IndyCar Gradebook: Gateway 500
- Dan Jones
- Jun 13
- 9 min read
IndyCar rounded off it's five-week road trip with a modern classic at Gateway, which saw Josef Newgarden uphold his status as king of the ovals. He took the ultimate prize, but many starred behind him whilst others faltered. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Gateway weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - C-
Strong oval performances at Nashville and Phoenix in recent months have certainly bolstered Kyffin Simpson's stock as an oval driver, but an combination of events at Gateway left Simpson empty-handed. Simpson qualified respectably in 14th but was penalised immediately for being out of line at the restart. That left him a lap down with his miserable day ended early as he ran out of fuel under caution. That was uncontrollable, but his disappointing weekend was made difficult by the things that he could control.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B+
You know that an audacious strategy was near-impossible when Scott Dixon couldn't pull the rabbit out the hat, with an unfortunate caution de-railing the New Zealander's day. Dixon qualified well in seventh and immediately did what he does best and extended the fuel further than anybody else which saw him cycle into potential podium territory. That became undone though when the red flag came out for conditions, forcing Dixon into emergency service and seeing him restart at the back. It left Dixon in a difficult hole where he recovered to 12th on a day which could have panned out very differently.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A-
Gateway marked a rare day for Álex Palou and the No.10 team, where for once, they got the strategy wrong. That said, it did not take away from another superb Palou performance as he continues to show his strength on short ovals. Palou's pole was majestic and although he was clearly not one of the strongest race cars, he held his own early on. His incident with Siegel was certainly 50-50 and he continued to race well as he leant toward the alternate strategy. That didn't pan out as he ran out of fuel on pitlane, forcing him two laps down. It was a rare error and an unfortunate set of circumstances for Palou but his short oval improvement came to the fore once again.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - A+
It is hard to believe how walking wounded Josef Newgarden was at Detroit when he followed it up a week later with a vintage Newgarden short oval performance. Newgarden qualified respectably in eighth but instantly showed his race pace in the opening stint as he navigated into victory contention. From there, Newgarden held his own, making critical passes when he needed to and holding off the late race challenges of Marcus Ericsson and Christian Rasmussen. His short oval statistics speak for themselves as he reminded everybody why he is the oval king.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - B+
Scott McLaughlin's oval form is certainly not at the peaks of what we saw a couple of years ago, but he leaves Gateway with a much-needed top five finish after a solid weekend. McLaughlin qualified in fifth but struggled in the opening stints as he fell down the order, however his stop on Lap 227 allowed him to finish the race on fresh tyres which saw him climb back up to fifth for a very respectable finish. McLaughlin may still slightly lag behind his teammates on ovals, but it was a quiet but strong result, and one that was much needed in the outlook of his season.
No.12 - David Malukas - B+
The expectation for David Malukas at Gateway was unsurprisingly sky-high given his track record and although a seventh-place finish may be disappointing on paper, it's a result Malukas may be pleased with given the story of his race. Malukas qualified superbly once again in second but was struggling from the outset with an ill-handling car after not finding the right setup. A recovery to seventh continued his year-long consistency but his first career victory still awaits.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - B
An eighth-place is by no means a result that Will Power is looking for, but in the context of his season, it provides some relief after a very difficult stretch of races. That difficult stretch looked to continue after a disastrous 21st position in qualifying, but Power cycled up the order despite being a lap down on multiple occasions after going for the alternate strategy. Despite starting 14th on the final restart, Power once again made up ground as he finished in eighth for what felt like his first trouble-free weekend in a very long time.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - B+
It was not the Gateway victory defence that Kyle Kirkwood was ultimately looking for, but his incredible 2026 consistency continued with a respectable sixth-place finish at Gateway. Kirkwood qualified well in third but did not have the pace of some of his competitors, as he lost some ground early on. Kirkwood remained between fifth and 10th for almost the entire race before eventually coming home sixth at the chequered as he slimmed the gap at the top of the points to Palou.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - A+
It has been a long-time coming, but this felt like the Marcus Ericsson of old - made all the more surprising that it was on a short oval. Ericsson qualified mid-pack in 12th but made sensational progress on his opening stint to take the lead. It was clear from that point it would be a race-long battle between him and Newgarden with Ericsson unfortunate to cycle out behind the American on one of the final pit stop phases. It would always be an uphill task for Ericsson at that point as he had to settle for second, but it was indisputably his best performance in Andretti colours and his best on a short oval. Whether it keeps him at Andretti next year remains to be seen, but it certainly goes a long way.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - C+
Given Pato O'Ward's record at Gateway, it felt like this was the weekend where his podium drought would finally end. Instead, it ended up being another underwhelming performance with many questions remaining unanswered. O'Ward qualified decently in ninth but struggled to make any progress throughout the race before cycling back on pit lane. He lost out to his teammate late on as he finished a disappointing 11th on a track he has gone so well at in the past.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - D
After a small uptick in form during May, Gateway marked a troublesome weekend for Nolan Siegel, who struggled throughout even before his incident with Palou. Siegel did not qualify well in 22nd, and him being lapped so early was an indicator of his troubles. Although he cannot be fully laid the blame for his incident with Palou, Siegel should take some of the responsibility which saw his day end after just 55 laps. The next few races will be critical into deciding his future.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - B-
Short ovals have always been Christian Lundgaard's achilles heel, but he left Gateway as the top-finishing Arrow McLaren with another top 10 finish in the bag. Lundgaard did not qualify superbly in 16th but made steady progress throughout proceedings as he ran alongside O'Ward for the majority of the race. He leapfrogged his teammate in the closing laps for a first career top 10 at St. Louis.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - D+
There's no doubting the package improvement that Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have had this year on road/street courses but despite a promising Phoenix, Gateway suggested there is still more work to do on the short oval side. Rahal had qualified respectably in 11th but fell down the order in the opening couple of stints. When going for a longer fuel save strategy, Rahal wrecked all by himself on Lap 114 when battling with Lundgaard. Qualifying form has improved, but the race cars still need some work.
