Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Two-Time IndyCar Series Champion Alex Zanardi Dies at 59
Two-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Zanardi died on May 1 in his native Italy at the age of 59, his family confirmed. Zanardi won back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998 for Chip Ganassi Racing, recording 15 victories, 10 pole positions and 28 podiums across a career spanning from 1996 to 2001. In September 2001, both of his legs were severed in a racing accident at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany, but he returned to competition in multiple categories with specially adapted controls. He later won four Paralympic gold medals as a handcyclist for Italy at the 2012 and 2016 Games, becoming one of sport’s most celebrated figures beyond motorsport.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Can Anyone Stop Alex Palou From Sweeping Indianapolis in May Again?
Alex Palou arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the clear favourite for Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver won three of the season’s first five races and enters on a two-race winning streak, holding a 17-point championship lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood. Palou has claimed three of the past four editions of this road course race and swept both IMS events in 2025, becoming the first driver to do so since Simon Pagenaud in 2019. Ten drivers in the 25-car field have podiums at this venue, but none enters the weekend with a comparable run of results at Indianapolis.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Newgarden Arrives at Indianapolis Seeking a Historic Third 500 Victory
Josef Newgarden enters the Month of May at Indianapolis carrying strong oval momentum. The Team Penske driver was second fastest at the Indy 500 Open Test with a top speed of 226.223 mph and won the season’s only oval race, the Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway on March 7. His last ten victories have all come on oval tracks. A third Indianapolis 500 victory on May 24 would make Newgarden the 11th driver in race history to claim three or more wins at the Brickyard. He arrived this week describing his car as in excellent shape heading into the most important month of the IndyCar calendar.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Sam's Club Becomes Official Sponsor of IndyCar, IMS, and the Indianapolis 500
Sam’s Club has joined the NTT INDYCAR SERIES as its official sponsor in a new partnership announced Monday with Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The warehouse club retailer will also serve as entitlement sponsor of the Indy 500 Fan Midway, featuring a premium retail environment with interactive giveaways for fans attending the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24. Andretti Global confirmed that Sam’s Club will serve as the primary livery sponsor on Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Honda for the Month of May and beyond, giving the championship contender prominent national retail branding for the rest of the season.
Sources: IndyCar.com
FOX Sports to Broadcast 60 Hours of Live Coverage for the 110th Indianapolis 500
FOX Sports announced on Monday a comprehensive 60 hours of live coverage for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500, scheduled for Sunday, May 24. The race will air on FOX and FOX One at 12:30 p.m. ET, with expanded pre-race programming beginning at 10 a.m. ET on race day. Coverage will spread across FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2 throughout the month of May, including a new documentary on 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal. The announcement marks a significant expansion of broadcast investment as IndyCar enters its biggest month of the year.
Sources: 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 — — pts
20. Romain Grosjean — — pts
21. Mick Schumacher — — pts
22. Caio Collet — — pts
23. Sting Ray Robb — — pts
Teams' Championship
(Estimated — unofficial calculation)
1. Team Penske — ~488 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — ~400 pts
3. Andretti Global — ~292 pts
4. Arrow McLaren — ~267 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — ~213 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — ~150 pts
7. Ed Carpenter Racing — ~105 pts
8. Juncos Hollinger Racing — ~79 pts
9. Dale Coyne Racing — ~76 pts
10. AJ Foyt Racing — ~74 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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