IndyCar Wrap-Up: Arrow McLaren's 2025 Season

Our penultimate IndyCar Wrap-Up has us at Arrow McLaren, which is coming off arguably its best season since McLaren joined the fray ahead of the 2020 season. McLaren had two drivers at the top of the championship, and for the first time it felt like the team had a driver combination capable of winning races. Only one driver won, but that likely will not be the case moving forward. McLaren ended up coming closest to Álex Palou, but like the rest of the field, it has work to do to close that gap.

Patricio O'Ward

For the last few seasons, O'Ward has been at the top of IndyCar but has never firmly grasped being the best in the series. It is hard to do considering the competition, but on a few occasions, O'Ward would slip in his own right and let days get away from him. In 2025, O'Ward had his best IndyCar season. Everyone was competing for second, and O'Ward drove consistent enough to earn that spot.

What objectively was his best race?

O'Ward took two victories this season. The first was the first Iowa race where a slightly quicker pit stop allowed him to overtake Josef Newgarden through the final pit cycle after Newgarden had led the first 232 laps. The other was at Toronto where stopping early and having each caution go his way allowed O'Ward to win from tenth on the grid.

What subjectively was his best race?

It was neither of his victories. It is actually a race that got away from him. At Thermal Club, O'Ward was on for a banger of a day. He had driven to over a ten-second lead over Álex Palou, and it looked like O'Ward was set to win in convincing fashion with 64 of 65 laps led from pole position with fastest lap to boot. 

The only problem is O'Ward's team decided to end on the primary tire compound while Palou had a fresh set of alternate tires. Palou erased the ten-second deficit in seven laps before opening up a margin of victory over ten seconds to O'Ward. 

Not often does a driver lose a race and it was his subjective best, but this one came down to tire strategy, and I don't fault O'Ward nor his team for thinking a primary set of tires would be enough to hold on to a ten-second lead with 16 laps remaining. O'Ward drove a splendid race. Palou's team had an ace up its sleeve and it paid off. 

It would have been wrong to ignore O'Ward's day at Thermal Club because it was rather impressive, and it was going to be an early statement from him and the McLaren team until Palou stole the show.

What objectively was his worst race?

The championship ended at Portland when wiring issues caused O'Ward to slow on lap 21 and it ended any hope of keeping the championship alive into Milwaukee. O'Ward ended up ten laps down in 25th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Nashville was likely O'Ward's best race of the season, but with how it ended, and how it ended O'Ward's season, it is hard to draw any positives from it. O'Ward was unstoppable at Nashville. From pole position, O'Ward led 116 of the first 126 laps. It felt like no one had an answer for him. A right front tire failure was the only thing that could stop him, and it did. O'Ward lost the right front in turn two and it sent him into the barrier. A chance at victory was gone and his season ended with a 24th-place result when he was the best driver on the day.

Patricio O'Ward's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 2nd (515 points)
Wins: 2
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 10
Top Tens: 12
Laps Led: 258
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 7.588
Average Finish: 8.411

Christian Lundgaard

Lundgaard was taking a step up in 2025 moving to Arrow McLaren after three seasons at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. If the Dane could be a top ten championship driver and a race winner at RLLR, he would surely find success at McLaren. Unlike the number of drivers to join the team since 2020, Lundgaard firmly established himself as a threat. For the first part of the season, Lundgaard was the team leader.

What objectively was his best race?

Three times was Lundgaard a runner-up in the 2025 season. The first was at Barber Motorsports Park before he had consecutive runner-up finishes at Laguna Seca and Portland.

What subjectively was his best race?

Barber Motorsports Park felt like the race where Lundgaard was firmly set as a competitive driver at McLaren. Through the first four races, he was better than O'Ward. At Barber, Lundgaard drove from seventh to second with some impressive passes on his teammate as well as Will Power and Scott McLaughlin. He still finished over 16 seconds behind Palou, but Lundgaard did his darn best to be best of the rest.

What objectively was his worst race?

Three laps before O'Ward's tire failure at Nashville, Lundgaard pulled into the pit lane with a mechanical issue and retired from the race. In a blink, McLaren had two cars done for the season in 24th and 25th respectively for the finale.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Nashville was a tough way to end the season. The Grand Prix of Indianapolis is another race to earmark. Lundgaard has run well on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in his career. In 2025, he had a good starting position in seventh, but an improper blend out of the pit lane led to a penalty that shuffled him back to 16th. Considering he had three consecutive podium finishes entering that race, this was a tough way for such a positive run of form to end.

Christian Lundgaard's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 5th (431 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 6
Top Fives: 6
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 54
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 10
Average Start: 10
Average Finish: 9.588

Nolan Siegel

In his first full season with Arrow McLaren, Siegel was hoping whatever he picked up from running most of the races in 2024 would lead him to better results, especially at tracks he would be visiting for the second time. We still saw growing pains for Siegel, and those were amplified as his two teammates were regularly at the front.

What objectively was his best race?

Siegel was eighth at Road America despite making five pit stops and starting 13th on the grid.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Road America. His only other top ten finish was ninth at Barber Motorsports Park.

What objectively was his worst race?

Siegel was hit at the start of the St. Petersburg race with contact from Will Power spinning him into the barrier. Without completing a lap, Siegel was classified in 25th for the first race of the season.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Siegel was the best rookie on track at the start of the final lap of the Indianapolis 500. He was 12th on the road, and then he spun in turn two. Considering what happened to the two Andretti cars that finished in the top ten, Siegel could have finished tenth on his Indianapolis 500 debut had he just made it another two-thirds of a lap. He still was placed in 13th after the post-race penalties were applied, but he could have had this clear bright spot for his season had he been able to complete one more lap.

It should also be noted that Siegel missed the second Iowa race after having an accident in race one and not being cleared to drive the next day. Missing a race is tough regardless of how the season is going.

Nolan Siegel's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 22nd (213 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 11
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 13.705
Average Finish: 17.25

An Early Look Ahead

McLaren has a 1-2 combination it has never had in IndyCar. One driver won races while the other was frequently in the picture and will likely win in 2026. The team went 2-4 in the championship with the only drivers ahead and between from Chip Ganassi Racing. McLaren has never been closer to the IndyCar championship since it returned to the series. 

Things could go McLaren's way. Palou isn't going to win eight races a season every season. Everything comes to an end. Only one driver has won four consecutive championships in IndyCar history. Life is a number's game. The odds are against Palou. Why couldn't McLaren be the benefactor of those odds? It has positioned itself to be next in line, and it has two drivers there to slide into the top spot. 

For the slow start to the season, O'Ward did assert himself as the top McLaren driver, but Lundgaard will likely improve next season. Lundgaard has likely worked through some of the rough patches and the #7 McLaren team likely have a better understanding of how things work. If Lundgaard gets off to a hot start again like he did in 2025, I don't know if it is a certainty O'Ward will get back ahead. 

Ovals are the one thing working in O'Ward's favor. Lundgaard did better this year but he has some work to do to be a contender. He was at least getting top ten finishes, but to win a championship it would be helpful to sneak onto the podium in a few oval races. Perhaps Lundgaard can get to that level in 2026. 

The expectation should be more next season. More from O'Ward and more from Lundgaard. Both drivers should be winning races. If both drivers can win two or three times, as long as they aren't taking each other out, they could both challenge for the title. 

Then there is Siegel. Considering the short leash McLaren has given other drivers, 2026 will be make-or-break. Alexander Rossi, Felix Rosenqvist and Oliver Askew were all cast aside earlier and with far better results to their name than Siegel has achieved in his season-plus time with the organization. He might bring some money but not enough that isn't replaceable to the organization. He only turns 21 years old in November, but McLaren isn't going to subscribe to a long experiment. 

If McLaren is running three cars, it is going to want all three to be at the front. We know Team Penske can have three cars battling at the front, and Andretti Global has the pieces on paper to do the same. McLaren cannot afford to have a third car trudging along at the back, and there are plenty of capable drivers on the sidelines. 

There are plenty of positives to draw from 2025. Looking at all the pieces, McLaren has what it takes for something greater next season.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Andretti Global's 2025 Season

We are entering the final stretch of IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and we have essentially made it to the podium positions. Andretti Global started the season in flying colors. For the longest time, it was the only team that could defeat Álex Palou and had a slim shot at the championship. However, Andretti could not maintain its pace. The second half of 2025 was disappointing and though it won the second-most races of the season, it was not a glorious year.

Kyle Kirkwood

No driver was closer to Álex Palou than Kyle Kirkwood. No other driver had defeated the Catalan driver but Kirkwood until July, and even that was after a Palou error. It felt like the battle would be between Palou and Kirkwood, with all pressure being on Kirkwood to keep up. He couldn't, and he actually lost ground to other competitors. It was a career year for the Floridian, but for all the positives to draw, this one ended up being more disappointing than you would think possible.

What objectively was his best race?

Kirkwood won three times in 2025, the second-most in the IndyCar season. The first came at Long Beach when Kirkwood led most of the way, but he had a fierce Álex Palou in his mirrors, keeping Kirkwood honest through the checkered flag. Kirkwood was the best driver at Detroit, but he still needed to make some passes to get back to the front after a caution came out during the start of a pit cycle. Kirkwood was able to make the moves and take the victory. The following week saw Kirkwood drive intelligently at Gateway, and though he did not lead a large number of laps, he paced himself to take the lead during the final pit cycle and score his first career oval victory.

