2026 Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Newgarden Wins Chaotic 10th Annual Bommarito 500 for Record Sixth Victory at World Wide Technology Raceway

Josef Newgarden claimed his record sixth victory at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday night, winning the 10th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline in an event defined as much by rain, red flags and a championship leader stranded on pit road as it was by anything that happened on the racing surface. The No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet crossed the line 0.6613 of a second ahead of Marcus Ericsson's No. 28 Delaware Life Andretti Global Honda, with Christian Rasmussen's No. 21 Splenda Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet a further 1.1910 seconds back in third. It was Newgarden's 34th career IndyCar win and his second of the 2026 season.

"It was crazy. I'm just glad we went the distance honestly. That was the big thing. With the rain, it almost turns it into a casino in some regards," Newgarden said.

The start was moved up from its originally scheduled time as precipitation threatened the region, and from the moment John Bommarito gave the command to fire engines at 8:01 p.m. local time, the evening conspired to keep every crew on their toes. Dennis Hauger, one of three rookies making their first IndyCar start at the oval, never turned a competitive lap — a mechanical issue sent the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda to the garage before the green flag, and he was credited with 25th. Kyffin Simpson received a drive-through penalty for being out of line at the start in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, a consequence that would define the early arc of his evening.

From the pole, Alex Palou led the opening 46 laps in characteristically controlled fashion, but Marcus Ericsson had other plans. Starting 12th, the Andretti Honda found the high line working in his favor and picked his way through traffic lap by lap before sweeping past Palou in Turn 3 on Lap 47. It was the first of what would become 114 laps led — the most of any driver — as Ericsson established himself as the night's dominant force across an alternating sequence of cautions, pit stops and weather delays.

The first caution came at Lap 55 when Nolan Siegel's No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1 following side-by-side contact with Palou. Siegel climbed from the car without assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was seen and released from the INDYCAR Medical Unit. Race control reviewed the incident and determined no further action was required. Ericsson emerged from the restart cycle with the lead and extended it through the next 50 laps.

The second caution began as a racing incident and became something considerably more complicated. Graham Rahal spun and hit the SAFER Barrier in Turn 3 on Lap 113 in the No. 15 One Cure Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda — completing roughly 43 percent of the race distance before the incident ended his night. Rahal was seen and released from the medical unit. But the yellow flag that followed carried the session forward only so long before the skies intervened: the red flag came out at Lap 137, 9:23 p.m. local time, as conditions made racing impossible. Engines sat idle for approximately 38 minutes before the command came to restart, and when the cars rolled back out on Lap 143, Ericsson was once again at the front.

The caution window also produced the race's most unexpected storyline. Caio Collet, the rookie from São Paulo in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, inherited the lead during the pit cycle on two separate occasions — a combined seven laps at the front — becoming one of just six drivers to lead on a night that saw most of the paddock's biggest names cycle through the position.

The second half of the race proceeded with Ericsson still setting the pace, Scott Dixon cycling to the lead briefly in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda before the third caution arrived at Lap 197 — conditions again — and the second red flag followed at Lap 200, halting the race for approximately 14 minutes.

The restart sequence that followed produced the defining moment of the championship fight. Dixon came in for fuel on Lap 201, surrendering the lead to Palou, who had cycled to the front under the caution. When pits opened on Lap 203, the championship leader ran dry before reaching his pit box, ending his night in the worst possible fashion. Team Penske's eyes were already on the situation. "We knew the 9 and 10 were very short on fuel," said Team Penske president Jonathan Diuguid, who added that Palou "was supposed to pull over to the left, which he didn't." Newgarden, directly behind, navigated cleanly to his stall and exited with the lead. Dixon, who had taken fuel under a closed pit on Lap 201, was simultaneously assessed a back-of-field penalty. Palou was unable to recover to the lead lap and finished 17th, two laps down.

