This weekend marks halfway in the 2026 IndyCar season and brings us to one of my favourite races of the year, a Snuday night thriller at Gateway which has given us so many great memories in recent years! The 1.25 mile oval has been in IndyCar since 2017 and always delivers some quality racing! In the 10 races here, Josef Newgarden has won HALF of them, the short oval king is one of the favourites this weekend!
This isn’t your standard oval as turns ½ are very different to ¾ which really challenges the drivers and engineers as finding the right balance is very challenging. It’s also a fast circuit, with tons of strategy and lots of overtaking! This is the only night race as well which is a shame, racecars look so much better under the lights and it fits the short track Sunday night vibe perfectly!
The Championship:
Detroit was a aggressive and controversial race but ultimately the two best drivers this year came home P1 and P2. Alex Palou taking a commanding victory over Kyle Kirkwood who reovertook Malukas after all of Team Penske struggled in Detroit. IndyCar is different to most series for this though in that the team who struggled last week with only 1 top 10 is now the favourites because on ovals very few can match the captain’s speed.
Beyond these 3, the two McLaren boys sit a little more than 100 points back so unless they go on a very strong run of form it’s very much a 3 way dual as we get into the summer stretch.
My pick to win: David Malukas
Team Penske always delivers strong cars, but in my opinion Malukas is the favourite for a few reasons. Firstly he has always been phenomenal at WWT specially, finishing 2nd, 3rd, 21st (crash while batting for net victory), and 12th. That 2nd place finish was also his first NTT IndyCar podium finish. Additionally the Chicago native has been the strongest and most consistent Team Penske driver this year. Apart from his crash in Detroit Quali it has been a flawless transition and this is why he is sat P3 in the drivers championship. He has also been in the victory battle several times this season, at some point it has the go his way.
Beyond lil dave, I don’t trust Scott McLaughlin, he’s too hot and cold especially on ovals. As for Newgarden, I fear his injury will cost him that edge needed to win this race.
The pressure is on: Pato O’Ward
The McLaren man is 107 points off Palou, if he wants any chance at catching the 4-time champion he needs to win or be on the podium this weekend. The ninja is very quick on ovals and needs to capitalize on one of Palou’s few weaknesses. Additionally maybe the more immediate issue is teammate Christian Lundgaard and solidifying his position as the top man at Papaya. The duo have been so equal this season, with it flowing back and forth depending on track type (Lundgaard on Road/Street, Pato on ovals).
A Dark Horse: Rinus Veekay
Rocket Rinus has quietly been outperforming his equipment all year, sitting 13th in season long points, fresh off the teams best Indy 500 start/finish ever with the 6th best pit crew all season! This is a car Conor Daly took to the podium with in 2024 at the Milwaukee mile. I wouldn’t suggest Veekay will do the same but for sure top 10.
Steer clear: Christian Rasmussen
The salutaton of sketch as coined by T-Bell is great fun to watch on short ovals, winning in Milwaukee last year and being in the victory fight at Phoenix! Unfortunately the last 3 weekends have been a disaster for ECR as a whole with several crashes, injuries and mechanical failures. 3 straight last place finishes (among ft teams) and now the dane sits 24th in points. I would love to be proven wrong but I just don’t see it.
written by Carlos Faria // Media Credit: Penske Entertainment