What subjectively was his best race?

Detroit was Kirkwood's strongest day, but winning Gateway and doing it by stopping early in a pit cycle to jump ahead of the likes of Scott Dixon and Patricio O'Ward was a significant moment for Kirkwood. The American has had some good days on ovals, but he had not pulled through for a victory. At Gateway, he ran exclusively at the front and pulled off a strategy that put him on top.

What objectively was his worst race?

Disqualification at the Indianapolis 500 for illegally modified covers to the hybrid system meant Kirkwood was dropped from sixth to 32nd.

What subjectively was his worst race?

The Iowa weekend was particularly rough for Kirkwood. The pace was never quite there and an accident brought an early end to his first race. In the second race, Kirkwood went off-strategy and it put him in the lead for a moment. The race was never going to end in victory, but it could have netted him a top ten finish when he had spent most of the race in the back-half of the field. However, the caution for Kirkwood's teammate Colton Herta's accident trapped him a lap down and he finished 18th.

Kyle Kirkwood's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 4th (433 points)
Wins: 3
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 10
Laps Led: 114
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 11.9411
Average Finish: 10.764

Colton Herta

After ending 2024 finishing second in the championship and with a victory to close out the season, it felt like 2025 was lining up to be Herta's year. That didn't happen. Sadly, Herta slipped back into the above-average rut he populated in 2022 and 2023. We would see the good, but we rarely saw great, someone who was doing something spectacular. Herta never came close to being a force in 2025, but that hasn't stopped him from getting a promotion.

What objectively was his best race?

Twice was Herta third this season. The first time was at Detroit where he won pole position but Kirkwood had the better race car. Herta was in Kirkwood's footsteps the entire race. If Santino Ferrucci had not stopped on the right side of the late caution, this would have been a 1-2 finish. Herta's other third-place result was at Laguna Seca. No one was touching Álex Palou at Laguna Seca, and Herta was in the battle for second with Christian Lundgaard.

What subjectively was his best race?

Herta's best chance at victory was Detroit. If Kyle Kirkwood was not in that race, it would have been Herta controlling the race from the front and likely winning in dominant fashion.

What objectively was his worst race?

Herta was 25th at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis after he damaged his front wing on the second lap of the race. A slow pit stop followed. Soon, Herta was off the lead lap and that is where he spent most of the race.

What subjectively was his worst race?

I know I just said Detroit was Herta's best chance at victory. Scratch that. Herta's best chance was the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg where Herta led the drivers who got off the alternate tire on lap two under the first caution of the season. It felt like everything lined up for Herta to cycle to the lead and potentially start the season with a victory. However, a botched pit stop cost him dearly and instead of winning the race, he opened the season 16th, which kind of set the tone of the season.

Colton Herta's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 7th (372 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 5
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 21
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 8
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 10.4705
Average Finish: 10.882

Marcus Ericsson

There were growing pains in 2024 with Ericsson joining the Andretti Global organization, but the hope was the Swede would take a leap forward as he did in his second season with Chip Ganassi Racing. Things started on the right note with a sixth at St. Petersburg, but Ericsson found himself stuck in the back-half of the field. Too often, he was an afterthought, well off his teammates and well off where we know his ability can take him.

What objectively was his best race?

The only top five finish of the season for Ericsson was fifth at Toronto. An early pit stop paid off for Ericsson as it kept him at the front and he was able to hold his ground.

What subjectively was his best race?

On the road, Ericsson was second in the Indianapolis 500, and he was leading before Álex Palou made his daring move to take the point. Ericsson had good pace, but at one point he was shuffled out of the top twenty on the main strategy. An audible allowed Ericsson to run a more aggressive strategy and it put him in the lead after the final pit cycle.

However, while Ericsson led, he could not put separation between himself and Palou, and Palou took advantage when the moment presented itself with 14 laps to go to take the lead. Ericsson remained close but he could not get back ahead.  

What objectively was his worst race?

As we know, Ericsson also was disqualified for the illegal hybrid cover, and instead of finishing second, Ericsson was classified in 31st in the final results for the Indianapolis 500.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is hard to pinpoint one race, but it is the case of Ericsson not taking a step forward in year two with Andretti Global. He was 15th in the championship in 2024 and ended up 20th in 2025. He had four top five finishes in 2024 and ended 2025 with one. He had two top ten finishes the entire season. It wasn't one bad race but a season that was somehow more woeful than the one prior that has you lost for words.

Marcus Ericsson's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 20th (218 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 2
Laps Led: 20
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 12.8235
Average Finish: 15.588

An Early Look Ahead

For a team that won three races and had two drivers finish in the top ten of the championship, Andretti Global is undergoing one of its biggest shakeups yet. With Colton Herta becoming a development driver for the Cadillac F1 team and about to run Formula Two as a way to acclimate to the global scene, Andretti Global hired Will Power as Herta's replacement. 

It should be an improvement in talent, and Andretti Global should be in for one of its best seasons since its most recent championship in 2012. Though talent has not been what has kept Andretti Global from coming out on top. This is an organization that goes into a slump across the board, and we saw that in the second half of 2025.

Power will bring a fire this organization has never seen with a driver. Considering Andretti's street course prowess in recent seasons, Power could come out of the box hot with two of the first three races and three of the first five being street events. Power should force everyone at Andretti to raise its game, but he will turn 45 years old on the day of the 2026 season opener. While he did win a championship four years ago, in the last three seasons, he has had a winless season and it took him 15 races to win in 2025. He has also won only three pole positions over the last 51 races. In the 51 races prior to that, Power had 11 pole positions. 

The hope will be Power still has some of that magic in him, and motivated after a semi-unpleasant departure from Team Penske, he will look to prove his previous employer wrong. 

Every year it feels like the most of the pieces are there for Andretti Global, but there are always a few missing. Last year, it was the second half of the season. Kirkwood might not have been able to keep pace with Palou, but through the first eight races he was set to at least be second in the championship, and then the speed vanished. Bringing in Will Power will not complete the puzzle for the entire organization, but bringing Ron Ruzewski as team principal should be a step to lift all three entries and have the team be more competitive over all 17 races.

Kirkwood should be fine even if he finishes behind Power in the championship. Ericsson must do something greater than we have seen in the last two years, and even that it might not be enough. With Dennis Hauger farmed out to Dale Coyne Racing for the 2026 season, the writing could be on the wall and Ericsson could be in a lame-duck season for the Andretti group no matter what, but he cannot afford to finish as far behind his teammates as he has the last two years.

Considering the talent of all three drivers and the resources poured into the program, the expectation should be for all three Andretti drivers to finish in the top ten of the championship, a number the team has not hit since 2018. The team should be competitive and make some waves, but don't expect things to remain the same going into 2027.

Musings From the Weekend: Forbidden Fruit

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

A few more championships were handed out. Rain played a role in Indianapolis' second endurance. Joe Gibbs increased his championship odds. A championship went to the wire in Spain though it felt rather secured at the start of the weekend. The championship lead changed in the World Rally Championship as that has two rounds remaining. Rinus VeeKay secured a seat. McLaren did not have a clean weekend as Formula One is back in the Americas, and it raced in Austin, though the racing isn't the only news to come from the weekend. The biggest news involved the future of how Formula One is presented in the United States.

Forbidden Fruit

In less than a decade, Formula One has found a gold mine in the United States. 

What once was niche that had its moment on the big stage has become in the know, from a successful docuseries on Netflix to frequent inclusions in television commercials to a blockbuster film, Formula One has never been bigger. With the increase in popularity comes an increase in prices. Formula One will be looking to make as much money as it can, and it earned itself with a nice payday. 

As Formula One experiences the highest viewership it has ever had in the United States, it cashed in when it announced a new broadcast agreement with Apple TV over the next five years with the annual value estimated between $120-150 million. It wasn't look ago, Formula One got about $4 million a year out of States. Formula One is at highest, but is it the apex and the start of a descent?

We always knew there would be a breaking point for Formula One. ESPN took over broadcast rights for practically $0 when Formula One and NBC could not come to terms with streaming rights as F1TV was being introduced. After a first race that saw commercial breaks whimsically thrown into a broadcast with no concern for what was happening during the race, a change was made and races were then broadcasted commercial-free. From there, it was all uphill. 

Combined with Drive to Survive, Formula One was presented in a way no other sports league was in the United States, and it caught an audience that was otherwise unaware of its existence. Soon it led to a boom no other motorsports series was seeing in this country. It is no longer odd to see a Formula One driver in an untraditional space in the United States. Companies openly celebrate their partnerships with Formula One teams. With such attention comes a price. 

Formula One makes its money through broadcast deals, and while ESPN ultimately did open its wallet after years of essentially paid nothing, there was going to be a breaking point. Commercial-free coverage is a loss. A television network doesn't make money on viewership. It makes money on turning viewership into sold advertisements. You get nothing for having two million watching a race. You get paid for the five commercial breaks an hour at three minutes a pop with 30 individual spots that fill the program that two million people are watching. When a race is commercial-free, a network isn't making money. 

