The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear came to life Sunday on the nine-turn, 1.645-mile Streets of Detroit circuit, and through 69 laps of a scheduled 100, defending champion Kyle Kirkwood took the lead after 67 laps, overtaking championship leader Alex Palou, who had seized the lead under caution. But with 20 laps top go, Palou had retaken the top spot.
Race control threw the second yellow flag of the afternoon after Kyffin Simpson made contact with Graham Rahal, spinning Rahal at Turn 3. Simpson then collected Louis Foster in the same sequence, bringing out a full-course caution that reshuffled the running order through pit strategy. Palou, driving the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, emerged from the caution cycle as the new race leader on Lap 41, according to ApexIndyCar on X.
Here is where the top runners stood with the race two-thirds complete:
| Pos | Driver | Engine | Gap | Best Lap | Laps | Start | Pit Stops | Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. Palou | Honda | â | 1:03.079 | 78 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | K. Kirkwood | Honda | +0.838 | 1:03.530 | 78 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | W. Power | Honda | +5.129 | 1:03.277 | 78 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | S. McLaughlin | Chevrolet | +5.832 | 1:03.223 | 78 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 5 | G. Rahal | Honda | +6.146 | 1:03.560 | 78 | 12 | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | P. O’Ward | Chevrolet | +6.626 | 1:03.607 | 78 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
| 7 | C. Lundgaard | Chevrolet | +7.051 | 1:03.448 | 78 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 8 | L. Foster | Honda | +7.458 | 1:03.627 | 78 | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| 9 | F. Rosenqvist | Honda | +8.016 | 1:04.097 | 78 | 16 | 3 | 14 |
| 10 | M. Ericsson | Honda | +8.671 | 1:03.643 | 78 | 10 | 2 | 8 |
| 11 | K. Simpson | Honda | +9.061 | 1:03.983 | 78 | 17 | 3 | 6 |
| 12 | J. Newgarden | Chevrolet | +10.601 | 1:04.374 | 78 | 21 | 3 | 2 |
| 13 | R. VeeKay | Chevrolet | +10.750 | 1:04.356 | 78 | 18 | 3 | 10 |
| 14 | S. Robb | Chevrolet | +11.045 | 1:04.686 | 78 | 24 | 3 | 7 |
| 15 | D. Hauger | Honda | +11.180 | 1:04.229 | 78 | 15 | 3 | 5 |
| 16 | R. Grosjean | Honda | +12.232 | 1:04.409 | 78 | 20 | 2 | 4 |
| 17 | M. Armstrong | Honda | +12.574 | 1:03.613 | 78 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| 18 | A. Rossi | Chevrolet | +14.017 | 1:03.939 | 78 | 14 | 3 | 6 |
| 19 | N. Siegel | Chevrolet | +14.904 | 1:03.669 | 78 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | M. Schumacher | Honda | +15.075 | 1:04.117 | 78 | 23 | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | C. Collet | Chevrolet | +15.225 | 1:04.094 | 78 | 19 | 5 | 5 |
| 22 | S. Ferrucci | Chevrolet | +22.098 | 1:03.887 | 78 | 22 | 4 | 6 |
| 23 | D. Malukas | Chevrolet | +3 Laps | 1:03.678 | 75 | 25 | 4 | 6 |
| 24 | S. Dixon | Honda | +10 Laps | 1:03.369 | 68 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 25 | C. Rasmussen | Chevrolet | +69 Laps | 1:03.884 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Palou arrived at Detroit as the NTT INDYCAR Series points leader and the defending Indianapolis 500 champion â though this year’s Indy 500 crown went to Felix Rosenqvist, who starts 16th in Sunday’s 25-car field. Palou posted the fastest qualifying lap at Detroit, earning the pole for the third consecutive race, according to IndyCar.com‘s Paul Kelly.
Will Power, Scott McLaughlin Battle Early at Detroit Grand Prix
Before the caution period reshuffled the field, the early running produced a hard-fought battle at the front. Will Power pushed into the lead around Lap 20 and held it under pressure. Scott McLaughlin, starting from the second row after the third-quickest qualifying run among Chevrolet-powered cars, moved to challenge Power for the top spot, with Christian Lundgaard also mixing into the front group, according to official IndyCar posts on X.
McLaughlin, piloting the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet, backed up his qualifying pace in morning warmup, clocking fourth-fastest at 1:03.2625, per IndyCar.com. His Penske teammate David Malukas â who absorbed a heavy qualifying crash Saturday â rebounded to run fifth in warmup at 1:03.2943 and lined up in the field with something to prove.
Kirkwood, the defending Detroit winner, led the morning warmup session with a lap of 1:02.4051 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda, more than six-tenths of a second clear of second-place Rosenqvist, according to IndyCar.com. The Andretti Global driver started sixth in the race.
Alex Palou Eyes Detroit Grand Prix Win Amid IndyCar Championship Lead
Palou’s grip on the championship is real. The NTT P1 Award leader clocked eighth in Sunday morning warmup at 1:03.5794, but pole position and a clean opening stint put him in position to take the lead when others pitted under caution. Whether Kirkwood, McLaughlin, or any of the mid-field chargers can run Palou down over the remaining laps is the central question of the afternoon.
Rosenqvist, who won at Indianapolis seven days ago, enters Detroit with momentum. He was second-fastest in warmup at 1:03.0140 in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Street courses demand a different skill set than oval racing, but Rosenqvist arrives in the Motor City carrying the confidence of a fresh Indy 500 champion.
The race continues Sunday afternoon on FOX and FOX One.
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