Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon won the last street-circuit race of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season on April 21 at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. His teammate Alex Palou is the defending winner of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Does that solidify the Ganassi team as the favorites for Sunday’s 100-lap race at noon ET (USA Network, Peacock, INDYCAR Radio Network)?
Dixon, Palou, Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Felix Rosenqvist are the seven drivers to finish in the top 10 at both street course races this season.
How many will remain on that list after an action-packed weekend around the 1.645 mile, nine-turn street circuit?
Favorites
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet)
Newgarden was disqualified from the season opener in St. Petersburg due to Team Penske violating INDYCAR rules for Push to Pass, but he did win the pole and initially crossed the finish line nearly eight seconds clear of the field. At Long Beach, Team Penske driver Newgarden finished fourth but had a car more than capable of winning. He qualified fifth and finished 10th in last year’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix and comes to the Motor City riding momentum from his second consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Over Dixon’s last 12 street course starts, he has three wins and nine top-six results. Among that is a fourth-place finish in last year’s Detroit race.
Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Palou has shown rapid growth on street circuits. His eighth-place finish in the 2023 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding is his worst finish among his last 12 street course starts. Two-time and defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou finished fourth March 10 on the St. Petersburg streets, third in the April 21 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and led 74 of 100 laps from the pole in last year’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix victory.
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet)
Last year’s runner-up finisher came home 1.1843 seconds behind Palou. He has finished second and sixth, respectively, in the two street-course events in 2024 for Team Penske.
Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)
At the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, Herta was eighth and first in the pair of prequalifying practice sessions, qualified fourth and finished third. In the April 21 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Herta finished runner-up in his Andretti Global machine. He finished 11th last season at Detroit.
Sleepers
Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
Rossi finished sixth in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and 10th on at Long Beach for Arrow McLaren. Following a fifth-place finish last year at Detroit, don’t sleep on Rossi ending his 25-race winless drought Sunday.
Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda)
Both of Kirkwood’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories came on street courses for Andretti Global. He led 53 of 85 laps in his Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach triumph a year ago and then earned his second career victory last August on the streets of Nashville. Despite a disappointing season-opening weekend in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he was 15th and seventh, respectively, in the pair of prequalifying practice sessions, qualified 18th and finished 10th, Kirkwood rebounded for a seventh-place finish in Long Beach. Kirkwood charged from 12th to finish sixth in this 100-lap race last season.
Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Delaware Life Honda)
Three of Ericsson’s four career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on street circuits. All three came at different venues (St. Petersburg, Nashville, Belle Isle). While he hasn’t won on this Detroit circuit, finishing ninth last June for Chip Ganassi Racing, watch out. At the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, Ericsson qualified sixth in his Andretti Global debut. If not for bad luck via a mechanical issue during the race, Ericsson appeared destined for a top-10 result. The Swedish driver rebounded to finish fifth in Long Beach.
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda)
Watch out for the Swede this weekend. Rosenqvist has five top-10 finishes in his last six street-course events dating back to last year. That includes a strong season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, where Ericsson was quickest in Friday’s practice session, qualified second Saturday and finished fifth. He took the NTT P1 Pole Award for Long Beach but battled brake issues to come away ninth for Meyer Shank Racing. Rosenqvist came from ninth in last year’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix to finish third.
Romain Grosjean (No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)
Grosjean was seventh and fifth, respectively, in the pair of prequalifying practice sessions for the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and qualified fifth. The speed carried over to Long Beach where Grosjean finished eighth for Juncos Hollinger Racing. Grosjean started second last year at Detroit for Andretti Global but crashed on Lap 80. He remains more than capable of delivering a solid result this weekend.