ESPN could sell a presenting sponsor for a broadcast, but Mother's car polish or Mercedes-Benz isn't getting the most bang for the buck. The network is getting something back, but it is not breaking even. ESPN can accept a loss here and there, but it cannot constantly being accept a loss. With the cost increasing to north of $100 million a year, ESPN was priced out, and it left few suitors at the table. 

Enter Apple, a company that successfully partnered for the F1 movie and who makes money from something other than television production. Television is Apple's hobby. It makes the big bucks on electronic devices from iPhones to iPads to MacBooks, Apple is more interested in being in your pocket and on our desk than if you subscribe to Apple TV, but it hopes you pay for that as well. 

While there are scripted television shows and movies Apple has produced, there is another revenue source in live sports it has been venturing into. Its first big jump was with Major League Soccer as it became the exclusive global broadcaster of all matches. It has also broadcasted a pair of Major League Baseball games on Friday nights for the last four seasons. 

Neither experiment has quite proven to be a grand success.

For Major League Soccer, it has a dedicated home, which has given it more attention than previous partners, but viewership is significantly down as the league has moved away from network and cable television partners and only one game a week is simulcasted on either Fox or FS1. Teams have also lost local television deals meaning fans who live within a team's market cannot turn on a local channel and watch a game on television. The only choice is Apple, which requires a subscription and then it requires an additional sponsors for the MLS League Pass to see every MLS match. 

For Major League Baseball, there are reports Apple will end the contract early and not continue broadcasting games on Friday night.

Either way, whether it is MLS or MLB, Apple has never publicly celebrated viewership. It has never bragged about the number of viewers for a game. If the news was good, they would not hide it. That is what Formula One is viewing as it will start a five-year agreement in 2026. 

Everything will be on Apple. It does not sound like Apple will have all the races and then a handful of races will be on national television somewhere. The three races in the United States, the other three races in the Americas, the night races in the Middle East that are run at a favorable hour and the Monaco Grand Prix will all only be available on Apple TV. This isn't going to be like the old deals where Speed Channel had most of the races but for some reason CBS would get four races and they were likely all shown tape-delayed and there was no way to see them live. 

There is not going to be a way to watch Formula One on terrestrial television next year. In one way, it is a massive step back to something we haven't seen in decades, absent from a space where it once at place. However, it will still be available, it will just require more work to access it.

This move is strictly about making money. Any move to a streaming-only option is not about increasing viewership and leading to more exposure. Streaming is a component of broadcasting, not the end-all be-all. 

Formula One has proven many wrong in the United States. It has stuck and the country hosts three races. The Las Vegas strip is closed down to host a race. A decade ago, that was a fever dream. However, it is likely Formula One will suffer moving to Apple. While Drive to Survive has survived coming from a streaming platform, a docuseries is different from the actual races. The races have been included through whatever cable or streaming bundle a person already has. This will force people to either subscribe to a new platform or not subscribe at all. 

Some will do so because they want to watch Formula One and it means that much to them, but we also know when an additional price is added on, people assess whether or not it is necessary. There will be a fair number who decide not to subscribe to Apple TV. They may still follow Drive to Survive. They may watch the highlights on YouTube or social media, but if they aren't watching the race broadcasts, Formula One will lose out. If they stop watching the races, there is a better chance they stop watching altogether, and all that progress that has been made over the last eight years will disappear quickly.

While this will be the most lucrative television deal Formula One has ever had for the United States, it is a dangerous deal, and a year from now Formula One will learn the truth about its reach in the United States.

Champions From the Weekend

Toprak Razgatlioglu clinched the World Superbike championship with finishes of second and third from Jerez despite retiring from the Super Pole race. This is Razgatlioglu's third World Superbike championship.

The #48 VDS Panis Racing Oreca-Gibson of Oliver Gray, Esteban Masson and Charles Milesi clinched the European Le Mans Series LMP2 championship with a victory in the 4 Hours of Portimão.

The #82 TF Sport Corvette of Rui Andrade, Charlie Eastwood and Hiroshi Koizumi clinched the ELMS LMGT3 championship with a class victory at Portimão.

Kelvin van der Linde won the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship as van der Linde and the #46 Team WRT BMW with co-drivers Charles Weerts and Valentino Rossi won the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about a few race winners, but did you know...

Max Verstappen won the United States Grand Prix, his fifth victory of the season. Verstappen also won the sprint race. 

Raúl Fernández won MotoGP's Australian Grand Prix, his first career MotoGP victory. Marco Bezzecchi won the sprint race. Senna Agius won in Moto2, his second victory of the season. José Antonio Rueda won in Moto3, his tenth victory of the season.

Chase Briscoe won the NASCAR Cup race from Talladega, his third victory of the season. Austin Hill won the Grand National Series race, his fourth victory of the season. Gio Ruggiero won the Truck race, his first career victory.

Nicolò Bulega swept the World Superbike races from Jerez, leaving him 13 points of Razgatlioglu in the championship. Stefano Manzi and Jaume Masià split the World Supersport races.

The #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier-Toyota of Adrien Closmenil, Theodor Jensen and Paul Lanchère won in the LMP3 class at the 4 Hours of Portimão, the team's fifth victory in six races.

The #100 Stanley Team Kunimitsu Honda of Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino won the Super GT race from Autopolis. The #666 Seven x Seven Racing Porsche of Harry King, Tsubasa Kondo and Kiyoto Fujinami won in GT300.

Kalle Rovanperä won the Central European Rally, his third victory of the season.

Coming Up This Weekend

NASCAR has its penultimate round from Martinsville.

Formula One heads down to Mexico City.

MotoGP is off to Malaysia. 

Supercars' Final Series begins with a round at Surfers Paradise.

This Week in IndyCar Silly Season: VeeKay to JHR, Testing Results, Testing to Come

We didn’t go over last week in IndyCar silly season because nothing happened. There are even off weeks during the offseason, who knew? We made up for it this week as a full-time seat has been confirmed, a test was held, a test has been scheduled, and we are wondering what seats are actually available, and which ones aren’t. 

Rinus VeeKay to Juncos Hollinger Racing

On Tuesday morning, Rinus VeeKay was announced to be joining Juncos Hollinger Racing for the 2026 season. VeeKay spent the 2025 season with Dale Coyne Racing where he was 14th on the championship. His best finish was second at Toronto, his first podium finish since 2021, and VeeKay had seven top ten finishes after no Dale Coyne Racing driver finished better than 13th the season before. 

VeeKay previously drove for Juncos Hollinger Racing in the Road to Indy. Together, they won the 2018 Pro Mazda championship and they were second in the 2019 Indy Lights season. 

Earlier this offseason, it was believed VeeKay was in contention to join A.J. Foyt Racing for the 2026 season. 

IMS Road Course Test Results

Seven drivers participated in a test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Monday. 

According to Racer Magazine’s Marshall Pruett, Dennis Hauger led the test with Dale Coyne Racing with a lap at 70.768, though timing issues plagued this test. Alexander Rossi was reportedly second quickest while Mick Schumacher was third, just over two-tenths of a second behind Hauger driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. 

Caio Collet was fourth driving for A.J. Foyt Racing while Lochie Hughes was fifth in an evaluation test with Andretti Global. Christian Rasmussen had technical issues prevent him from fully participating in the test, and Rasmussen with sixth while James Roe, Jr. rounded out the test driving with Juncos Hollinger Racing. 

IMS Oval Test to Come

Next week, testing will continue at IMS, but it will shift to the oval. On Tuesday and Wednesday, four drivers will test with Patricio O’Ward and Álex Palou testing new Firestone tire compounds after part of the track was repaved on the exit of turn two. 

Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato will be testing brake and shock components at the behest of IndyCar. Sato will be testing with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. 

How Do We Feel About This Week?

When reports were coming out that VeeKay was not in consideration for A.J. Foyt Racing, he was immediately linked to JHR, and for about three weeks we have been waiting for this news to be confirmed. The belief is VeeKay will take over for Conor Daly, and Sting Ray Robb will remain as Robb signed a multi-year prior to the 2025 season. 

Moving from Coyne to JHR is very much a lateral move at best. That is the case for about half the teams in IndyCar. There is not much difference between them. VeeKay has never finished better than 12th in the championship and is coming off finishing 14th while JHR has never had a driver finish better than 16th in the championship. It doesn’t feel like a move up. 

For Daly, it is another offseason at a crossroads. It always felt ominous that Daly would get another season at JHR. Daly was good but not great, and in a series where two-third of the races are on road and street courses, you need to be respectable and even finishing in the top ten in four oval races isn’t enough to be retained. I am not sure where else he could go.

As for the test on Monday, this was the second time Collet has tested for Foyt this offseason, which suggests this is the next driver confirmation. As Alexander Rossi pointed out on the Off Track podcast, each team gets one evaluation test, meaning any additional test comes from the team’s regular allotment. No one gets a second test unless they are serious. 

With VeeKay confirmed at JHR, it seems Roe, Jr. was strictly an evaluation test and JHR taking advantage of this test day. Hughes was definitely a gift with Andretti after a respectable Indy Lights season. 

Which brings us to Schumacher. The German driver had a pleasant test at IMS, and Schumacher suggested if he were to move to IndyCar, he would be fully invested.

