Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Honda Apologizes to Armstrong for ‘Heartbreaking’ Engine Failure at Road America
Honda Racing Corporation US President David Salters issued a formal apology to Marcus Armstrong and Meyer Shank Racing on Monday following the engine failure that denied the New Zealand driver a maiden IndyCar victory at Road America. Armstrong had built a 2.7-second lead over Christian Lundgaard with fewer than four laps remaining when his No. 66 Honda began to splutter without any warning signs or dashboard alerts. “The engine just started spluttering like it was out of fuel, but clearly it wasn’t,” Armstrong said. Salters described the situation as “heartbreaking” and pledged Honda would investigate the cause, acknowledging the manufacturer pushes components to their performance limits.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Rossi Charges from 25th on Grid to Sixth at Road America After Engine Penalty
Alexander Rossi delivered one of the standout drives of the Road America weekend, charging from 25th on the starting grid to finish sixth in Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix. The Ed Carpenter Racing driver was handed a six-place grid penalty due to an engine change on his No. 20 Chevrolet, placing him at the back of the field at the green flag. Rossi’s climb through the order over 55 laps was methodical and ultimately rewarded with a points-paying result that moved him to 15th in the Drivers’ Championship on 180 points. The performance reinforced Rossi’s strong return to form following surgery for injuries sustained during Indianapolis 500 preparations in May.
Sources: Crash.net
14 Drivers from Six Teams Set for Mid-Ohio Test Tuesday Before July 5 Race
Fourteen drivers from six IndyCar teams will head to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Tuesday for a pre-race test ahead of the Honda Indy 200 on July 5. Participating outfits include Andretti Global, Dale Coyne Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, and Team Penske. The test gives teams valuable on-track time to fine-tune their setups on the Lexington, Ohio road course before the eleventh round of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. Mid-Ohio provides teams a chance to bank critical setup data before championship battles intensify heading into the second half of the season.
Sources: IndyCar.com
Rahal Receives Blocking Penalty at Road America, Power Elevated to Third-Place Podium
Graham Rahal was handed a blocking penalty following Sunday’s Road America finale, dropping the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver from third to 23rd in the final race classification. The ruling promoted Will Power to the podium, giving the Andretti Global driver his second top-three finish of the 2026 season. Rahal and Power had collided on the final lap while battling for third, with the contact coming at Turn 12 on the final lap. Rahal defended his positioning, noting Power had room to his left, while Power said he was “at the capacity of braking” and could not avoid contact. The result change affected both drivers’ championship points totals.
Sources: Racer
How Lundgaard Turned a Lap 1 Disaster Into One of 2026’s Great IndyCar Victories
Christian Lundgaard’s victory at Road America on Sunday was built on discipline and patience after one of the most difficult starts imaginable. The Arrow McLaren driver ran into Scott Dixon on the opening lap, dropping to last in the 25-car field and requiring a front-wing change in the pits. Rather than panic, Lundgaard methodically tracked back through the order using strategy and consistent pace, eventually moving behind race leader Marcus Armstrong with fewer than four laps remaining. Lundgaard completed the overtake just moments before Armstrong’s engine expired, triggering a caution that ended the race. It was his second IndyCar win of the 2026 season.
Sources: Motorsport.com
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 — 657 pts
2. Chip Ganassi Racing — 640 pts
3. Arrow McLaren — 576 pts
4. Andretti Global — 564 pts
5. Meyer Shank Racing — 451 pts
6. Rahal Letterman Lanigan — 380 pts
7. ECR — 297 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 — 5 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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