IndyCar Gradebook: Grand Prix of Road America
- Dan Jones
- 2 hours ago
- 10 min read
It was a chaotic affair for IndyCar at Road America, in a race that saw Christian Lundgaard go from last to first, some drivers suffer heartbreak and a rare error from the championship leader. It gave us plenty of stories up and down the field and almost a full range of grades. DIVEBOMB IndyCar Correspondent, Dan Jones, graded all 25 drivers' performances during the Gateway weekend.
Chip Ganassi Racing
No.8 - Kyffin Simpson - B+
Road America has been a happy hunting ground throughout Kyffin Simpson's career and it proved the case once again as he charged to a seasons-best fourth-place finish at Elkhart Lake. Simpson qualified disappointingly in 19th and had not made significant progress in the opening half of the race, until his Lap 27 pit stop vaulted him up the order once the yellow came out. From that point on, Simpson defended superbly against the fast chargers behind him including his four-time champion teammate. He was unfortunate to ultimately not be classified on the podium but a good showing in the last 20 laps nonetheless.
No.9 - Scott Dixon - B-
It was a race of much misfortune for Scott Dixon at Road America as he logged his fourth-consecutive finish outside the top 10 in 11th, something he hasn't done in 21 years. Dixon was forced to restart at the back of the field after emergency service and then had to take a drive-through for pitting after repositioning on Lap 21. His fortunes only worsened after not pitting before Lap 30, which meant he had to stay near the back of the field. Nevertheless, he did a respectable job by finishing in 11th but Dixon will be hoping for an uptick in form soon.
No.10 - Álex Palou - A-
Álex Palou proved he was human in Wisconsin by earning himself a drive-through for speeding in pitlane after what had been up to that point, a faultless weekend. Palou took a stunning fifth pole in a row and looked comfortable out front until his pitlane error. The drive-through should have lost him significant time until the caution came out, effectively saving his race before he quietly finished fifth. It is a difficult one to grade because the error should have been far more consequential but Palou was still imperious through the weekend.
Team Penske
No.2 - Josef Newgarden - B
It was clear that surgery on his left leg following his race victory at Gateway proved to have an effect on Josef Newgarden throughout the Road America weekend but he valiantly drove through the pain even if there was no result to show for it. Newgarden looked more comfortable than he did in Detroit, qualifying in 15th and although he lost places at the start, he kept pace on an ambitious fuel save. Strategy did not quite pan out but he was still on for a top 10 before colliding with Nolan Siegel on the final lap, seeing a top 10 finish fall to 22nd. A disappointing result but a good performance considering the circumstances.
No.3 - Scott McLaughlin - B+
Road America proved a quiet but nevertheless steady weekend for Scott McLaughlin, despite being caught out by yellows on multiple occasions. McLaughlin qualified well in sixth, a position he stayed close to the for the majority of the race. He was one to not pit before the Lap 30 caution which relegated him to 12th but made good progress to return to seventh. Not a spectacular weekend but the quietly consistent performances McLaughlin is capable of.
No.12 - David Malukas - A-
There's no doubting that David Malukas has claimed the "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" saying from Lundgaard as he once again finished second as the young American continues to chase the first win of his IndyCar career. Once again, Malukas qualified superbly in second and although he struggled to maintain such pace early on in proceedings, he stayed comfortably within the top 10. He vaulted back into victory contention by pitting on Lap 29 but was helpless to defend against the rampant Lundgaard. Another superb weekend as Malukas continues to shine against his vastle more experiences teammates.
Andretti Global
No.26 - Will Power - B+
Despite earning a second podium of the season, it was yet another wild 2026 weekend for Will Power. The Australian qualified respectably in 11th, and stayed in-and-around the same position for most of the opening stints. He then pitted before the race-changing caution where he was competing within the top half with substantially more push-to-pass than his competitors. And then came the final lap, where he overtook Graham Rahal before losing the position and then colliding with the American in a racing incident. It wasn't a weekend where Power was necessarily quicker than most, but he probably deserved a weekend like this in the grand scheme of things.