Speaking of invested, with Rahal Letterman Lanigan a racing funding this test and bringing in additional support from Honda, this day was a serious audition and not just playful flirtation. Schumacher spoke about how much he would like to return to single-seater racing. Besides IndyCar, the only single-seater series that comes close to replicating Formula One is Super Formula, but that has about half the race weekends and would like require Schumacher having a sports car component to his career. IndyCar could be a full-time role with any additional racing being seldom if he so desires. 

What is to Come?

We are still waiting on three seats, RLLR, DCR and Foyt. 

For Foyt, it feels like they have their guy. 

For RLLR, it feels like they know who they want. 

For DCR, your guess is as good as anyone. 

It is curious to see how these seats are filled. Devlin DeFrancesco is still there and his funding could be the deciding factor for one of these riders. Daly could be in play for Coyne, though we know Coyne was interested in reuniting with Romain Grosjean. It doesn’t feel like there are any other outsiders at play, but we still have four-and-a-half months left in the offseason. 

Coyne did set a deadline of Halloween to decide on his second driver. So far, Coyne has only tested Hauger this offseason. Any hint on which way the team is leaning has not been public, and I doubt in the next two weeks we will see Coyne tip his hand, but time is running out on that self-imposed deadline, which has no consequences if not met. 

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Meyer Shank Racing's 2025 Season

If you had been told at the start of the year that both Meyer Shank Racing drivers would finish ahead of all three Team Penske drivers, you probably would have thought something spectacular happened. Not quite, but Meyer Shank Racing did have its most impressive season in IndyCar as its new partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing lifted the two-car team up the running order. It was constantly on the periphery of something special, but it didn't quite pan out in the ultimate success.

Felix Rosenqvist

Rosenqvist had a fantastic start to his 2024 season cover for a rough end to that campaign. It still netted him a top ten championship finish. The hope was for better in 2025, and this year was pretty good. It wasn't clearly better. It had good moments. It had the moments we have become accustomed to seeing from Felix Rosenqvist. Paired with Marcus Armstrong, Rosenqvist helped MSR have its best season in IndyCar.

What objectively was his best race?

Road America just got away from Rosenqvist. He had the fuel and the tires in the final stint as Álex Palou had to conserve fuel. Rosenqvist went on the chase but he fell just short and finished second in what was a stellar run and a victory if against probably 25 other drivers on the grid.

What subjectively was his best race?

Road America should be acknowledged, but Rosenqvist started fifth and finished fourth after Marcus Ericsson was disqualified in the Indianapolis 500. Rosenqvist spent the entire race in the top ten, but didn't do much to stand out. However, he was there. The car held its ground even if it didn't turn into a contender.

What objectively was his worst race?

Rosenqvist was blitzed from behind on the opening lap at Laguna Seca. Kyffin Simpson got the braking wrong into turn six, and Rosenqvist was the innocent bystander, and his 12th-place starting position was ruined on a day everyone expected the Swede to go forward. 

What subjectively was his worst race?

It isn't one race but the constant problem we know from Rosenqvist. He can qualify well but the finish doesn't match. He had six races where he started in the top five. Only two of those races ended in a top five finish. Of those six races, the only one where he finished better than his starting position was the Indianapolis 500, and that only happened because a car that finished ahead of him was disqualified. His average finish in races where he started in the top five was eighth, not bad, but it must be better than that. There are too many missed opportunities each season for Rosenqvist. 

Felix Rosenqvist's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 6th (372 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 10
Laps Led: 8
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 9.705
Average Finish: 11.352

Marcus Armstrong

After two seasons within the Chip Ganassi Racing organization, Armstrong was loaned out to Meyer Shank Racing as the two teams started an technical alliance for the 2025 season. Armstrong thrived in his new setting. Meyer Shank Racing continued its improvement from the 2024 season, and Armstrong was one of the most consistent drivers over the course of the season.

What objectively was his best race?

Thanks to timing, Armstrong ended up finishing third in the second Iowa race. He had not made his final pit stop prior to the Colton Herta caution. Thanks to that break, Armstrong found himself in a podium position, and despite the final run to the checkered flag, no one knocked the New Zealander off the rostrum.

What subjectively was his best race?

Some good strategy allowed Armstrong to finish fifth at Road America, but he had a good car in traffic, and he was pushing for fourth over Kyle Kirkwood. It was especially impressive because Armstrong started 15th.

What objectively was his worst race?

He was in the running for a top five finish at St. Petersburg before left-rear suspension problems ended his race shortly after the first pit stop. Instead of starting the season on a high note, Armstrong ended the first race classified in 24th, ahead of only three drivers who were taken out in the opening lap accident.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is harsh to say it is 18th in the Indianapolis 500 because I don't think Armstrong drove poorly, but it is his worst race because of the practice accident just prior to qualifying. He looked poised to be a driver to qualify in the top 12. Instead, he had to be in the last row shootout. He qualified 32nd and then moved up to 30th after two Team Penske cars were moved to the rear of the grid. Armstrong never had the comfort with the backup car. This is more of a case of a missed opportunity than a bad race.

Marcus Armstrong's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 8th (364 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1

Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 11
Laps Led: 28
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 9
Average Start: 11
Average Finish: 10.882

An Early Look Ahead

There is a great chance Meyer Shank Racing will take a step back in 2026. Both of its cars were ahead of all three Team Penske drivers, both Ed Carpenter Racing entries, both A.J. Foyt Racing entries, all three Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entries and then there was the third Ganassi entry and the third Andretti entry. 

Unless MSR wins multiple races with both its drivers, it will likely see at least two if not three of those cars listed above finish ahead of both its cars. That means it will drop Rosenqvist down to at least eighth and Armstrong down to at least tenth, and that would still be a great season for the team. Double top ten championship finishers is outstanding for this group. The concern is it feels like this is MSR's ceiling. 

We know we are seeing Rosenqvist's limit. The Swede has just completed his seventh season in IndyCar. He has won one race. He has tremendous qualifying pace. It seldom transfers to race pace. His average finish was over 2.5 spots worse than his average starting position. There is no confidence that Rosenqvist can take qualifying pace and turn it into a drive forward. It usually goes in the opposite direction. It is fine because finishing between sixth and tenth in the championship in about half the races will get you a top ten championships, but it is frustrating to be that close and never breakthrough. 

Armstrong lived in the back-half of the championship top ten. It was the kind of season he needed, but it doesn't feel like he is that much of a threat. I don't think we went into a race day last year thinking Armstrong was capable of turning a sixth on the grid into a podium or victory or take an eighth and turn it into a run for the podium. That is the next step for MSR.

The problem is with the technical partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing, MSR is kind of expected to be no better than the third-best CGR car. That is a good place to be, and it could be good enough to win a race or two, but it isn't likely we will see Rosenqvist or Armstrong be a surprise championship contender. The team kind of lives in IndyCar limbo, good enough that it can be ahead of most but never good enough that it can be the best. 

Meyer Shank Racing has a good combination with Rosenqvist and Armstrong, but it feels like we just saw the best we can expect from it. That makes 2026 a near impossible season when it comes to satisfaction. 

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Team Penske's 2025 Season

This is our sixth of 11 IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and since we have started these reviews in reverse order of the championship results, I don't believe we have ever done Team Penske this early. In what was Team Penske's worst season since 1999, none of Penske's three drivers finished better than ninth in the championship. The drivers only won a combined two races. For months, the team seemed unable to avoid trouble, and another technical scandal marred this season, this time revolving around the Indianapolis 500. Key personnel were fired, and at the end of the season, a driver change was also decided.

Will Power

In his 17th season with Penske, Power scrapped to lift the team up the grid. The season started behind the eight-ball, and Power was not immune from the struggles that befell the entire organization. All three Penske entries had to make adjustments, especially after the midseason dismissals of significant personnel. Power lost Ron Ruzewski his race strategist. Power pulled out some top results, but it could only make up for so many of the issues. At the end of his contract, Power had enough and decided to make a change.

What objectively was his best race?

Power got Team Penske on the scoreboard. It might have taken 15 races, but Team Penske's first victory came at Portland, and it came after a rather dominant day. Power led 78 of 110 laps. He took the lead after deciding not to stop under an early caution for Conor Daly's accident. Power was able to open a gap to the rest of the competition. He was able to control the race through track position, and though he faced a late challenge from Christian Lundgaard, Power never stumbled.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Portland. Power was clearly the best driver in this race, and it felt like a race that was never in doubt even as Lundgaard was increasing the pressure. Power was not going to crack. It would require Lundgaard taking it from Power, and that just wasn't going to happen. 

What objectively was his worst race?

At Gateway, Power lost his right front tire while running in second place. After starting on pole position, Power was the first driver out of the race after 47 laps, and it was the story of the night for a Team Penske trio that looked ready to change the tone on the banks of the Mississipp River.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Power might have already decided he was leaving Team Penske, but he ended his time with the team finishing 21st at Nashville when he could have left making a positive statement. Power was a contender to win the finale, but he overshot his pit stall on his penultimate pit stop and then he stalled after the stop was done. This cost Power a lap and he never recovered.

Will Power's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 9th (357 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 6
Top Tens: 8
Laps Led: 87
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 4
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 10.058
Average Finish: 13.235

Scott McLaughlin

Things started out well for McLaughlin, and for the first quarter of the season, he was the best Team Penske driver. However, over the next two quarters, McLaughlin had his worst stretch in IndyCar. Some of it was self-inflicted mistakes. Other poor results were down to things out of his control. McLaughlin rallied late to salvage a respectable championship finish, but this was his toughest season yet in IndyCar.

