Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Flu-Fighting Armstrong Leads Meyer Shank 1-2 in Opening Road America Practice
Marcus Armstrong, battling influenza and running on just two hours of sleep, set the fastest time in Friday’s opening practice session for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. The New Zealander posted a lap of 1 minute, 44.2714 seconds in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda to lead a 1-2 for the team at the 4-mile Wisconsin road course. Teammate and 2026 Indy 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist was second at 1:44.3501, with championship leader Alex Palou third at 1:44.3659. “I’m as sick as a dog. I don’t feel great. At least I’ve proven to myself I can still be fast with two hours of sleep,” Armstrong said.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Palou Targets Record-Breaking Road America Win as Championship Lead Stands at 49 Points
Championship leader Alex Palou enters this weekend’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America with a chance to make history at a circuit he has turned into a personal stronghold. The Spaniard has won three times at the 4-mile Elkhart Lake road course, drawing level with Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi on the all-time IndyCar wins list there. A fourth victory on Sunday would move Palou clear of all three. Palou also leads the championship by 49 points over Kyle Kirkwood after nine races, pursuing a fourth consecutive NTT IndyCar Series title that would tie Sebastien Bourdais’ series record set from 2004 to 2007.
Sources: Read Motorsport
Newgarden Manages Foot Injury as Nasr Stands By for Road America
Team Penske has placed Felipe Nasr on standby for this weekend’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America as Josef Newgarden continues to manage a left-foot injury sustained during the Indianapolis 500. Newgarden has shown remarkable resilience, racing at the Detroit Grand Prix while still wearing a boot and using a crutch away from the car, then winning last weekend at WWT Raceway. If Newgarden is unable to compete at Elkhart Lake, Nasr will step into the No. 2 Chevrolet. Newgarden currently sits sixth in the championship with 238 points, 104 behind leader Alex Palou after nine of 18 races.
Sources: RACER
Andretti Global Hunting First Road Course Victory of 2026 at Road America
Andretti Global arrives at Road America off the back of a strong weekend at WWT Raceway, where Marcus Ericsson finished second and Kyle Kirkwood and Will Power both placed in the top eight, and now targets its first road course victory of the 2026 season. Kirkwood, second in the championship 49 points behind Palou, has never won at Elkhart Lake but brings strong recent form. The team’s only Road America win came via Alexander Rossi in 2019. Rossi is also in the 2026 field for Ed Carpenter Racing and enters the weekend 14th in the drivers’ standings with 152 points.
Sources: Andretti Global
Schumacher, Hauger and Collet Set for Road America IndyCar Debut This Weekend
Three of IndyCar’s 2026 rookie class will race at Road America for the first time this weekend: Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger, and A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Caio Collet. Schumacher, son of seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, drives the No. 47 Honda for RLL in his first full IndyCar season after stints in Formula One and other European championships. Hauger and Collet, both from Indy NXT backgrounds, have established themselves as the top two rookies this season. Hauger leads the rookie standings with 133 points, with Collet second at 99 and Schumacher third at 89.
Sources: Speed Sport
Drivers' Championship
After Race 9 of 18 — WWT Raceway
1. Alex Palou — 342 pts
2. Kyle Kirkwood — 293 pts
3. David Malukas — 274 pts
4. Christian Lundgaard — 246 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 239 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 238 pts
7. Scott McLaughlin — 222 pts
8. Felix Rosenqvist — 221 pts
9. Marcus Ericsson — 196 pts
10. Marcus Armstrong — 196 pts
11. Graham Rahal — 193 pts
12. Scott Dixon — 192 pts
13. Rinus VeeKay — 175 pts
14. Alexander Rossi — 152 pts
15. Kyffin Simpson — 147 pts
16. Santino Ferrucci — 146 pts
17. Will Power — 145 pts
18. Dennis Hauger (R) — 133 pts
19. Louis Foster — 131 pts
20. Romain Grosjean — 117 pts
21. Nolan Siegel — 116 pts
22. Christian Rasmussen — 112 pts
23. Caio Collet (R) — 99 pts
24. Sting Ray Robb — 89 pts
25. Mick Schumacher (R) — 89 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel (R) — 6 pts
30. Helio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Teams' Championship
After Race 9 of 18
1. Team Penske — 591 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 576 pts
3. Andretti Global — 509 pts
4. Arrow McLaren — 507 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 417 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 351 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 264 pts
=. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 264 pts
9. Dale Coyne Racing — 250 pts
10. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 245 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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