No.27 - Kyle Kirkwood - C+
The standards expected of Kyle Kirkwood and Andretti Global have become extremely high and that's a testament to the level he's been performing at this year, but this was certainly their most disappointing road/street weekend. Kirkwood qualified poorly in 18th and did not make up significant progress in the race. He was running in 15th prior to the final caution before a combination of mishaps and overtakes saw him grab a top 10 finish. It felt like he was the weakest Andretti and lacking the edge we've seen him have this year.
No.28 - Marcus Ericsson - A-
There's a good argument that Marcus Ericsson was once again the strongest-performing Andretti driver with his race unfortunate to fall apart mid-way through. Ericsson's strong qualifying form of 2026 continues with another Fast Six appearance and he was competing for a podium in the first two stints. However, he was one of many caught out by the Lap 30 caution before Romain Grosjean ran him off track on the Lap 35 restart, relegating Ericsson deep into the order and making life difficult from there. Ironically, he finished with an unlucky 13th despite what was a decent performance.
Arrow McLaren
No.5 - Pato O'Ward - B
There were just a matter of minutes between Pato O'Ward exiting his No.5 McLaren and bemoaning his luck on Twitter at Road America - and that told the entire story. O'Ward had continued his season-long streak of reaching the Fast 12 and had moved into the top five early on in proceedings. However, he had committed to pitting when the Lap 30 yellow came out which forced him to the back of the field. The No.5 team tried something different on strategy as he just missed the yellow he desperately needed before losing further places on the final lap as he avoided his spinning teammate. His frustrating podium-less streak continues despite what had been a good run.
No.6 - Nolan Siegel - B+
It is a sentence that is not used often, but Siegel had been the strongest Arrow McLaren driver for the majority of the Road America weekend in what had been comfortably his best weekend of the season. Siegel qualified well in eighth and ran in a similar position in the opening two stints. Despite being caught out by the subsequent yellow, Siegel fought his way back into the top 10 before he was spun by Newgarden on the final lap. That saw him finish 21st - a very unjust result for the weekend he had.
No.7 - Christian Lundgaard - A-
He may have come away from the weekend with his name in the spotlight, but Road America bizarrely marked one of Lundgaard's weaker road course races this season but he turned it around superbly on Sunday for a fantastic win. Lundgaard qualified mid-pack in 13th but that quickly became last as he ran into Dixon on the opening lap. From that point onward, fantastic race craft and some excellent strategy calls vaulted Lundgaard into podium contention come the final stint. A second place looked inevitable until Marcus Armstrong's engine failure, gifting Lundgaard a second victory of the season. It was by no means a dominant or complete weekend but nothing can be taken away from Lundgaard's last-to-first performance.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
No.15 - Graham Rahal - B
Rahal is one of many this weekend who's performance is extremely hard to grade in a weekend that went from nothing to a podium and back to nothing. The weekend started horribly for Rahal, who described his car as "diabolical" on his way to qualifying 20th. He made minimal progress in the first two stints before he suddenly vaulted into the top five by pitting on Lap 29. From that point onward, he looked comfortable in a podium position until the final lap, where although unfortunate, was accountable for his accident with Power. It was certainly a disappointing ending in a topsy-turvy weekend.
No.45 - Louis Foster - C-
12 months ago, Louis Foster really introduced himself to the IndyCar world by taking a stunning pole at Road America. A year later, his weekend left a lot to be desired. Foster qualified a weak 24th in a session that all three Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) cars struggled but made some progress early on. A Lap 28 pitstop had then vaulted him well within the top 10 before he struggled to hold position and lost dearly in his final stop. He finished 14th at the flag.
No.47 - Mick Schumacher - C-
Mick Schumacher was also on the RLL struggle bus at Road America as he had a penalty-troubled race on his way to 17th. Schumacher qualified an underwhelming 23rd, a position he stayed in the opening few laps. He then earned a trifecta of penalties for speeding in the pits, having emergency service in a closed pit and pitting after repositioning which cost him a dear amount of time. Schumacher was unable to make any progress from that point forward as he saw the chequered flag in 17th,
Meyer Shank Racing
No.60 - Felix Rosenqvist - A
I doubt Felix Rosenqvist will care about his luck when he reflects on the magical 2026 he had, but he may rue the misfortune he had at Road America which saw a second road/street victory fall out of his grasp this season. Rosenqvist qualified well in fourth but quickly became the driver to beat within the first 20 laps - with a path to victory extremely clear after Palou's penalty. And just two laps later, that turned on its head with the proceeding caution. That saw Rosenqvist drop to 11th before he lost seven places when trying to overtake Schumacher at the Carousel. He nevertheless recovered impressively to eighth but his weekend was far better than what the result showed.
