Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Monday, June 29, 2026
IndyCar Hybrid Failures Mount: 16% Energy Cut at Road America as Drivers Call for Removal
IndyCar’s mandatory hybrid system has triggered failures at nine races in 2026, forcing the series to cut energy limits by 16 percent at Road America — down to 535 kilojoules. Motor-generator units from Ilmor and Empel power the Chevrolet entry; Skeleton Technologies’ supercapacitors deliver 60 horsepower per deploy for Honda. Scott Dixon retired at Detroit on lap 69; Alexander Rossi was eliminated at the IMS road course. Dixon was direct: “I think if you did a poll of the drivers or a WhatsApp group, I think it’d be 100%, get rid of them.” Rossi called it “a product we didn’t ask for that doesn’t improve the racing.”
Sources: WorldOfSpeed Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Road America Delivers IndyCar’s Biggest Non-500 Audience in 15 Years: 1.8M Viewers on FOX
The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America averaged 1,803,000 viewers on FOX — a 131 percent year-over-year increase from 781,000 in 2025 — making it IndyCar’s largest non-Indy 500 television audience since 2011. A FIFA World Cup lead-in featuring Spain versus Saudi Arabia drove peak viewership to 2,943,000, with 64 percent of those World Cup viewers remaining for the IndyCar broadcast. The 18-to-34 demographic surged 294 percent, from 65,000 to 256,000. IndyCar’s 2026 season average on FOX through 10 races now stands at 2,033,000 — up 14 percent from the same point last year.
Dixon Poised to End 23-Year Ganassi Partnership and Join Arrow McLaren
Scott Dixon is on the verge of ending his 23-year partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing, with Speedcafe reporting the six-time IndyCar champion is poised to join Arrow McLaren. Ganassi’s exclusive negotiating window with the New Zealander recently lapsed, freeing him to talk to rival teams. The move is understood to involve a straight swap with Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard, who would head to Ganassi. Before settling on Lundgaard, Ganassi reportedly explored placing Marcus Armstrong in the vacant seat. Dixon, 45, has been with Ganassi since 2003, claiming all six of his IndyCar titles with the Ohio-based squad.
Indy 500 Winner Rosenqvist to Leave Meyer Shank Racing at Season’s End
Meyer Shank Racing co-owner Michael Shank confirmed that Felix Rosenqvist will leave the team at the end of the 2026 season. The Swedish driver won the 110th Indianapolis 500 with MSR in May and sits sixth in the championship standings. “It’s unfortunate that Felix has decided to move on from MSR at the end of the season, particularly given everything we’ve accomplished together, including this year’s Indy 500 victory,” Shank said. Rosenqvist drives the No. 60 Honda alongside teammate Marcus Armstrong in the No. 66. No announcement has been made about either his next destination or his replacement at the team.
Sources: Times Free Press Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Lundgaard’s Six-Race Road Course Podium Streak Sets Up Title Push at Mid-Ohio
Christian Lundgaard enters the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio fourth in the championship, 77 points behind leader Alex Palou, with the next stretch of road courses offering a critical opportunity. The Arrow McLaren driver has two wins this season and has recorded three consecutive top-two finishes on natural road courses. Dating to 2025, Lundgaard has podiumed in six straight permanent road course races. “On road courses, we’re probably the best car,” he said. At Road America he recovered from a last-place start after lap-one contact with Dixon to claim the victory. Palou’s oval average this season is 16th, giving Lundgaard a genuine path to the title.
Kirkwood Leads 14-Car IndyCar Mid-Ohio Test Ahead of July 5 Race
Kyle Kirkwood set the fastest times throughout a 14-car IndyCar test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, driving his No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing was second quickest, followed by Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing), and Colton Herta (Andretti Global). Mid-Ohio’s 2.258-mile, 13-corner layout — including the distinctive Carousel section — will host the Honda Indy 200 on July 5. Kirkwood has built strong road-course pace throughout the 2026 season and enters the race weekend third in the championship, one point behind Malukas.
Sources: WorldOfSpeed Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Simpson Charges from 19th to Fourth at Road America in Season-Best Drive
Kyffin Simpson delivered his best result of the 2026 season at Road America, charging from 19th on the grid to fourth in his No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “It’s a little bit disappointing to be fourth but still so grateful to God for such a great race,” said Simpson, who built his charge primarily on Firestone primary tires while struggling on alternate compounds. The result was his first top-five finish of the season among four top-10s. Simpson sits 16th in the championship, 32 points behind Dixon for a top-10 position, and heads to Mid-Ohio with new confidence.
Castroneves, Franchitti, Kanaan Headline IROC Exhibition at Washington D.C.’s Freedom 250
IndyCar legends Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, and Tony Kanaan will compete in a special International Race of Champions exhibition race on Saturday, August 22, during the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C. The trio joins former NASCAR Cup Series champions Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Rusty Wallace, and Bill Elliott in authentic IROC Pontiac Firebirds from the 1996–2006 era. The race takes place on the 1.7-mile Freedom 250 street circuit around the National Mall, which also hosts IndyCar’s inaugural race on the streets of Washington, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Drivers’ Championship
1. Alex Palou — 374 pts
2. David Malukas — 314 pts
3. Kyle Kirkwood — 313 pts
4. Christian Lundgaard — 297 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 257 pts
6. Felix Rosenqvist — 248 pts
7. Scott McLaughlin — 248 pts
8. Josef Newgarden — 247 pts
9. Marcus Ericsson — 213 pts
10. Scott Dixon — 211 pts
11. Marcus Armstrong — 203 pts
12. Graham Rahal — 200 pts
13. Rinus VeeKay — 187 pts
14. Will Power — 180 pts
15. Alexander Rossi — 180 pts
16. Kyffin Simpson — 179 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 168 pts
18. Louis Foster — 147 pts
19. Dennis Hauger — 143 pts
20. Romain Grosjean — 132 pts
21. Nolan Siegel — 125 pts
22. Christian Rasmussen — 117 pts
23. Caio Collet — 113 pts
24. Mick Schumacher — 102 pts
25. Sting Ray Robb — 100 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel — 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
1. Team Penske — 809 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 764 pts
3. Andretti Global — 706 pts
4. Arrow McLaren — 684 pts
5. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing — 469 pts
6. Meyer Shank Racing — 456 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — 302 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 287 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 281 pts
10. Dale Coyne Racing — 275 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 32 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports w/ AJ Foyt Racing — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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