What objectively was his best race?

On three occasions did McLaughlin finish third. The first time was at Barber Motorsports Park, but he was a distant third behind Álex Palou and Christian Lundgaard. McLaughlin would not finish third against until the penultimate race of the season at Milwaukee. He spent most of the race toward the front, and he held on for third on older tires. At Nashville, McLaughlin closed the season in a battle late with teammate Josef Newgarden. McLaughlin was leading, but he was shuffled back in the final 20 laps and ended up finishing third.

What subjectively was his best race?

Is it a bad thing when the best race of your season was the first race of the season? 

McLaughlin started on pole position at St. Petersburg, and he dominated the early stages. At the end of his first stint, McLaughlin was over ten seconds clear of the field, but what cost him was his tire strategy. Starting on the primary tire, McLaughlin was caught in a pickle as he would have to use the less competitive alternate tire compound mid-race. Meanwhile, the opening lap accident allowed all the cars starting on the alternate tire to change off those tires after two laps under caution. 

McLaughlin struggled over his alternate tire stint and the time lost dropped him from a dominant position in the lead to fourth at the checkered flag. McLaughlin didn't do anything wrong. Without that opening lap caution or a different choice to start the race, he probably would have been able to close out the opening race on the top step of the podium. 

I guess a case could be made for Nashville. He was leading in the closing stages, though he mostly took advantage of Patricio O'Ward having an accident while in the lead. Nashville was probably the closest McLaughlin was to victory, but St. Petersburg was his most dominant race.

What objectively was his worst race?

Scott McLaughlin spun on the pace lap of the Indianapolis 500 and he was out before the race even got started. It was a slight error on a track that may have been a little too moist after a brief shower delayed the start of the race. McLaughlin was warming his tires and then he was sliding to the inside barrier of the main straightaway. He was starting tenth, and his race was over before ever running a lap in anger. 

This blow was softened as three cars were disqualified post-race, meaning McLaughlin does not have the weight of last-place around his neck, but 30th place in the box score doesn't make it any better.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It isn't one race, but the two months that started at the Indianapolis 500 and went through Toronto. 

Here is McLaughlin's run of form:

30th at Indianapolis.

12th at Detroit after receiving a penalty for avoidable contact when he hit Nolan Siegel.

24th at Gateway after a mechanical issue took him out while running in the top ten and he had led the second-most laps that night. And McLaughlin was the best Penske finisher!

12th at Road America as he had to save fuel aggressively in the final stint and it cost him a top ten finish, but he was still the best Penske finisher.

23rd at Mid-Ohio after having to make five pit stops due to tire issues late in the race.

Fourth in the first Iowa race after starting 27th due to an accident in qualifying.

26th in the second Iowa race after having nowhere to go when Devlin DeFrancesco spun on the opening lap, and McLaughlin was again starting dead last due to that qualifying accident.

26th at Toronto after smacking the barrier exit turn two on after he had an unsecured tire after making his first pit stop two laps into the race to remove the less ideal alternate tire.

I don't know how you pick up one result when for two months it was an endless stretch of driver errors, team errors and unfortunate breaks that the team could not escape. 

Scott McLaughlin's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 10th (356 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 6
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 112
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 5
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 10.9411
Average Finish: 13.17647

Josef Newgarden

Coming into 2025, Newgarden was looking to reverse a slide that started at the end of the 2023 season and carried through 2024. Unfortunately, it got worse for the American driver. Newgarden could not avoid something going wrong in 2025, and it was a mixture of things in his control and out of his control. Every time you thought Newgarden was going to be clear of hardship, something else would trip him up. He at least ended the season on a high note.

What objectively was his best race?

Newgarden won the season finale at Nashville, his first victory of the season, and it ended a 20-race winless streak dating back to Gateway in 2023. Newgarden had to pull off a daring overtake on teammate Scott McLaughlin while also holding off a late charge from Álex Palou to get the victory.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Nashville. It was one of the very few races where nothing went wrong for Newgarden, but everyone was on eggshells until the checkered flag. We had seen plenty of races this season where Newgarden appeared to be in control and have a fast car only for something to knock him out of a competitive position. It was good to see him end the season with a clean run to the finish.

What objectively was his worst race?

On two occasions did Newgarden finish 27th. At Long Beach, Newgarden had his seat belts come loose while running in the top ten and it took multiple laps to fix the problem. At Mid-Ohio, Newgarden spun on his own at the start and he hit Graham Rahal in the process. Newgarden's race was over after one lap.

What subjectively was his worst race?

At Gateway, Newgarden had just taken the lead and it appeared he was about to take control of the race when Louis Foster spun exiting turn four and Foster spun into the path of Newgarden's car. Newgarden hit Foster and launched over the #45 Honda. Newgarden got out of the car with no issues, but a promising night was over and he was classified in 25th. 

We could list a number of other results like we did with McLaughlin. I think we need to mention the Indianapolis 500, where Newgarden started 33rd after a penalty for the illegal attenuator modifications only for him to drive into the top ten and then have a mechanical issue take him out when could have factored into who won the race. 

We also need to mention Iowa. In race one, Newgarden was second, but he had led the first 232 of 275 laps before Patricio O'Ward jumped Newgarden in the final pit cycle as the #2 Penske crew did not have the cleanest stop.

In the second Iowa race, Newgarden appeared to have the car to beat, but on two separate occasions the caution came out immediately after Newgarden made a pit stop, trapping him off the lead lap. The wave around gave him his lap back, and after the first time he was able to drive from tenth to first. The second caution came so late in the race that Newgarden could only manage to finish tenth, though that was after he had restarted in eighth.

Josef Newgarden's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 12th (316 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 3
Top Fives: 3
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 393
Poles: 1
Fast Sixes: 2
Fast Twelves: 7
Average Start: 11.823
Average Finish: 14.8235

An Early Look Ahead

We are still going to be learning what Team Penske is in 2026. The leadership changes played a role in how 2025 panned out. There is no doubt missing Tim Cindric, Ron Ruzewski and Kyle Moyer played into this team not winning until the 15th race. It was rudderless for months, and the team lacked its spark, notably on road and street courses. Some places have been filled with Jonathan Diuguid taking over as president of the team and Travis Law becoming competition director, but they have big shoes to fill to turn around this team. 

The team's best driver in the championship was ninth. The team won two races. It could just be an off-year, the worst Team Penske has had in the 21st century, but the pressure will be on for this not to be the start of a trend. Team Penske will look to turn it around with a new driver, who is technically on his fifth team in four years in David Malukas, a past champion who has been a shell of his former self for the last two years, and a driver who has only been full-time in single-seaters for five years. 

It is Team Penske. It should be fine. If it wins eight races next year and the championship, it will be business as usual and 2025 will be cast aside as an aberration, but with the might of Chip Ganassi Racing, Arrow McLaren coming off its best year with driver combo in Patricio O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard, and Andretti Global bringing in a motivated Will Power, I don't think it will be easy sledding for Team Penske next year. 

Cindric ran the team for two decades and made it what it was. Each of its three entries had some of the top minds in IndyCar on the timing stand and were pivotal to the success on track. That cannot just be replaced and reap the same results. We saw last year how much the team took a step back. It found its form on a few occasions, and it probably should have won another race or two only for misfortune to catch the team out, but I don't think we are going to see Team Penske be the Team Penske of old with a half-dozen front row lockouts in qualifying and ten races with multiple podium finishers. 

The team will be competitive, but it isn't going to be as easy as we were accustomed to seeing for Team Penske.

It heads into 2026 with an odd mesh of drivers. Newgarden ended 2025 with a much-needed victory, but that does not make up for a driver who regularly makes mistakes after being remarkably consistent over his first seven years at the team. McLaughlin might be the most confident of the three drivers, but he is still the most inexperienced when it comes to single-seater racing. He is a champion, but it still feels odd that he could be the driver most suited to be the leader. Then you have Malukas, who has remarkably gone from outcast at McLaren without ever competing in a race to Team Penske driver in two years. It is also a driver with a career average finish of 14.852 and who has never finished in the top five on a road or street course. 

All eyes will be on Team Penske for 2026. I don't think anyone is certain about what will happen next.

Musings From the Weekend: An Annual Proposal

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

Denny Hamlin picked up his 60th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, moving Hamlin into a tie for tenth all-time with Kevin Harvick, in Las Vegas, and Hamlin will have a chance at a championship in three weeks in Phoenix. A handful of championship were awarded around the globe. Marc Márquez will miss the Australia and Malaysia rounds after suffering a fractured shoulder in Indonesia. There will be some testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway today. Formula One is about to race in Austin. We return to a yearly topic.

An Annual Proposal

It is no secret that I am a proponent of IndyCar competing during Formula One race weekends in North America as a support series. 

One, it will likely put IndyCar in front of its biggest crowds of the season outside of the Indianapolis 500.

Two, it will expose IndyCar to an audience that is not watching and it is a chance to introduce itself and connect with these people.

Three, have you seen the weekend schedules for Formula One weekends in North America? The support series bill is woefully lacking. There is plenty of room on track.

Four, what else is IndyCar doing this time of year?

But I am more adamant now than ever, and I think IndyCar is missing a chance to stretch its reach. 