No.66 - Marcus Armstrong - A
If Rosenqvist does not, Armstrong and Meyer Shank will absolutely rue their luck at Road America, with a first IndyCar victory agonisingly falling out of Armstrong's hands through no fault of his own. Armstrong qualified strongly in third and ran between second and fourth for almost the entire race. Once he cycled to the lead by pitting before the caution, he looked in his element and seemed comfortable in holding off the charging Lundgaard. However, his efforts came to little as his engine went with just three laps to go and a well-deserved victory went away from him. A frustrating wait for his first win continues, but there is no doubting that his time will come.
Ed Carpenter Racing
No.20 - Alexander Rossi - B
A sixth-place finish at Road America equalled a seasons-best result for Alexander Rossi, an unlikely result after starting last due to a grid penalty. Despite that, Rossi made steady progress, only made the better after he vaulted into the top five following the caution his teammate caused (I'll let you all make your own judgements on the convenience of this situation). At that point, a podium suddenly looked possible before a slow final stop ended Rossi's hopes as he cruised home to sixth. A great recovery even if he did have a little bit of help.
No.21 - Christian Rasmussen - B
I have made it very clear that Christian Rasmussen had to step up his performances on road courses in the second-half of the season and although no result came of it, he looked a lot stronger this weekend. Rasmussen qualified as expected in 16th but found himself inside the top 10 after the first sequence of stops. He was up to ninth when his hybrid gave way and although it is another 25th on paper, it is the type of performance that he needs to continue for the rest of the season.
AJ Foyt Racing
No.4 - Caio Collet - B+
As his name continues to make waves in the driver market, Caio Collet impressed once again at Road America, even if he still awaits a headline result this season. Collet looked quick from the outset and backed that up with a strong eighth-place qualifying run. He ran comfortably within the top eight during the opening stint before a malfunction with his fueling rig dropped him to 17th. More troubles left him unable to move back up the order and saw Collet finish in an undeserved 16th. A frustrating result, but he continues to grab the attention of team owners up-and-down the paddock.
No.14 - Santino Ferrucci - B
It was a strong weekend all-round for AJ Foyt Racing, with Santino Ferrucci earning his third top 10 of the season. Ferrucci qualified well in seventh before taking an engine penalty which saw him start 13th. He made some progress in the opening stint before emergency repairs forced him to the back of the field. Ferrucci recovered from that point though, despite getting caught out by strategy under yellow, making up three places on the final lap for a respectable ninth-place finish.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
No.76 - Rinus VeeKay - C-
Road America proved a very forgettable weekend for Rinus VeeKay and Juncos Hollinger Racing, who struggled for pace all weekend. VeeKay qualified just 22nd and struggled to make significant progress from that point forward, especially after having to restart at the back of the field on Lap 19. He finished 18th in his weakest weekend of the season so far.
No.77 - Sting Ray Robb - D+
It was a similar story to his teammate for Sting Ray Robb, who qualified back of the pack in 25th and struggled for speed throughout the weekend. He was one of many forced to take emergency service on Lap 19 and struggled for pace throughout the 55 laps, eventually coming home in 19th.,
Dale Coyne Racing
No.18 - Romain Grosjean - C
Road America proved to be a chaotic weekend for Romain Grosjean, who picked up three penalties on his way to finishing 15th. Grosjean had one of his better qualifying performances of the year in 14th, but earned penalties for emergency service in a closed pit, being released in an unsafe condition (when he caused the first caution when his wheel fell off) and for blocking on Lap 35. Nevertheless, Grosjean equalled his best road course finish of the year.
No.19 - Dennis Hauger - C-
It was a forgettable Road America weekend for Hauger who qualified in 17th and finished 20th - last of those on the road (bar the spun Siegel and penalised Newgarden). Hauger was forced into an unscheduled stop due to a slow puncture but was generally behind his teammate pace-wise throughout the weekend.
