Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Friday, May 29, 2026
Detroit Grand Prix Weekend Opens Friday on Downtown Streets
The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend got under way Friday as IndyCar Series teams took to the 1.645-mile, 10-turn downtown street circuit for the first practice sessions of the event. The three-day festival, running May 29–31 on the streets of Jefferson Avenue and surrounding roads, culminates with the 100-lap Grand Prix on Sunday at 12:51 p.m. ET on FOX. The circuit, lined by concrete walls with minimal run-off, is considered one of the series’ most demanding street races. Practice sessions for IndyCar, Indy NXT, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship are all scheduled on this opening day of activity.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Championship: Palou Leads by 37 Points as Detroit Grand Prix Looms
Alex Palou arrives at the 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix with a 37-point advantage over David Malukas in the Drivers’ Championship, as the NTT IndyCar Series shifts from Indianapolis to downtown Detroit. Through seven of 18 scheduled races, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver holds 273 points to Malukas’s 236. Kyle Kirkwood sits third with 224 points, 12 behind Malukas. Palou, who took pole position and finished seventh at Indianapolis — absorbing a five-point penalty for a post-race technical infraction — carries a near single-race-win buffer into Sunday’s 100-lap street battle, keeping him firmly in control of the title fight.
Sources: IndyCar.com
David Malukas Channels Indy 500 Heartbreak into Focus at Detroit
Team Penske’s David Malukas arrived in Detroit focused on Sunday’s 100-lap street race after losing the Indianapolis 500 by 0.0233 seconds — the closest finish in the race’s 110 editions — to Felix Rosenqvist. Malukas led on the final lap before Rosenqvist made his move in Turn 3, edging out of the final corner just enough to claim victory at the Yard of Bricks. Malukas was visibly emotional after the race, describing feelings of shock and grief in subsequent interviews. Heading into Detroit, he said he is channeling that experience into motivation for the remainder of the 2026 season, his second consecutive runner-up result at Indianapolis.
Sources: Detroit News
Kyle Kirkwood Targets Back-to-Back Detroit Wins on Favored Street Circuit
Kyle Kirkwood enters Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix as the defending champion on the 1.645-mile, 10-turn downtown street circuit, having won last year’s race by 3.5931 seconds after leading 48 of 100 laps. Five of Kirkwood’s six IndyCar victories have come on street courses, making Detroit a prime opportunity for the Andretti Global driver. He arrives having fallen to third in the championship after finishing 16th at Indianapolis, now sitting 49 points behind Palou. Kirkwood’s natural pace on concrete-walled street circuits, combined with Andretti Global’s institutional knowledge of the circuit, makes him a strong favorite heading into Sunday’s race.
Sources: FOX Sports
Indy 500 Attracts 6.635 Million Viewers on FOX, Second-Best Audience Since 2012
The 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 averaged 6.635 million television viewers on FOX, making it the second-most-watched Indy 500 since 2012, despite falling 6 percent from the 7.05 million who watched in 2025. Viewership peaked at 8.349 million in the closing laps as Felix Rosenqvist made his last-lap pass on David Malukas to claim victory. The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season is tracking 10 percent above last year overall, averaging 2.383 million viewers per race — the strongest season average since 2008 when IndyCar and Champ Car merged. Indianapolis, Indiana led all TV markets, followed by Dayton, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Rosenqvist to Run Special Eminem Livery at Detroit in First Race as Indy 500 Champion
Felix Rosenqvist will carry a special livery at this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, promoting the SiriusXM channel of Detroit rapper Eminem as he makes his first race start as the 2026 Indianapolis 500 champion. Rosenqvist, driving the No. 60 Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian, won the Indy 500 last Sunday in the closest finish in the race’s history, passing Team Penske’s David Malukas by 0.0233 seconds on the final lap. The Eminem-themed livery gives Rosenqvist’s championship campaign a distinctive Motor City connection as IndyCar opens Race 8 of 18 on the 2026 schedule.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Mick Schumacher Named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in Debut Brickyard Start
Mick Schumacher earned the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honor following a clean debut in the 110th edition of the race, finishing 18th and on the lead lap — the only one of four rookies to complete the full 500 miles alongside the leaders. Schumacher, the 27-year-old former Formula 1 driver competing in his first full IndyCar season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, qualified 27th and ran incident-free throughout. Dennis Hauger finished 19th, Jacob Abel was 24th, and Caio Collet placed 26th after a late-race crash. Schumacher’s Rookie of the Year bonus brought his total Indy 500 earnings to $218,800.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Drivers' Championship
1. Alex Palou — 273 pts
2. David Malukas — 236 pts
3. Kyle Kirkwood — 224 pts
4. Christian Lundgaard — 195 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 188 pts
6. Scott McLaughlin — 181 pts
7. Felix Rosenqvist — 176 pts
8. Josef Newgarden — 167 pts
9. Scott Dixon — 167 pts
10. Marcus Armstrong — 154 pts
11. Graham Rahal — 151 pts
12. Marcus Ericsson — 129 pts
13. Alexander Rossi — 127 pts
14. Rinus VeeKay — 125 pts
15. Santino Ferrucci — 122 pts
16. Kyffin Simpson — 116 pts
17. Will Power — 112 pts
18. Dennis Hauger (R) — 111 pts
19. Louis Foster — 95 pts
20. Nolan Siegel — 95 pts
21. Romain Grosjean — 92 pts
22. Caio Collet (R) — 76 pts
23. Christian Rasmussen — 71 pts
24. Mick Schumacher (R) — 66 pts
25. Sting Ray Robb — 62 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel (R) — 6 pts
30. Hélio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Teams' Championship
1. Team Penske — 464 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 453 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 398 pts
4. Andretti Global — 373 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 321 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 265 pts
7. Dale Coyne Racing — 203 pts
8. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 190 pts
9. ECR — 187 pts
10. Juncos Hollinger Racing — 185 pts
11. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing — 27 pts
12. Abel Motorsports — 6 pts
13. HMD Motorsports — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency