IndyCar
106th Indianapolis 500 – 5 Storylines To Watch
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (Pittsburgh Racing Now) – The green flag drops on the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Sunday at 12:45 ET and there is no shortage of storylines to follow, which is why the 500 is ‘The Greatest Spectacle In Racing’. Here are 5 storylines that we think you may enjoy following as the cars and stars make their way around the legendary 2.5-mile oval.
Can Helio Castroneves Win A Fifth:
- Helio Castroneves joined the exclusive ‘Four-time 500 Winners Club’ when he took home the victory in 2021 driving for Meyer Shank Racing. Castroneves starts 27th in the 33-car field. Castroneves also won the 500 in 2001, 2002 and 2009. Those wins came with Team Penske. Castroneves can become the first ever to win 5!
Jimmie Johnson Indy 500 Rookie:
- It’s hard to call the 7-time NASCAR Champ a rookie considering he has run more 500 mile events than anyone else in the 33-car field but he is a rookie in the 500 after running only the road and street courses in 2021. Johnson’s sixth place finish earlier this year in his first oval start at Texas was an eye-opener for some but not 2-time Indy 500 Champion Juan Pablo Montoya, who thinks Johnson can win the race. With a victory, Johnson would join racing legends A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti as the only drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.
Can Scott Dixon Win A Second:
- PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon drank the milk in victory lane in 2008 but the 6-time Series Champion has not made a return trip to the winners circle. Dixon turned the fastest four-lap average for a pole winner in Indy 500 history at 234.046 mph last weekend. It was Dixon’s fifth 500 pole, leaving him one short of Rick Mears record of 6. Can the No. 9 PNC team translate the speed into a win? Twenty-one drivers have won the race from the pole – most recently Simon Pagenaud in 2019 and Dixon in 2008. Dixon has led 570-laps in the 500, second only to Al Unser’s 644.
Young Guns Vs. Old Guard:
- The starting grid is made up of a diverse group of experience and youth. Pole sitter Scott Dixon is 41 years old but starting beside him on the front row is his teammate Alex Palou, who’s 25, and 21-year old Rinus VeeKay. Other ‘experienced’ drivers include include winners Helio Castroneves & Tony Kanaan (47), Takuma Sato (45) as well as Jimmie Johnson (46), and Ed Carpenter (41) to name a few. The ‘Young Guns’ also include Colton Herta (22), Pato O’Ward (23), Kyle Kirkwood (23), and others. Will experience or youthful exuberance prevail on Sunday?
5-Ganassi Cars in Top 12:
- All five of Chip Ganassi’s entries start in the Top 12, with Scott Dixon (1st) and Alex Palou (2nd) starting on the front row. Marcus Ericsson and Tony Kanaan start on the second row with Ericsson starting fifth and Kanaan starting sixth. Jimmie Johnson will start 12th after the best save of the month when his car got loose in turn 1 on his first qualifying lap. Ganassi and Company haven’t kissed the bricks in a decade following Dario Franchitti’s third 500 win in 2012.
MADISON, IL (June 6, 2026) – Alex Palou and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing team are continuing to lay down fast laps when it counts with Palou earning the pole position for Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The pole position is Palou’s fourth straight NTT P1 Pole award.
“It was incredible and so much fun, especially that first lap,” said Palou, who turned a two-lap average speed of 174.353 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “The #10 Honda Honda had so much speed. The team I have around me is incredible. My car was on rails today; it was incredible.”
David Malukas starts second in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after a two-lap average of 173.244 mph. Malukas could only look on in disbelief as Palou knocked him off the pole.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood starts third in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda following a two-lap average of 173.206 mph.
“ It was a good run for us,” said Kirkwood, the 2025 WWWT Raceway winner. “P3 is a really good starting spot and we can definitely do some great things from there. Last year we won from 10th, so it’s nice to be able to be at the front.”
2026 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Felix Rosenqvist starts fourth in the No. 60 SiriusXM Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin will start 5th in the No. 3 Dex Imaging Chevrolet.
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon starts 7th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda and CGR’s Kyffin Simpson will start 14th in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda.
Television coverage of Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 begins at 8 PM CT / 9 PM ET on Fox. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).
DETROIT, MI (May 31, 2026) – Alex Palou is back in victory lane after winning Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, his fourth win of 2026 and 12th win in his past 25-races.
“It was a tough one,” said Palou. “The team did an incredible job one again with the strategy. Pit stops were incredible. The number 10 Honda Honda looked really good and I think every time it has been on track it’s had a win.”
Palou and the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda fought off Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood on two late-race restarts as Palou was on the harder Firestone Primary tire and Kirkwood was on the softer Firestone alternate tire.
“It was very tough with the temperature on the tires,” explained Palou. “On the restarts I couldn’t really be at the level of Kirkwood, Power and some of the guys who were able to get a little more tire temp than I Wass able to.”
“The Sam’s Club Honda was really fast,” said Kirkwood, who is second to Palou in the Championship. “We took a little bit of a gamble on tires there being the only guy on reds (alternate) at the end. It nearly paid off. It was so, so, close. They’re a great team and he’s a great driver.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal finished third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda, tying Rahal’s best finish of the year.
“We had a lot of pace when we needed it,” explained Rahal. “We go lucky a little bit with the yellow.”
IndyCar
Alex Palou wins Detroit IndyCar Pole; Scott Dixon earns 4th starting spot; Honda sweeps front row
DETROIT, MI (May 30, 2026) – Alex Palou is starting on the pole position for the third consecutive NTT IndyCar Series Race, winning the number 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Palou’s fast lap of 1-minute, 1.9017-seconds (95.668 mph) in the No. 10 Honda Racing Corporation Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was 0.005542-seconds ahead Will Power, who will start second in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global. This is Power’s best starting position since switching to Andretti in the offseason.
“I’m super happy that we got the pole position,” said Palou. “The Fast Six was very exciting, especially with only getting one lap. The tires were not up to temperature, but this #10 Honda Honda car was on rails.”
“It was really nice to get into the Fast Six,” said Power, IndyCar’s all-time pole winner. “It’s my second time in the one lap shootout this year. It’s very difficult to beat Alex, so heading into the race I think we just have to put our heads down and see what we can do. The Honda is very good and I’ve been really enjoying running with Honda power all year.”
The front row Honda sweep on Chevrolet’s doorstep may bode well for the manufacturer as Honda has won every race at Detroit since the series switched to the downtown street circuit beginning in 2023.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party, locking down the third starting spot with a lap of 1:02.4559 in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet.
Six-time series Champion Scott Dixon qualified a season-best fourth at 1:02.6085 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda to give Chip Ganassi Racing two of the top 4 starting spots.
“I was just a little too aggressive going for it,” said Dixon. “The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda has speed and it’s good to be starting up front.”
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard will line up fifth after a fast lap of 1:02.7870 in the No. 7 Chevrolet, despite losing an engine in the morning practice.
Kyle Kirkwood continued the Firestone Fast Six Honda party qualifying sixth in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda despite locking his tires up at one point and two power slides during his quick lap.
David Malukas will start last in the field after bringing out a red flag during his qualifying run. Malukas smacked the wall in turn 7 causing heavy damage to the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.
Sunday starts with a 30-minute morning warmup at 9:30 a.m. followed by the 100-lap race at 12:30 p.m. on Fox and the IndyCar Radio Network.
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