Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Palou Captures Third Consecutive Pole in May, Leading All Three Circuit Types
Alex Palou captured his 16th career pole at Saturday’s Detroit qualifying, earning the NTT P1 Award with a lap of 1 minute, 1.9017 seconds in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. It is his third consecutive pole of the 2026 season, and uniquely it was achieved on three different circuit types in May: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, the IMS oval, and Detroit’s temporary nine-turn street circuit. Palou said he felt little margin left in his lap but executed cleanly. He enters Sunday’s 100-lap race leading second-place David Malukas by 37 points in the NTT IndyCar Series championship standings.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Malukas Forced to Backup Car After Massive Turn 7 Crash in Detroit Qualifying
Team Penske’s David Malukas will start 25th and last in Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix after crashing his No. 12 Chevrolet in the closing seconds of the first qualifying round. Malukas described a wobble on entry into Turn 7: rather than abandon a lap he needed to advance, he kept his foot planted. The impact was severe — the right front struck the wall first, then the right rear whipped around for a second heavy contact. “A massive hit,” Malukas said. The car sustained enough damage that Team Penske elected to switch to a backup chassis overnight.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Malukas Faces Steep Championship Climb After Starting Detroit Race from Dead Last
David Malukas trimmed his gap to championship leader Alex Palou from 63 points to 37 during the Month of May, rising to second in the standings through back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Sonsio Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. That momentum is now under pressure. His qualifying crash on Saturday puts Malukas 25th and last on the Detroit grid while Palou starts from pole. History offers some hope: Detroit’s three races on the downtown street circuit have produced 20 total caution periods and numerous multi-car incidents, creating opportunities for drivers deep in the field.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Schumacher Admits He “Tried Too Hard” in Detroit Q1 Crash
Mick Schumacher admitted he pushed beyond the limit in a failed attempt to advance through Q1 at Detroit, ending in a crash that brought out the red flag with 2 minutes 36 seconds remaining in the session. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver struck the inside wall at Turn 6, was thrown into the outside wall of Turn 7, and then hit the exit wall. “I pushed a bit harder and was absolutely at the limit in almost every corner,” Schumacher said. Data showed a clear upward trend on the lap before the crash. He starts 23rd on Sunday.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Kirkwood Tops Detroit Practice but Stumbles in Qualifying Fast Six
Kyle Kirkwood set the fastest time in Saturday morning’s pre-qualifying practice at Detroit with a lap of 1 minute, 1.814 seconds in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda, leading team-mate Will Power in a 1-2 for the squad. Kirkwood could not carry that form into qualifying, however — a major tire lockup and two significant slides during his Firestone Fast Six attempt limited him to sixth on the grid at 1:03.0303. Kirkwood is the defending race winner at Detroit, and five of his six NTT IndyCar Series victories have come on street circuits.
Sources: Racer.com
Will Power Earns Detroit Front Row in Best Qualifying Performance of 2026
Will Power starts second on Sunday’s Detroit grid after posting a qualifying lap of 1 minute, 2.1249 seconds in the No. 26 Andretti Global Honda — his best starting position of the 2026 season and his first front-row start since winning the pole at World Wide Technology Raceway last year. The two-time series champion is currently 17th in points after a difficult transition from 17 seasons with Team Penske to Andretti Global. Power holds three career victories on Detroit’s streets, second only to Scott Dixon’s four, and is targeting his 46th series win on Sunday.
Sources: IndyCar.com
McLaughlin Leads Chevrolet Charge to Third at Manufacturer’s Home Event
Scott McLaughlin qualified third for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, the quickest Chevrolet-powered car at the manufacturer’s home event. McLaughlin, who finished third in last weekend’s Indianapolis 500, recorded the fastest lap in the Top 12 qualifying session — earning first choice of running order in the Firestone Fast Six under a revised format introduced this season. Opting to run first while tires were warmest, he was ultimately edged to third behind Palou and Power. “Since this whole thing happened at Long Beach, I hadn’t made it into the Fast Six until now,” McLaughlin said. “Hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
Sources: IndyCar.com
Ferrucci Turns 28 Sunday at Detroit, a Track Full of Career Milestones
Santino Ferrucci turns 28 on Sunday, and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix carries extra personal significance. Ferrucci made his NTT IndyCar Series debut at Detroit in 2018 when the event was still held at Belle Isle, and the downtown street circuit has since become one of the highlights of his calendar. At last year’s race he finished second after starting 21st — his best career result in the series. He starts 22nd in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. “This place has a lot of special memories for me,” Ferrucci said. “I also love seeing the transformation of the city.”
Sources: IndyCar.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 — 111 pts
19. Louis Foster — 95 pts
20. Nolan Siegel — 95 pts
21. Romain Grosjean — 92 pts
22. Caio Collet — 76 pts
23. Christian Rasmussen — 71 pts
24. Mick Schumacher — 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 — 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 Racing — 265 pts
7. Dale Coyne Racing — 203 pts
8. A.J. Foyt Enterprises — 190 pts
9. Ed Carpenter Racing — 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
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