We know IndyCar is not going to form events that will run during this time of the year. It is committed to ending before football season begins, and rightfully so. All the oxygen is sucked out of the room when the NFL season starts. It doesn't matter how good the race will be or the story surrounding it. People are going to tune into football, they are not going to go to the track in the same droves, and you will be left with a fraction of the average audience. 

The difference with running on a Formula One weekend is you are running in front of a crowd. Austin draws close to 100,000 people for Saturday of the grand prix weekend. Not many place are drawing 100,000 people to an IndyCar race. We can confidently say only one does. Running on Saturday alone would be a boom for IndyCar, but to be a part of the entire weekend adds to the festivities and it makes IndyCar a part of something bigger than itself. 

A lot of people do not like the idea of IndyCar playing second fiddle to Formula One, but at this current moment IndyCar is about six weeks into a six-month offseason. Playing second fiddle is better than not playing at all. Supercars in Australia race during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, and no one dismisses that series as inferior for doing so. Supercars knows when it should take advantage of a situation. If there is going to be a race weekend that draws over 400,000 spectators over three days, you should probably show up for the publicity alone. 

It has been covered a million times how IndyCar does itself no favors with its offseason length, but we also know the likelihood of putting on its own successful event in late-September and October is low. There are also many partners that do not want the races to go beyond Labor Day weekend. This is a chance for IndyCar to live in the middle. It is joining already successful events while not having to lift a finger in terms of promotion, and it would keep IndyCar active into autumn.

This should also be more than just the United States Grand Prix weekend. There will be three Formula One race weekends on the North American continent over the next six weeks. Two are in the United States. IndyCar should be at all of them. 

It isn't just Austin that is drawing a crowd. Mexico City is arguably a bigger event, and seeing how IndyCar has been failing for a decade to host a race in the country, it should just take the easy way out and join the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. Also, why would IndyCar not want to be racing on the streets of Las Vegas? Competing that weekend is something to sell to the sponsors and partners of the series. It definitely increases the series value being there even if it isn't the main event. 

Las Vegas is also the one race where IndyCar could have the better start time! The Formula One race is still starting at 11:00 p.m. Eastern time and that is with the start moving up! IndyCar could race at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on a Saturday night. That would be a big get for the series.

As for how this would fit in with the championship, these three support roles should be independent. Run the championship and have it end with its own with IndyCar as the marquee race, but these three events should be strictly about promotion and spreading the word of IndyCar. It should be about competing in front of people who might not know the series exists or do not have familiarity with it. It is more than what happens on track. 

These should be three weekends where IndyCar is going to the facilities and engaging with the fans that are there. It should be noisy and welcoming to the spectators. It is a chance to become reachable during a race weekend when many people are watching from the outside and cannot be close to the Formula One teams and drivers. IndyCar should go out of its way to engage with general admission attendees. It should have the drivers present and engaging in the fan areas. It should be fun and interpersonal while also selling that these same drivers will be on track competing in 90 minutes and they should stick around and watch. 

The only support series with Formula One this weekend at Austin is the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. Mexico has a little more with GTM Super Copa, TCR Mexico and NACAM Formula 4. It looks like F1 Academy will be the only support series in Las Vegas. Most Formula One weekends in Europe have two, if not three support series. There is nothing on track Friday in Austin until the first Formula One practice at 12:30 p.m. There is room on the bill, and IndyCar should work to get on it. 

The best part of being a support series and running three exhibition events is IndyCar can be open to a different format. It doesn't have to do what it always does. It can try things and play around with regulations. It can run a reverse grid race on Saturday and then a regular grid on Sunday. It can mandate pit stops. It can have the teams start on a half a tank of fuel for the main race and force everyone to run hard with no incentive on saving fuel. It can tinker with the push-to-pass regulations. It can be a little more relaxed and a sliver of the audience would notice the difference from a normal event. 

IndyCar has nothing to lose from trying this. It means playing ball with Liberty Media, making some concessions, and yes being second fiddle, but IndyCar has more to gain doing that than sitting around and doing nothing until March 1, 2026. This would at least keep IndyCar competing into November. The teams would get a six-week break and then get three more race weekends. I know cars are testing today at the IMS road course, but nine people act like that is enough offseason content to keep the series in the spotlight.

It isn't! No one cares! No one knows it is happening! It doesn't matter that Mick Schumacher is running a car!

But you know what people would notice? What if Mick Schumacher was contracted to run these three support weekends with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing? What if another team got Sebastian Vettel to come out and run the three weekends? What if Sergio Pérez competed in the Mexico City weekend? That would draw significant attention to IndyCar, more than any of these weekday tests will over the next few weeks. 

Many of the reasons why IndyCar remains the same size is because of its lack of imagination and effort to do something big and different and just put itself out there. Sitting idle as a series that can barely get a million people to watch the races on television while there will be a trio of race weekends that draw about a million combined spectators is bafflingly braindead. It might not be IndyCar's weekend, but it is a chance to be present and in front of people. Sometimes it is better to be the guest at the party than the host. 

I am going to keep throwing it out there until it happens. IndyCar only gains by being there. Let's see what sitting at home during October gets the series. It isn't going to grow sleeping on this opportunity. 

Champions From the Weekend

The #6 Porsche of Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet clinched the IMSA GTP championship with a third-place finish at Petit Le Mans.

The #99 AO Racing Oreca-Gibson of Dane Cameron and P.J. Hyett clinched the IMSA LMP2 championship with a sixth-place finish at Petit Le Mans.

The #3 Corvette of Antonio García and Alexander Sims clinched the IMSA GTD Pro championship with a third-place finish at Petit Le Mans.

The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG of Philip Ellis and Russell Ward clinched the IMSA GTD championship with a fifth-place finish at Petit Le Mans.

The #48 Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter Mercedes-AMG of Lucas Auer and Maro Engel clinched the GT World Challenge Europe championship with a 13th-place finish at Barcelona.

The #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Sven Müller, Patric Niederhauser and Alessio Picariello clinched the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup championship with a seventh-place finish at Barcelona.

Stefano Manzi clinched the World Supersports championship with finishes of second and first in Estoril. Valentin Debise won the first race.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Denny Hamlin and company, but did you know...

 

Matthew Payne and Garth Tander won the 68th Bathurst 1000 after the #31 PremiAir Racing Chevolet of James Golding and David Russell had a five-second penalty for a driving infringement. It was Payne's first Bathurst 1000 victory, and it was Tander's sixth Bathurst 1000 victory.

The #31 Whelen Racing Cadillac of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti won the 28th Petit Le Mans. The #11 TDS Racing Oreca-Gibson of Mikkel Jesen, Hunter McElrea and Steven Thomas won in LMP2. The #48 Paul miller racing BMW of Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Connor De Phillippi won in GTD Pro. The #21 AF Corse Ferrari of Simon Mann, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Lilou Madoux won in GTD.

Aric Almirola won the NASCAR Grand National Series race, his third victory of the season.

Sacha Fenestraz won a rain-shortened Super Formula race from Fuji. The second race was cancelled due to weather.

The #58 Garage 59 McLaren of Dean MacDonald, Louis Prette and Adam Smalley won the 3 Hours of Barcelona.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (race one and SuperPole race) and Nicolò Bulega (race two) split the World Superbike races from Estoril.

Coming Up This Weekend

United States Grand Prix. 

NASCAR is at Talladega.

MotoGP visits its best circuit at Phillip Island.

The Intercontinental GT Challenge ends its season with the Indianapolis 8 Hours.

Portimão closes out the European Le Mans Series season. 

The World Superbike season concludes in Jerez.

Super GT will be at Autopolis.

The World Rally Championship has the Central European Rally.

IndyCar Wrap-Up: A.J. Foyt Racing's 2025 Season

We hit the halfway point of the IndyCar Wrap-Ups, and A.J. Foyt Racing had another good season. This year saw both of its cars running competitively and a change in the driver line-up was a positive. David Malukas was up to the task against Santino Ferrucci, who was coming off a revelation of a 2024 season. The team had good spells, though it was not quite as consistent as the year before. It might have been a dip, but it is still a big leap from where the team had been for the better part of the previous decade.

David Malukas

Salvaging a 2024 season by stepping into a Meyer Shank Racing for ten races, Malukas was signed early to join A.J. Foyt Racing in an anticipated program as it was believed the Team Penske-affiliated team was bringing in an unofficial Team Penske development driver. Like his past seasons, there were a few impressive days from Malukas. There were also a number of less stellar results.

What objectively was his best race?

Malukas was technically third on the road, but he will be classified as second in the Indianapolis 500 after Marcus Ericsson was disqualified from the final results. It was Malukas' best finish in the Indianapolis 500.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is hard to go against Indianapolis because Malukas spent most of that race lurking behind the lead pack. In his penultimate stint, he stretched fuel to keep himself in the picture for a shot at victory late. He never really made a move to get ahead either Ericsson or Álex Palou, but he did not falter in the biggest race of the season.

Gateway must be mentioned as well because Malukas led the most lap in the race, however slow pit stops hurt his track position, and Malukas had a moment where he went up the track making an aggressive attempt to pass Kyle Kirkwood that cost him more spots. He ended up finishing 12th.

What objectively was his worst race?

