Plenty at Stake for All Drivers Entering Second Half of 2026 Season

The second half of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins June 21 with the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.

Nine races are complete, with nine remaining as 24 drivers continue their pursuit of championship leader Alex Palou.

The four-time series champion enters Road America with a 49-point lead over Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood as he strives to tie a series record with his fourth consecutive title.

Sunday’s 55-lap race begins at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Here's what's at stake for every full-time driver during the second half of the season, in order of the current standings.

1. Alex Palou (No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Palou chases his fifth series championship and fourth consecutive title. A fourth straight championship would tie Sebastien Bourdais' record from 2004-07. It also would move Palou into sole possession of third on the all-time championship list behind A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six).

2. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Andretti Global Honda)

Five of Kirkwood's six career victories have come on street circuits, but seven of the final nine races are on permanent road courses and ovals. He's seeking his first road course victory while trying to deliver Andretti Global its first championship since Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2012.

3. David Malukas (No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet)

Before Malukas can seriously challenge for a championship, he must break through for his first career victory. Malukas (photo, above) has four runner-up finishes in 70 career starts, including two this season, his first with Team Penske.

4. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

Lundgaard (photo, top) owns a victory this season in the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 9 and sits ahead of teammate Pato O'Ward in the standings. The Dane could become the top points-finishing Arrow McLaren driver not named Pato O’Ward since the Mexican arrived in 2020. Lundgaard finished fifth in points during first season with the team last year. He’s seven points clear of O’Ward.

5. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

O'Ward has six top-five finishes this season, tied with Palou and Kirkwood for most in the series, but no podium appearances through nine races. The nine-time victor seeks his first victory of 2026. O’Ward was runner-up in points last year, his fifth top five points finish in six years.

6. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet)

Both of Newgarden's victories this season have come on short ovals (Phoenix, World Wide Technology Raceway). With Nashville Superspeedway and a Milwaukee Mile doubleheader remaining, the two-time champion has opportunities to capitalize on one of his greatest strengths. His last road course victory came in 2022 at Road America.

7. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet)

McLaughlin's winless streak has reached 28 races dating to Milwaukee in 2024. After leading Team Penske in points in 2023 and 2024, he's looking to return to Victory Lane.

8. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda)

Rosenqvist, this year’s Indy 500 victor, enters the second half 18 points back of fifth in points. He’s improved each season with MSR, taking the car that finished 25th in entrant points the year before his 2024 arrival to 12th in points and sixth in 2025.

9. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Andretti Global Honda)

Ericsson seeks a return to Victory Lane. The 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner (photo, above) has not won since St. Petersburg in 2023 but is enjoying his strongest season since joining Andretti Global in 2024 after being 15th and 20th the last two years. The No. 28 car with Andretti hasn’t finished in the top 10 in points since Hunter-Reay was 10th in 2020.

10. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda)

Armstrong has delivered consistency with eight finishes of 11th or better in nine starts. The next step is turning those solid results into more top-five finishes and podium appearances. He has two top five finishes this season, neither in the top three.

11. Graham Rahal (No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda)

Three third-place finishes have highlighted Rahal's strongest season in recent memory. Whether that momentum results in his first victory since 2017 (152 races ago) or a return to the top 10 in points for the first time since 2022 remains one of the season's intriguing storylines.

12. Scott Dixon (No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

The six-time series champion (photo, above) aims to extend his series-record winning streak to 22 consecutive seasons while maintaining a standard of excellence that has produced 20 straight top-six championship finishes. He is 12th in points at the midway point, 46 points behind sixth-place Josef Newgarden.

13. Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)

VeeKay has elevated Juncos Hollinger Racing's performance, the way he did with Dale Coyne Racing last year. He aims to top Callum Ilott’s 16th-place points finish in 2023 as the best in JHR history. VeeKay has three top-10 finishes. The team had five combined last season.

14. Alexander Rossi (No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet)

Rossi started the season with impressive consistency (10.2 average finish) before slipping during the last four races (22.5 average finish), definitely hurt by the leg injury he suffered in a crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500. Reclaiming full use of his leg and that early-season form are critical to return to the top 10 in points.

15. Kyffin Simpson (No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Simpson continues to trend upward. After finishing 21st as a rookie and 17th last season, the 21-year-old sits 15th at midseason.

16. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet)

Ferrucci (photo, above) matched his 2025 points position but needs stronger results in the second half after producing fewer top-10 finishes (two) than he managed a year ago (six).

17. Will Power (No. 26 Andretti Global Honda)

Power, a two-time series champion, owns just one top-10 finish in his first year with Andretti Global. His worst points finish as a full-time driver is 12th, his final season in 2008 with KV Racing Technology before spending 17 seasons with Team Penske.

18. Dennis Hauger (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda)

The reigning INDY NXT by Firestone champion has put together a respectable rookie campaign with two top-10 finishes. Louis Foster finished 23rd as last year’s Rookie of the Year and serves as a benchmark since Foster won the 2024 INDY NXT title. Palou drove the second DCR car as a rookie in 2020 and finished 16th in points, another benchmark.

19. Louis Foster (No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda)

Foster (photo, above) has two top-10 finishes this year, all in the last four races, after having none all last season. The second half provides an opportunity to continue building momentum and climb the standings.

20. Romain Grosjean (No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda)

After opening the season with an eighth-place finish at St. Petersburg, Grosjean has struggled to maintain consistency. The season highlight thus far is a ninth-place Indy 500 finish.

21. Nolan Siegel (No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

Siegel has shown signs of progress with four top-15 finishes in the last five races. He had five in 16 starts last season. He missed the second race last year at Iowa Speedway due to injury, a race for which he had qualified fifth. He was 23rd in points as a part-timer (12 of 17 races) in 2024 and 22nd last year. He’s one spot better in 2026.

22. Christian Rasmussen (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet)

Rasmussen endured a difficult start to the season but responded to a recent contract extension with a season-best third-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway. The challenge is building on that breakthrough, with the Dane having a series-leading four failures to finish in nine starts.

23. Caio Collet (No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet)

The rookie has demonstrated flashes of speed that haven't always translated into results. Several strong runs have ended prematurely, leaving ample opportunity for a breakthrough finish during the final nine races.

24. Sting Ray Robb (No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)

He’s finished 21st, 22nd or 23rd on six of nine occasions this season. Robb’s (photo, above) best finish is 14th in Detroit. He finished 25th in points in this ride last year.

25. Mick Schumacher (No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda)

Schumacher entered the season facing perhaps the steepest learning curve in the field with no prior experience at any INDYCAR SERIES venue. The Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year aims to continue translating potential into results as the season progresses.