IndyCar Gradebook: Grand Prix of Arlington
- Dan Jones
- 3 hours ago
- 9 min read
After 18 months of anticipation, IndyCar's inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington did not disappoint. For once, Álex Palou was the hunted as Kyle Kirkwood came out victorious and left Texas with the championship lead. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Arlington weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - D+
Although Kyffin Simpson is showing continual signs of improvement and raw pace, his consistency continues to be an achilles heel, as was the case on the Streets of Arlington. Simpson qualified a respectable 14th but struggled on race day with an adventurous six-stop strategy (whilst also having a drive-through for hitting his own equipment). His difficult Sunday was compounded by being the cause of the final caution when he ploughed into Nolan Siegel. A weekend to forget for Simpson.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B
An IndyCar race really does not feel like an IndyCar race if Scott Dixon is not attempting some other-worldly strategy. After qualifying a difficult 20th, Dixon almost immediately reverted to a four-stop by getting his red tyre stints done and would then be out of cadence for the rest of the race. Dixon did show good pace though, even setting the fastest lap and would finish eighth at the chequered flag. A decent effort all-round but if Dixon is going to become a championship contender qualifying better is a must.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A
After his out-of-character Phoenix weekend, Álex Palou returned to his usual self in Arlington. Given the new qualifying format, Palou may have been unfortunate to qualify second but once he had cycled to the lead after the first round of stops it looked like we'd see the typical Palou race day experience. That said though, Palou for once was beaten on pure pace and could do very little about Kyle Kirkwood's charge through the field. But on a weekend where Andretti where head and shoulders above the rest of the field, Palou was the only one who could cause them a headache.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - C
After a mightily encouraging start to 2026, Arlington seemed to remind us of the disaster season Josef Newgarden endured in 2025. After showing encouraging pace in practice, Newgarden's "comical wreck" in second practice left him with work to do. An 11th place qualifying result was not bad considering the circumstances but his race day would be even more tricky. He collided with David Malukas when coming out the pits after his first stop before colliding coming out the pits again, this time with Mick Schumacher. That, combined with an unpopular strategy left Newgarden a disappointing 16th at the finish.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - C
After a weekend that showed early promise for Scott McLaughlin, his qualifying crash reminded us of his error-strewn 2025 season which proved to be a costly factor for the rest of his weekend. McLaughlin qualified dead last because of the accident and was inevitably forced into a different strategy on a black-red-red-black run. McLaughlin recovered to 11th but after showing early pace in practice, that has to be a disappointment.
No.12 - David Malukas - B+
It has only been three races, but Malukas feels right at home at Team Penske. Although by no means was it a standout weekend, it was exactly the type of weekend Malukas would have been looking for in his early days with the team. Malukas qualified in ninth and avoided trouble as he went on a conventional strategy, similar to that of the leaders. He did not have the pace of the others ahead but still brought home a quietly strong sixth-place finish.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - A
Will Power's difficult start to life at Andretti had been well-documented, making his maiden Andretti podium in Arlington all the better. Power was back to his usual self in qualifying, with a good run to fourth and would try something different on Sunday, being the only driver to opt for a two-stop strategy. Given his wealth of experience, Power executed it superbly, with the late-race caution meaning he was able to eliminate any fuel concerns. It may be a new team, but Arlington marked the same Power we've seen during his Penske stays, he now needs to ensure he remains mistake-free.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - A+
It takes something quite special to beat Palou in a head-to-head battle and not for the first time, Kirkwood came out on top. Kirkwood was fast in practice and clearly had the speed at Arlington, making him extremely frustrated when a cadencing error cost him a shot at pole as he lined up seventh. The pace was beneath him though and the fired-up Kirkwood made methodical progress up the order despite three botched pitstops. He continued to hunt down Palou and made a world-class manoeuvre with 15 laps to go to seal victory. The 'King of the Streets' re-gained his crown and on the evidence we've seen so far - is he the only person who could stop Palou this year?
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - A
It has been a long time coming, but Arlington was undoubtedly Marcus Ericsson's best in Andretti colours. Yes, Ericsson benefitted from the updated qualifying format but took the opportunity with two hands when it presented itself for a first pole on 13 years. Ericsson controlled the opening stint well and was unfortunate to lose the lead through an issue in the pits. Despite being stuck in traffic, Ericsson continued to show well and was unfortunate to not step on the podium due to a multitude of factors. A fourth-place finish means Ericsson has matched his top 10 total from 2025 already, but can he convert this encouraging run to something more meaningful on a regular basis?
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - A-
I could copy-and-paste my Gradebook analysis from St. Petersburg and Phoenix into Arlington for O'Ward, with his fifth-place finish on the Texas streets marking his third consecutive top five to kick off 2026. Like was the case in both St. Pete and Phoenix, O'Ward qualified near the front (this time in third), before running a quiet race which saw him fifth at the flag. O'Ward was very much 'best of the rest' given Palou and Andretti's pace and although it is not the highlights we're used to seeing from O'Ward, these days really do add up in the bigger picture.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - D+
The headlines were next to Siegel's name once again this weekend after many incorrectly pointed the finger at the young American for causing the final-lap wreck. In reality, Siegel was an innocent victim in the melee but still did not have a good weekend when looking at the wider picture. Siegel qualified disappointingly in 22nd and like Dixon, would try a four-stop on Sunday. It did not make the progress the No.6 stand was hoping for with his day ending in the barrier. That was unfortunate, but Siegel needs to start showing more substantial results to not be near the back of the field for when such crashes happen.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - B
Inconsistency still seems to let Christian Lundgaard down from a significant championship challenge but he rebounded well after a difficult qualifying and even worse opening lap. Lundgaard was off-character in qualifying, only in 19th, which was made even worse after he was spun by Schumacher on the opening lap. Lundgaard recovered well from there though on a black-red-red-black strategy to claim a respectable seventh-place finish given the circumstances.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - D+
It was a quiet, but disappointing Arlington weekend for Graham Rahal, with RLL still yet to unlock flashes of pace across all three cars on a regular-enough basis. Rahal was slowest in his group and only lined-up ahead of the crashed McLaughlin. A four-stop strategy would yield no fruits on Sunday as Rahal finished in 18th, only ahead of cars who had crashed, retired or been penalised.