No.45 - Louis Foster - D
The last statement in Rahal's grade was particularly clear in Louis Foster's weekend as the Briton struggled throughout the 260 laps. Foster qualified in 17th but was really struggling for any pace, being lapped numerous times before he lost more laps with a hybrid issue and bent toe link. It was a disastrous day even before those issues and a weekend to forget very quickly.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - C
Gateway marked an unlikely seasons-best result for Mick Schumacher as the German finished in 16th place, even still a lap down from the lead. Schumacher started in 18th but stayed trouble-free throughout proceedings but showed confidence in making overtakes and not being afraid to use the high line. Better results are needed from Schumacher, but he continues to make progress in his rookie year.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - C
It was a quiet day for Felix Rosenqvist and Meyer Shank Racing, who ended the busiest five weeks of his life with a 14th-place finish in a rather forgettable weekend. Rosenqvist qualified well in fourth but it was clear that the team struggled for significant race pace as he progressively fell down the order and was unable to make upward progress. He gets a well-deserved week off before he heads to Road America.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B-
Like Rosenqvist, it was a quiet weekend for Marcus Armstrong, albeit the New Zealander having a much better affair on Sunday as he secured his fifth top 10 finish of the season. Similarly to his teammate, Armstrong qualified well in sixth but seemed to struggle for race pace. That said, he held his own to finish in ninth in a trouble-free weekend.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - C-
Whilst his teammate starred, Gateway proved to be an underwhelming weekend for Alexander Rossi - still walking wounded after his crash at Indianapolis. Rossi qualified well in 10th but could not sustain his position during the race. He fell two laps down with some untimely yellows and picked up floor damage to add to his troubles. He did his best in supporting his teammate's bid for victory but ended in a disappointing 18th.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - A
It's been a big week for Christian Rasmussen, who backed up Ed Carpenter's faith by providing him a multi-year contract extension by earning a well-deserved podium finish and his first top 10 of the year. Like often on ovals, Rasmussen did not qualify well - but that didn't matter as he made his usual scintillating progress through the field to look like a victory contender. Although Rasmussen did not have the car to compete in the closing 20 laps he showed his short oval capability once again and reminded the doubters what he is truly capable of.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - A-
The heartbreak in Caio Collet's post-race interview told the entire story as his career-best IndyCar performance fell out of his grasp after impressing all night long in St. Louis. Despite qualifying in 20th, Collet looked mighty as he made incredible progress throughout the first two stints before suddenly finding himself in second at the first red flag. That would always be unsustainable, but Collet made decisive moves and stayed comfortably in the top 10 before his engine failure but an end to his memorable day. A huge disappointment, but a performance which has proved his oval capability and one he can be very pleased with.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - C
The headline performances that Santino Ferrucci had been displaying on ovals just a couple of years ago have seemed to have faded, and that was the case once again as he finished a disappointing 13th at St. Louis. After qualifying 15th, Ferrucci could not make any progress, but pit strategy saw him cycle to seventh with just 26 laps to go. However, old rubber saw Ferrucci fall back to 13th in a day where he was surprisingly outshone by his teammate.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - A
There was really no surprise that Conor Daly made an immediate impact on ovals when he came into Juncos Hollinger Racing, but Rinus VeeKay showed similar stardom to his predecessor at Gateway as he equalled his career-best oval result. VeeKay qualified in 13th which was pretty good considering the lost practice time he had due to a crash but he quickly made up progress early on in the race. He continued to make big moves in-and-around the top five and did not make Rasmussen's life easy as they battled it out for the podium late on. The strategy, the overtakes and the execution were all nailed as VeeKay continued to grab the attention of some of IndyCar's top team owners.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - D
Whilst his teammate starred, Sting Ray Robb endured the same oval troubles that he has had throughout this season. Robb qualified dead last in 25th and finished 19th, three laps down and only ahead of those who did not make the finish or those who had major issues throughout the race.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - C-
Romain Grosjean was another walking wounded after damaging his wrist in his accident with Rossi at Detroit. It was therefore no surprise it was a fairly subdued weekend for the Frenchman, who qualified just 23rd and finished in 15th, a lap down from the lead. Nonetheless, it was a decent points haul considering the circumstances as Grosjean continues to recover.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - C-
It almost feels rather unfair to give Hauger any sort of grade considering his race was over before it started with a fuel leak. That said, Hauger had qualified only ahead of Robb in 24th and had not made a meaningful impression in practice either. An unfortunate learning experience lost in his rookie season.
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