While running second, Malukas made contact with the lapped car of Louis Foster entering turn one at Nashville. Malukas spun into the barrier and the race was over, ending a promising chance at victory. He was placed 26th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It is Nashville. The incident was avoidable. Foster was not blameless as he had made a move up the track as Malukas was approaching, but Foster was also all the way on the bottom line when Malukas made contact. Foster had nowhere to go and Malukas was perhaps a tad too aggressive and could have held off until the backstretch to make the move. 

David Malukas' 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 11th (318 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 5
Laps Led: 97
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 9.411
Average Finish: 13.529

Santino Ferrucci

Back for his third season with A.J. Foyt Racing, Ferrucci was looking to defend a top ten championship finish from the 2024 season. He also had a teammate he would be extra interested in beating with the Penske ties. Ferrucci had some good days, but he didn't quite match his 2024 output. His best days this year came more down to timing than sheer speed.

What objectively was his best race?

Ferrucci caught a caution at Detroit having made his final pit stop just before a caution. This lifted him up to the lead and Ferrucci was at the front for most of the final stint, but he could not hold off Kyle Kirkwood. Ferrucci was able to come back and finish second despite fighting drivers with better tires.

It should be noted Ferrucci received a 26-point penalty as his car had an incorrect driver equivalency weight for the Detroit round. His best finish with a completely legal car was third at Road America after Ferrucci stretched his fuel to hold on ahead of Kyle Kirkwood.

What subjectively was his best race?

Nashville saw Ferrucci finish eighth after he made his own blunder on a pit stop. Ferrucci had an illegal pit entry under caution and it knocked him out of the top ten. Ferrucci made up ground quickly and got himself back into the top ten. A block from Robert Shwartzman likely cost Ferrucci another spot or two.

Gateway should get recognized as a really good race for Ferrucci on speed. He was in the top ten and led late running as long as he could before his final pit stop. Even after that stop, he still cycled out to a top five spot and finished fifth, which was likely a few spots better than how he had been running prior to that final stint.

What objectively was his worst race?

Ferrucci spun on the exit of the final corner on lap three at Portland and he hit the inside barrier. This ended his race and placed Ferrucci in last, 27th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

An accident on a damp but drying surface at Toronto meant Ferrucci could not start the race. The team could not get the car repaired in time for the race. It ended what had been a good run of form. Prior to Toronto, he had five top ten finishes in the previous seven races. After Toronto, he had one top ten finish and an average result of 18th over the final four races.

Santino Ferrucci's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 16th (293 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 16 
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 12.8235
Average Finish: 15.588

An Early Look Ahead

This is a crossroads for A.J. Foyt Racing. 

We don't know if the Team Penske technical relationship is continuing for another season. Team Penske seems to have gotten all it wanted out of this relationship. It was able to put a young driver in one of the Foyt cars and confirm his ability was good enough to offer a Team Penske seat. 

For two consecutive seasons, Foyt was a championship top ten contender. Malukas did end up 11th in the championship. Ferrucci took a dip. However, if you give those 26 points back from the Detroit penalty, Ferrucci would have been 11th and a point better than Malukas. In essence, the lineup was pretty even and did not suffer a massive backward slide from 2024.

There are some concerns. Ferrucci didn't really progress this year. He had fewer top ten finishes. His two podium finishes were definitely fortunate results where cautions fell in his favor and he didn't get fully reprimanded for having an illegal car at Detroit. His qualifying form was bad in 2025. Only once did he make it out of the first round of qualifying on a road or street course. At some point, you aren't going to be able to gain seven to nine spots a race.

Malukas will be gone, and the next driver will not be a Team Penske plant. A.J. Foyt Racing doesn't have a great track record hiring drivers. It isn't clear if it will go for experience or for youth. Neither have been the proven decision for Foyt. Both have struggled.

If the Penske support is gone, it is natural to expect a step back, at least for one of the cars. There will be a lot of holes that will need to be filled, and we know where Foyt was prior to the support. It might not necessarily sink entirely to the bottom in 2026, but it is difficult to imagine it can maintain its positioning without it. 

IndyCar Wrap-Up: Ed Carpenter Racing's 2025 Season

Our fifth IndyCar Wrap-Up brings us to the first race winning team of the 2025 IndyCar season, and it was probably a little bit of a surprise. The driver who won the race was probably not the driver you expected would win for this team, but Ed Carpenter Racing returned to victory lane for the first time in over four years. It was still a tough season for ECR. It was not a regular contender for victories, and it was in the same place we are accustomed to seeing ECR run. It just had one outstanding day.

Christian Rasmussen

For his second year in IndyCar, Rasmussen was given full-time responsibilities from day one at ECR. All the road courses, all the street course and all the ovals. There was plenty of room for growth, and Rasmussen made some strides in a team where he was paired with a past race winner for a teammate. The difference in experience did not hold Rasmussen back, and over the second half of the season, he was the better of the two Ed Carpenter Racing drivers, and Rasmussen ended the season with a stunner.

What objectively was his best race?

How about his first career victory? At Milwaukee, Rasmussen overcame a pit lane speeding penalty and took new tires under a late caution while a handful of cars did not. In the late sprint, Rasmussen used new tires to get to the front and it led to a one-on-one battle with Álex Palou, who was approaching 200 laps led. Rasmussen had the advantage and he took the lead with 16 laps remaining. 

Palou did his best to remain close, but Rasmussen had the tire advantage and was about to win by just under two seconds. 

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Milwaukee, but it is also for how aggressive Rasmussen ran the final stint. Rasmussen was on the ragged limit even after taking the lead. Despite not being under much pressure, Rasmussen never let off. Palou couldn't keep up. No one else on newer tires had close in and pose a challenge. Yet, Rasmussen remained on the limit and he was sawing on the wheel. There were a few moments where it felt like he was almost going too far, but Rasmussen took the victory.

There should be an honorable mention for Gateway because Rasmussen overcame being thrown off strategy after a bad pit stop where the car was not filled with fuel and then needing emergency service for fuel under the Louis Foster/Josef Newgarden caution. Rasmussen was able to make passes front he back and he was able to get up to third.

The Indianapolis 500 should be recognized because he ended up sixth after the post-race penalties, but he went off-strategy and it put the car in the top ten. He held his own for the entire race and moved forward from his starting position.

What objectively was his worst race?

A week after winning his first career race, Rasmussen didn't even complete a lap in the next race at Nashville. Rasmussen was starting at the back after a grid penalty for an engine change. Rasmussen spun in turn two and hit the wall, ending his season 250 laps early.

What subjectively was his worst race?

Rasmussen may have finished 12th at Portland, but his antics with Conor Daly did Rasmussen no favors. He ran Daly off the road in turn seven. That didn't get a penalty. Then the two came together in turn ten, and Daly spun off course. I don't think Rasmussen was 100% at fault and believe it was more of a racing incident, but Rasmussen did not help his already aggressive reputation.

Christian Rasmussen's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 13th (313 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 2
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 6
Laps Led: 46
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 2
Average Start: 17.9411
Average Finish: 14.294

Alexander Rossi

Joining his third team in four seasons, Rossi was hoping to find some form with Ed Carpenter Racing, a team that had not been a regular at the top level of competition. The season started respectively for Rossi, but after the first five races, Rossi experienced the worst slump of his IndyCar career. Results were not going his way, and Rossi ended up having his worst season in IndyCar.

What objectively was his best race?

The weekend where his teammate took victory, Rossi was fourth at Milwaukee. Rossi was actually the best placed driver on new tires after that final round of pit stops, but Rasmussen had the better restart and did a better job getting through traffic. Milwaukee was a great day prior to that final stint. Rossi spent practically the entire race in the top ten and much of it pushing for a top five result.

What subjectively was his best race?

It is Milwaukee, but Portland also deserves a mention. Portland was the first race of the season where Rossi felt like an actual contender for the podium. He started sixth and spent pretty much the entire race in the top five and on the edge of a podium spot. Prior to that, I am not sure he had really contended for a top five finish in any races. There was actually one race that looked promising. 

What objectively was his worst race?

That promising race was the Indianapolis 500, and Rossi was running in the top five, but gearbox issues brought his race to an end with a pit lane fire only adding insult to injury. Rossi's race was done, and he was classified in 28th.

What subjectively was his worst race?

It isn't one race, but it is Rossi's entire slump a seven-race rut that really started in Gateway and went through Laguna Seca. Seven races. No top ten finishes. Two retirements. Add to that the Indianapolis 500 gearbox problem two races before that, Rossi could not catch a break for two months, and it wasn't just the race results. He couldn't qualify either. He didn't start in the top ten for nine consecutive races. Considering how his season started, it was tough to see Rossi constantly struggling to be in the top half of the field. 

Alexander Rossi's 2025 Statistics

Championship Position: 15th (297 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 2
Top Tens: 7
Laps Led: 33
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 5
Average Start: 14.352
Average Finish: 13.764

An Early Look Ahead

Ed Carpenter Racing ended 2025 with momentum. Rasmussen won a race. Rossi ended with two of his best finishes and three consecutive top ten finishes. The problem is how much will it carry over to 2026.

The 2025 season started well. Rossi had three top ten finishes in the first four races. The team then hit a rut. Rasmussen had a few good results, but Rasmussen has been inconsistent and erratic at times over his two seasons. He has shown good speed on ovals, but ovals are only a third of the schedule. He has never finished better than ninth on a road or street course in two seasons.

