Lundgaard's epic comeback win
Christian Lundgaard Conquers Road America with Epic Comeback After Early Damage
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Key Points
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On the opening lap, Christian Lundgaard suffered left-front wing damage after contact with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and had to pit for a front-wing replacement, dropping to the back of the field—while Dixon continued on to finish 10th.
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Alex Palou entered the race on a hot streak at Road America, starting on pole for his “fifth straight race” (dating to the Indianapolis Grand Prix in early May), and in those five starts he had only won once—Detroit.
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In the late-race Power–Rahal scrap, Will Power overshot a corner—“cooking his tires”—to fall back to fourth before using Push-to-Pass to get back after Rahal; Power then collided with Rahal, sending Rahal into the gravel pit and prompting a full-course caution.
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Coverage from Motorsport.com described Kyffin Simpson as finishing third after the final-lap incident in Turn 12, with the Power–Rahal contact ending the race under caution and Power credited behind Simpson (fifth per that report).
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A key early-to-mid race battle for the podium unfolded on Lap 12, when Alex Palou’s pressure-style run continued but Marcus Armstrong’s teammate strategies were disrupted by a move for third: Santino Ferrucci/others were in the midfield, and “Malukas wasn’t able to hold Rosenqvist back any longer,” allowing Rosenqvist to take third and put both MSR cars in the podium places.
Christian Lundgaard won the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on Sunday after one of the most chaotic races of the 2026 IndyCar season. The Arrow McLaren driver dropped to last place on Lap 1 after contact with Scott Dixon destroyed his front wing — then charged all the way back to win by 0.6241 seconds over David Malukas, according to Speedsport.
The victory is Lundgaard's third career IndyCar win and his second of 2026 — the first time he has won multiple races in a single season, Head Topics reported. It was not a clean race for anyone. Pole-sitter Alex Palou was undone by a pit lane speeding penalty. Marcus Armstrong led late but retired with engine trouble. And a violent last-lap crash between Will Power and Graham Rahal ended the race under caution.
Lundgaard Drops to Last, Then Charges to Victory
Contact between Lundgaard and Scott Dixon on the opening lap left Lundgaard's left-front wing badly damaged. His team pitted him immediately to replace it, dropping him to 27th — dead last in the field. Dixon, unharmed, drove on and finished 10th. "To be at the back with a broken wing on Lap 1 and standing here now is unbelievable," Lundgaard said after the race. "This team never gave up on the strategy."
His team used a short-fill fuel strategy during the wing change, letting Lundgaard run in clean air while the leaders fought through traffic. That gave him a tire-life advantage in the middle stints. He climbed steadily through the field over the next 50-plus laps, according to Motorsport Week, reaching the front just in time for the final restart.
Palou's Pole Streak Delivers Another Near-Miss
Alex Palou started on pole for the fifth straight race — a streak dating back to the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May. But he has converted only one of those poles into a win, at Detroit. On Sunday, a pit lane speeding penalty cost him the lead mid-race and dropped him all the way to fourth by the finish, Motorsport Week reported.
Palou called the penalty "self-inflicted" and expressed clear frustration afterward. He still holds a slim lead in the championship standings, but his inability to capitalize on dominant qualifying runs is starting to define his 2026 summer. Lundgaard, meanwhile, now sits inside the top three in points.
Armstrong's Engine Failure Sets Up the Final Shootout
Marcus Armstrong inherited the race lead and held it deep into the final laps. Then his engine gave out. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver was forced to slow and eventually retire, triggering a full-course caution with the race almost over. Race Control called a one-lap restart — effectively a winner-take-all sprint to the finish, Head Topics UK reported.
Lundgaard led that restart with Malukas right behind him. Malukas later said it was "the most intense lap of my career." He could not hold off Lundgaard's push-to-pass surge. Lundgaard crossed the line 0.6241 seconds clear. Felix Rosenqvist and Kyffin Simpson also ran strongly for Meyer Shank Racing, with Rosenqvist moving into podium contention as early as Lap 12 when he passed Malukas for third.
Power and Rahal Collide, Ending Race Under Caution
Behind Lundgaard, the final lap turned ugly. Will Power overshot a corner — admitting he had "cooked the tires" — and fell back before using push-to-pass to chase down Graham Rahal. The two made contact. Rahal was sent into the gravel at Turn 12, and a full-course caution was called. The race ended before a green flag flew again, Head Topics reported.
Race Control ruled the incident a racing incident and credited Power ahead of Rahal in the final results. The decision sparked debate in the paddock. Rahal, Lundgaard's own teammate, was left furious — the collision denied Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing what could have been a 1-2 or even 1-3 team finish. IndyCar is expected to review the one-lap restart procedure after multiple drivers raised safety concerns about "desperation moves" on the 4.014-mile circuit.
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