Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Alex Palou Wins 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Claims Championship Lead
Alex Palou claimed his third victory in five races at the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, recording his first win on the iconic Southern California street circuit. Starting third, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver passed Pato O’Ward on Lap 2 and tracked pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist for 58 laps before capitalising on a Lap 59 pit stop cycle to emerge as race leader. Palou built a 3.9663-second margin of victory over Rosenqvist at the flag for his 22nd career IndyCar win. Scott Dixon completed the all-Honda podium in third, with Kyle Kirkwood fourth.
Sources: IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com
Rosenqvist Pole and Runner-Up at Long Beach Revive His 2026 Championship Campaign
Felix Rosenqvist delivered his most competitive showing of the 2026 season at Long Beach, qualifying on pole position ahead of Pato O’Ward and leading the first 31 laps of the 90-lap race. The Meyer Shank Racing driver stayed ahead of Alex Palou through the caution period and final pit cycle, until a slower pit stop dropped him behind the Chip Ganassi Racing car on Lap 59. Despite losing the lead, Rosenqvist held off Scott Dixon to secure second place — his first podium of the season — and climbed from 14th to 9th in the Drivers’ Championship standings with 109 points.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Motorsport.com
Palou Leads 2026 IndyCar Championship by 17 Points Over Kirkwood After Five Rounds
Alex Palou leads the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship with 205 points after Long Beach, holding a 17-point advantage over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. Kirkwood, who had briefly led the championship before Long Beach, finished fourth to fall back to second with 188 points. Team Penske’s David Malukas sits third at 142 points, with Pato O’Ward fourth at 136. Scott Dixon’s Long Beach podium moved him to eighth overall with 120 points, while the tight trio of Penske drivers — Malukas, Newgarden and McLaughlin — sit within 15 points of one another between third and seventh.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Yahoo Sports
IndyCar Clears Long Beach Results After Push to Pass Software Failure on Lap 61 Restart
IndyCar Officiating has cleared the Long Beach race results after discovering a Push to Pass software failure during the Lap 61 restart. The glitch made the system available to all drivers before the field had crossed the alternate start-finish line, which is a violation of series rules. Officials confirmed that 12 cars used the system during the affected window, with one on-track pass resulting: Marcus Armstrong moving past Santino Ferrucci. After detailed analysis of timing data, IndyCar determined both cars used Push to Pass in nearly equal amounts and declined to alter the official classification. The series will implement additional protective software measures before the next event.
Sources: IndyCar.com, Motorsport.com
Newgarden’s Three-Stop Strategy Unravels After Left-Front Flatspot at Long Beach
Josef Newgarden’s three-stop strategy at Long Beach unravelled after he flatspotted the left-front tyre of his Team Penske Chevrolet before the halfway point. Newgarden’s crew attempted an aggressive approach requiring on-track passes to build track position, and the two-time champion was initially gaining ground before the incident. The damaged rubber cost him his pace advantage and neutralised the strategy. Finishing outside the top five, Newgarden dropped to sixth in the championship with 130 points — 75 behind series leader Palou. Chip Ganassi Racing has now won three of the first five rounds, placing rival Chevrolet operations under mounting pressure heading into the Month of May.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Abel Motorsports Enters 110th Indianapolis 500 with Jacob Abel, Field Grows to 32
Abel Motorsports has officially entered the 110th Indianapolis 500, confirming on Monday that Louisville native Jacob Abel will pilot the team’s Chevrolet-powered entry. The May 24 race will be Abel’s second attempt at the 500 after he failed to qualify last year while driving for Dale Coyne Racing — the only driver not to make the field. Abel Motorsports last competed in the 500 in 2023, when R.C. Enerson qualified. With this confirmation, the entry list for the Indianapolis 500 stands at 32 cars — one short of the 33-car full grid needed to trigger a qualifying elimination session on Bump Day.
Sources: RACER, IndyCar.com
Hauger Leads Rookie of the Year Race While Schumacher Posts Best Career IndyCar Finish
Dennis Hauger continued his strong rookie IndyCar campaign at Long Beach, finishing 11th to retain a 17-point lead over Caio Collet in the Rookie of the Year standings. The Dale Coyne Racing driver has been the standout among the 2026 rookie class across the first five rounds. Mick Schumacher posted his best IndyCar result to date with a 17th-place finish for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, enough to move ahead of Sting Ray Robb in the Drivers’ Championship. Schumacher, son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, sits 24th overall with 44 points, while Collet holds second in the rookie standings with 59 points.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Ericsson Only Retirement in Clean Long Beach Race as Electrical Failure Ends Andretti Run
Marcus Ericsson was the sole retirement from an otherwise clean 90-lap Long Beach race after electrical issues ended his Andretti Global campaign. Starting 15th, the Swedish driver was running in the midfield when hybrid-related electrical problems forced him to stop before the halfway stage. The DNF deals a blow to Ericsson’s points tally in his first season alongside Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood at Andretti Global. He sits 13th in the championship with 104 points, level with Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong. Kirkwood’s fourth-place finish limited the team’s losses on race day, maintaining Andretti’s competitive position through five rounds.
Sources: Motorsport.com, RACER
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
18. Santino Ferrucci — 74 pts
19. Louis Foster — 60 pts
20. Romain Grosjean — 60 pts
21. Christian Rasmussen — 59 pts
22. Caio Collet — 59 pts
23. Nolan Siegel — 56 pts
24. Mick Schumacher — 44 pts
25. Sting Ray Robb — 42 pts
Teams’ Championship
1. Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda — 400 pts
2. Team Penske-Chevrolet — 399 pts
3. Andretti Global-Honda — 381 pts
4. Arrow McLaren-Chevrolet — 323 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing-Honda — 213 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda — 210 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet — 164 pts
8. Dale Coyne Racing-Honda — 136 pts
9. A.J. Foyt Enterprises-Chevrolet — 133 pts
10. Juncos Hollinger Racing-Chevrolet — 121 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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