IndyCar has just come off the back of a double header weekend with the Bommarito and Road America Grand Prix. These are two notoriously different circuits and both provided us with vastly varying, but equally enjoyable entertainment. One thing that did stay the same though was the identity of the two race winners. Once again, it was Kyle Kirkwood and Alex Palou taking home the spoils from Bommarito and Road America respectively. Here’s what you need to know.
Palou Vs Kirkwood
Despite winning the Indy 500, Alex Palou has not yet mastered what it takes to win consistently on an oval circuit. This was made clear by his P8 finish at the Bommarito 500. With a massive lead in the Championship though, this didn’t create as much of a problem for the Spanish driver as many might have hoped. When IndyCar went racing at Road America, initially Palou seemed to struggle again as he was swallowed up by the pack behind on the opening lap.
But in true Palou style, he combined some gutsy moves with a bold, flexible strategy and by the end of the Grand Prix, was back on top. It is his sixth win of the year and he is the first driver since A.J Foyt fifty years ago to win six of the first nine races of a season. Regardless of if he wins the Championship or not, there is not doubting the impressiveness of Alex Palou behind the wheel of an IndyCar.
Kirkwood Comeback
The one man seemingly best poised to beat him however, is Kyle Kirkwood. Winning the Bommarito Grand Prix after winning in Detroit made him the only other driver to win back to back races this year. At Road America, he finished in P4. Both races were chaotic in nature for a plethora of reasons. But Kirkwood has been able to keep his head down and steer clear of all the drama that’s been unfolding around him – for the most part. At Road America, there were a number of moments between him and Team Penske Driver, Will Power. It’s fair to say that as things stand, neither will be on the other’s Christmas card lists this year.
Heading away from Road America, Kirkwood is 93 points shy of Palou. But with a series of ovals to come, including a double header at Iowa, there may still be time for the Floridian to close the gap and overtake the Spaniard.
The Return of Scott Dixon
IndyCar’s most experienced driver in history has been having a rollercoaster season so far. Since his P2 finish at the Season Opener in St. Petersburg, Dixon hasn’t been able to capture the kind of performances that we know and love him for. That appeared to be beginning to change with this double header. A great strategy at Gateway led him to a P4 finish, ahead of both of his teammates. Then in Road America, for a glorious moment or two, it looked like there might even be a win coming his way.
Alas, it was not to be. A smattering of laps from the end, the New Zealander was forced to pit for fuel and ended up finishing the race in P9. While that result would have ordinarily been seen as excellent after he started from the back of the grid, it still leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth. One thing is for sure though, Scott Dixon might just be back.
Team Penske’s Woes Continue
A team that isn’t anywhere near to being back, unless you mean near the back of the pack that is, is Team Penske. Once again, the team floundered on race day at Road America. All three drivers qualified well but simply weren’t able to progress forwards. Will Power’s race craft was unnecessarily sloppy at times and Josef Newgarden found himself making a rookie mistake as he lost control of his car coming out of the final corner and crashed out of the race. Scott McLaughlin has been the team’s silver lining. At Road America he fought hard and well, even leading the race at one point. But the chaotic nature of the race left him down in P12 by the time the checkered flag fell, the highest finisher for Team Penske on this occasion.
Bommarito 500
Will Power claimed Pole Position for the Bommarito 500. It was the team’s 700th Pole Position. But that was to be the highpoint for the team that weekend too. Power clipped the wall during the race and was forced to retire. So too was Scott McLaughlin with technical gremlins getting into his car. Josef Newgarden had a more dramatic and unfortunate end to his race. In the wrong place at the wrong time, he was simply unable to avoid Louis Foster (who himself had already crashed and didn’t have control of his car) as he petered back down onto the part of the track that Newgarden was on. The pair collided in spectacular fashion and it was game over for Newgarden.
If Team Penske didn’t have any bad luck this year, they’d have no luck at all.
Meyer Shank Racing Impress
With the exception of Felix Rosenqvist’s P16 at Gateway, Meyer Shank have had two very solid race weekends in this double header. On both occasions, Rosenqvist and Armstrong have qualified well. The latter finished in P9 at the Bommarito Grand Prix before progressing up to P5 at Road America. Rosenqvist meanwhile was busy hunting down Alex Palou in the dying stages of the race. In the end, he was simply too far back to reach him in time. But the fact that he was even able to try and catch him in the first place is a testament to how well this outfit is performing at the moment.
Rosenqvist even sits in P4 overall right now in the Championship – let that sink in.
Rise of A.J Foyt
Another team that is on the rise is fan favourite A.J Foyt. Ever since the Indy 500, this team has simply come alive and it’s been magnificent to witness. David Malukas finished the racing spectacle in P2 with Santino Ferrugi in P5. The latter went on finish second in Detroit, fifth at the Bommarito 500 and last weekend at Road America, came home in an almighty P3. Running out of fuel on the cool down lap, he pulled over to the side of the track and got a spectator to throw a beer to him which he chugged trackside in celebration. He sits in P9 overall, 13 points away from Will Power in P7. What more could we want?
Malukas meanwhile finished in P12 and then in P7 for this double header. P12 overall, he’s only ten points away from his teammate in the Championship. It’s entirely plausible that by the end of the season, both drivers will be ahead of all three Team Penske drivers – the team with which A.J Foyt Racing has a technical alliance. Now wouldn’t that be something?
Anything Else?
Christian Rasmussen, Conor Daly and Rinus Veekay put on outstanding performances at the Bommarito 500. Rasmussen claimed his first podium of the year with his P3 finish. Daly and Veekay finished in sixth and seventh respectively, impressive results that truly demonstrate what these drivers are capable of and makes us fantasize about what they could do at a top team.
Arrow McLaren
Pato O’Ward finished in P2 behind Kirkwood but fell down all the way to P17 at Road America. He sits third in the standings overall but needs some good luck to come his way. Arrow McLaren as a whole could do with some good luck frankly. Lundgaard had two out of character bad races this time out, finishing in P14 and P24. Nolan Siegel also had a bad result at the Bommarito 500 but bounced back by being the best Arrow McLaren at Road America where he came home in P8.
Good and Bad
Louis Foster claimed his first Pole Position for RLLR at Road America. He became the first British driver to do so since Dario Franchitti at Sonoma in 2013. He would have to settle for P11 by the end of the race – not a bad result though for the rookie – in fact, it was his best finish so far this year. Kyffin Simpson had his second best result of 2025 at Road America, finishing sixth. With teammates like Palou and Dixon, it can be easy to get overshadowed, so it was great to see the Cayman driver getting a great result for himself.
Veekay once again was close to the front, finishing in P10. Jacob Abel also continues to make slow and steady progress up the grid. P23 may not sound great but it’s a solid sign of improvement for the American driver that’s worth noting.
Marcus Ericsson continues to spiral, sitting P21 in the standings with only one top ten finish this year. Finally, Alex Rossi is worth mentioning as he too, like Dixon, got caught out with fuel in Road America. Up until a handful of laps towards the end, he was running in an awesome P3. In the end, he had to settle for P13, after finishing in P11 the week before. There’ll be more top tens for him this year though.
As ever, IndyCar never disappoints.
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IndyCar Returns July 6th at Mid Ohio.
Feature Image: IndyCar Media Centre
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