No.45 - Louis Foster - C+
Louis Foster awaits a maiden top 10 career finish but he continues to knock on the door, as shown again in Arlington. Foster qualified mid-pack in 13th and was running in-and-around the top 10 for the majority of the 70 laps before a pitstop error relegated him down the order. Foster was on the end of the pack of cars chasing Alexander Rossi for the final top 10 position but was not able to make any progress.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - D+
After his IndyCar road/street debut in St. Pete lasted two corners, Arlington marked the first time Schumacher could get a full race running in on that track type. Schumacher struggled with the bumps on Friday but given his experience, qualified a decent 17th on Saturday. However, his opening lap kerfuffle with Lundgaard earned him a drive-through before he collided with Newgarden on Lap 39 when the American came out of the pits. It all meant Schumacher finished 22nd and a lap down but it was significant track time after his St. Pete misfortunes.
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - B
It was comfortably Rosenqvist's best weekend of the season in Arlington until a late-race error unjustifiably lost him 14 positions. Rosenqvist qualified in fifth and was the leading car who started on the primary tyres - a strategy that he pulled off well. He had dropped to seventh later on in the race but dived down the inside of Malukas at Turn 14 on the restart. As that was before start/finish Rosenqvist was understandably penalised, but a harsh precedent was set when he was dropped to the rear of the field. Good weekend, poor mistake, unjust penalty.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - B+
It was a very eventful Arlington weekend for Armstrong, even before the racing had begun. Armstrong qualified strongly in sixth but a slow puncture at the start left him helpless as the No.66 stand were forced to revert to a four-stop. That said, Armstrong still drove maturely and bagged a top 10 finish after his teammate's penalty. It's hard to assess where Armstrong could have been but judging by his pace and those also starting on reds, it is possible that a top six finish fell out of his grasp.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B
After a difficult weekend at St. Petersburg, Alexander Rossi was confident that would be a one-off and he was correct as Arlington marked a much-improved weekend for the No.20 stand. Rossi qualified 10th and ran in a similar position for the majority of Sunday despite starting on the unfavoured black tyre. Rossi would be promoted to ninth at the finish after Rosenqvist's penalty.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - C
It was an odd weekend for Rasmussen who was unable to grab the headlines like he did in Phoenix. Qualifying has not been great for Rasmussen on road and street courses but he quietly impressed with eighth on Saturday. However, Rasmussen crashed in warm-up and then tumbled down the order during the first stint on Sunday. His race ended with him parked next to pitlane with a mechanical failure.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - B
Caio Collet's first two races in IndyCar were steady but he had failed to show much against Schumacher and Dennis Hauger in the early Rookie of the Year battle. Arlington marked a significantly better weekend for Collet though who qualified in 16th and was even then frustrated to not make the Fast 12. That early weekend promise continued to race day for Collet who raced in-and-around the top 12 positions for the majority of the running and was in close contention for a top 10 finish. Collet finished 12th at the flag, in a weekend he comfortably outpaced his teammate and fellow rookies.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - C
It has not been the start to the year that Santino Ferrucci and Foyt were hoping for and despite an encouraging qualifying in Arlington, race day pace still seems to be missing from Foyt's arsenal. Ferrucci qualified 12th and opted for a black-red-red-black strategy. It was a quiet affair for Ferrucci, who made an error at Turn 10 late on which cost him valuable time with the American only achieving 18th place at the finish.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - C
It was a difficult weekend for Rinus VeeKay and Juncos after a promising first two races to start 2026. 21st in qualifying is lower than the standards that VeeKay usually holds himself to and he quietly ran to 14th on Sunday on the preferred red-red-black-black strategy.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - D+
After promising signs, particularly in qualifying to open his 2026 account, Arlington was a significantly more difficult weekend for Sting Ray Robb who seemed a step slower than the majority of his competitors. Robb qualified in 23rd and finished in 21st, a lap down from the lead.
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - C
St. Petersburg seemed to mark a shift for Dale Coyne Racing on street courses but Arlington suggested that could have been a false promise. Romain Grosjean qualified mid-pack in 15th but made little impact on Sunday, being another driver caught in the late-race incident through no fault of his own.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - C
After his great start to IndyCar life at St. Pete followed up by a decent run at Phoenix, Arlington was a much quieter event for Hauger. The Norwegian qualified in 19th and finished 16th at the chequered flag as he continues to gain valuable race running in his rookie season.
Photos in this article were taken by DIVEBOMB Photographer, Jackie Lee. You can find Jackie's work on Instagram (@jackiieshots)