Everyone is sticking together for another season. Rossi should improve, but he didn't make a big leap from year one to year two at McLaren. That was already a team competing at the front with a load of resources. ECR is looking to move up a tier. 

There should be some positivity that the oval form could position the team to be more competitive for the championship top ten. Rasmussen did have five top ten finishes in six oval races. Rossi was on the wrong side of mechanical issues at Indianapolis and Iowa. It cost him promising results at both. Those were two races where Rossi could have at least finished in the top ten. He likely would have gotten more at Indianapolis. If he goes the distance in both of those, he is probably ahead of Rasmussen in the championship and maybe even 11th. That surely changes how we view his season. 

It is hard to get excited about Ed Carpenter Racing. It feels like we have been here before where it has these flashes but it never materializes over a full season to be something serious, and it is never more than one good year. We are going to be approaching a decade since ECR last had a driver in the top ten of the championship, and that was Josef Newgarden. Since Newgarden left, ECR's best driver has finished 15th, 14th, 14th, 14th, 12th, 12th, 14th, 13th and 13th in the championship. The team has gone through a fair share of drivers at different points in their careers and they are all end in the same area. 

We know the limit of ECR, and we haven't really been given a reason to believe next time will be any different.

Musings From the Weekend: Spending Roger Penske's Money

Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...

McLaren clinched the World Constructors' championship with a 3-4 finish in Singapore, but only one half of the lineup felt like celebrating. The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters had a season finale for the ages. The inevitable happened in Charlotte. NASCAR is also simultaneously seeing two of its greatest performances in the lower divisions happen, and it could all be for nothing in a month's time. Marc Márquez at least broke his collarbone after he clinched the world championship. IndyCar teams might be getting a little more money at the end of next season. Perhaps they should be getting more than that.

Spending Roger Penske's Money

They say it is easier to spend other people's money, and that is true, especially when it is a lot of money. Spending $20 is hard, $20 million however? Piece of cake. 

Roger Penske will be spending a little more of his own money next year, or at least IndyCar will be spending a little more money after Fox purchased a stake in the series. Racer Magazine's Marshall Pruett reported last week IndyCar is preparing to increase the Leader Circle prize to each entry at the end of the 2026 season. An increase of $500,000 per the 22 entries would mean an additional $11 million in the Leader Circle purse. Each entry would receive around $1.7 million as the base payment. 

Such a boost is nice to see considering the cost of fielding a full-time entry has essentially doubled in just a little over a half a decade. What once could be done for around $5 million for the full season has inched closer to $10 million. Something had to change or at least adjust to keep up with the times, but more should be done. 

This isn't just about the base payments for the Leader Circle program. It is good that these teams get a foundation to start with each year, even if that foundation is a little thinner than it used to be, but money can be used to drive attention. People get excited when the lottery creeps ever closer to $500 million. You don't hear much celebrating about the guy who won the $50 million prize. The $500 million prize winner gets your attention. 

Nobody will tune in because 25 cars will be competing for 22 spots that will now get $1.7 million for 17 races of work. That is essentially $100,000 per race.  

If IndyCar wants attention, it should do something attention worthy. 

In golf, the Fedex Cup might bill itself as the playoffs, but no one looks as the winner as the undisputed champion in golf. It does pay $10,000,000 to win to win the final event, The Tour Championship. That is noteworthy and a reason to tune in. And that is just one event. Golf is not hurting for big money events.

Scottie Scheffler won over $3 million for winning The Open Championships. Scheffler also got closer to $3.5 million for winning the PGA Championships in May. Then there is this event called The Masters, and Rory McIlroy got a cool $4.2 million for winning it. The Players' Championship isn't even a major but McIlroy took home $4.5 million for winning that event a month after The Masters.

Throughout the golf season, there are multiple events that draw your attention.

When it comes to the IndyCar season... well, we all know the joke that is one race in May and a bunch of filler for the rest of the year. 

There is only one IndyCar race that pays anything worth the damn for winning. Álex Palou took home $3.8 million for winning the Indianapolis 500 this year. How much did Palou take home for the other seven victories he had in 2025? As far as we know, with the Leader Circle funding, winning a race only pays an additional $30,000. That means in seven races, Palou took home an additional $210,000. 

At least the championship earned Palou $1,000,000. 

We can inflate a race's importance on name, location and history, but the truth is if the prize is not flashy race prestige is only going to take it so far. If IndyCar wants all of its races to be taken seriously, then the series must take them seriously. 

This is where we get to Roger Penske's wallet. 

The man is set. He isn't struggling. He can part with some cash, funnel it to the teams and drivers, and he will still be fine. He likely would never notice it is missing. 

An $11 million injection could be coming to the base payments, but there should be a significant infusion of what each race pays and that should be a selling point for each event. 

Let's remove the Indianapolis 500 for a moment, because that race is fine. There are 16 other races on the schedule. 

Roger Penske could take $16 million dollars and have every race pay at least $1 million to each winner. That would get everyone's attention. Win a race, bring home $1 million. 

Let's go a little further than that, because not all races are made equally. Some should be more than $1 million.

Shouldn't Long Beach pay a little more than $1 million? We act like it is one of the five most historic races in the United States and you can win more on a scratch off ticket from the convenience store than the race itself. That should get an additional $1 million for the winner. Road America is one of the best attended races of the year. That should be worth a little more. If Nashville is going to be immediately after the World Cup Final, that night race should have a little extra on the line too. 

If IndyCar is worried about viewers tuning out if a championship is clinched early, those last few races could pay even more. How about $3 million for each Milwaukee race? How about $4 million for the Laguna Seca finale? Now, if Laguna Seca is paying $4 million, then we will need to boost the Indianapolis 500 winner's share and make that at least $6 million. 

Then there is the championship. The championship cannot be worth equal to one race victory at Detroit or Markham, Ontario. Let's get the championship up to $5 million. The champion will likely have a few race victories. It will be a healthy year in the bank account for the champion. 

With $1 million to win the other 16 races outside of Memorial Day weekend, plus the additional million for three races, plus the additional $2 million for the Milwaukee races, then the additional $3 million for the finale, the $2.2 million to increase the Indianapolis 500 share and the $4 million for the championship increase, it would cost Mr. Penske $32.2 million. 

You might be saying, "How can we do that? Do you realize what that would do to Mr. Penske's bank account? It isn't fair." 

If Roger Penske spent $32.2 million to award the winners and champion in the IndyCar series, Roger Penske would still be a handsome billionaire after all the checks cleared. This would not financially ruin him. He would be fine. He is going to be fine. The series he owns is another story.

It would be tough to make it back, but maybe spending just north of $32 million is what it will take to draw in more viewers. 

You must imagine some would be curious to tune in if there was that much money on the line. There would be something to sell at every race. The drivers would have something to shoot for. It could cause an influx of followers who will be wondering who gets a payday and they could keep showing up to see whose week it will be. With an increase in viewers, sponsors become more intrigued and are willing to spend more in the series. If done right, it could pay for itself. 

It would at least give people a reason to tune in for Gateway on a Sunday night in June June or Arlington in March when it is against the NCAA tournament. It makes the Mid-Ohio race a little more interesting and it would help against the competition of a NASCAR race possibly happening at the same time. There is something to push that is intangible and people understand the value of. That is a hell of a lot more compelling than a playoff spot.

I get it. This is easier said than done, but wouldn't the attention from the announcement alone be worth it? IndyCar has a six-month season, and then it is radio silent. Talk about launching a cannonball from the top platform. People would have a reason to talk and at least take note of when next season begins. There is nothing IndyCar can do between and the first race of 2026 that would generate such attention. It doesn't matter if it is a third manufacturer joining the series, announcing the return of Michigan or stunningly hiring Max Verstappen to be on the grid. Money talks. People listen when it speaks.

They say you have to spend money to make money. IndyCar has its sugar daddy. It shouldn't be afraid to flaunt the cash for a few eyeballs.

Champions From the Weekend

You know about McLaren, but did you know...

Ayhancan Güven won the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters championship with finishes of fifth and first from Hockenheim. Güven passed Marco Wittmann on the final lap of the finale, giving the Turkish driver an additional five points as he defeated Lucas Auer by four points for the championship. Thomas Preining won the first race of the weekend.

José Antonio Rueda clinched the Moto3 championship with his ninth victory of the season from Indonesia.

Winners From the Weekend

You know about Preining, Güven and Rueda, but did you know...

Fermín Aldeguer won MotoGP's Indonesian Grand Prix, his first career victory in the class. Marco Bezzecchi won the sprint race. Diogo Moreira won the Moto2 race, his third victory of the season. 

George Russell won the Singapore Grand Prix, his second victory of the season. 

Shane van Gisbergen won the NASCAR Cup Series race from Charlotte, his fifth victory of the season. Connor Zilisch won the Grand National Series race, his tenth victory of the season. Corey Heim won the Truck Series race, his tenth victory of the season, and a single-season record for the Truck Series. 

Coming Up This Weekend

The 68th Bathurst 1000.

Petit Le Mans ends the IMSA season. 

The 3 Hours of Barcelona ends the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Season.

World Superbike has its penultimate round from Estoril.

Super Formula has its penultimate round from Fuji.

NASCAR begins its semifinal round in Las Vegas.