Once clear, Newgarden led the restart on Lap 212 with 48 laps remaining. A fourth caution — smoke trailing from Collet's ailing No. 4 on the backstretch on Lap 226 — gave the field a final opportunity to reset, but it was Christian Rasmussen who provided the most compelling challenge when racing resumed on Lap 234. The Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet had spent the entire race finding its pace on the high line — Rasmussen's car wouldn't rotate on the low side, leaving him no choice but to run where the air was thinner and the angle steeper. "I was kind of forced to the high line the whole race," he said. "But man, it worked out all right." Starting 19th, he moved through traffic to reach the front and passed Newgarden in Turn 1 on Lap 215. The two then traded the lead four times in seven laps — Newgarden back in Turn 4 on Lap 219, recording the race's fastest lap of 169.647 mph; Rasmussen retaking it in Turn 1 on Lap 220; Newgarden making the decisive pass in Turn 4 on Lap 221. He was never seriously threatened again.

"I think the fast cars finished up front going the distance," Newgarden said. "Marcus was super good. I don't know that we were much better than him. I think we were very equal. It turned into a track position game at the end because we were so comparable."

The gap between Ericsson's performance and his result was a hard thing to hold. He led 114 laps, drove from 12th to the front on pure pace and had what he described as one of his best nights in IndyCar competition. "Josef is good around these tracks. He got track position on us at one of the stops. Yeah, it's just hard to get around him," he said. "Bittersweet, but the Honda was great all night. Thought I drove really well." The Andretti driver credited significant off-season work — including a new damper engineer, revised setup philosophy and growing confidence across all track types — for a program that appears genuinely transformed heading into the second half of the year. "...it's tough to lead 115 laps and miss out," he acknowledged.

Rasmussen's third place from 19th starting position was the kind of result that can reframe a season. "We've had a tough year," he said. "Coming right back to an oval and kind of starting up where we finished off was a good feeling." He gained more positions than any other driver on the night.

Newgarden's win is his sixth at World Wide Technology Raceway, more than any other driver in the event's history. His 53 laps led pushed his career total to 4,580, surpassing Dario Franchitti for ninth on the all-time IndyCar list. His 34th career victory ties him with Al Unser Jr. for ninth on the all-time wins list.

Rinus VeeKay was fourth in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, Scott McLaughlin fifth in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet and Kyle Kirkwood sixth in the No. 27 Sam's Club Andretti Global Honda. Despite finishing 17th, Palou retains the championship lead with 342 points. His margin over Kirkwood narrowed from 62 to 49 points. Malukas is third at 274 and Lundgaard fourth at 246. Newgarden climbed to sixth with 238 points.

The race produced 17 lead changes among six drivers, with 475 total passes and 268 for position across 200 green-flag laps. The fastest lap was Newgarden's 169.647 mph on Lap 219. Racing bregan under mostly cloudy skies, with conditions at the start reading 87 degrees ambient, 59 percent relative humidity and a track surface of 99.68 degrees according to Firestone engineers.

Lundgaard Leads Race Trim Running in Bommarito 500 Final Practice

Christian Lundgaard topped the final on-track session before Sunday night's 10th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500, turning the fastest lap of final practice at 169.791 mph in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The result offered a sharp contrast to Lundgaard's 23rd-place qualifying position earlier in the afternoon, and a reminder that the evening session carried a very different purpose than what came before it.

The night began with a 40-minute high-line session — two 10-minute runs each for Group A and Group B — designed to lay a layer of rubber on the upper portion of the circuit's racing surface ahead of Sunday's race. With timing and scoring active but speeds not a meaningful indicator in that context, the session served its purpose without producing results worth publishing. After a 15-minute break, final practice went green at 8 p.m. CT.

Two yellows interrupted the 60-minute session. Santino Ferrucci slowed on track at 8:14 p.m. and coasted safely to pit lane in the No. 14 Homes for Our Troops AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, bringing out the first caution and prompting the green to fly again at 8:17 p.m. A second yellow for a track inspection followed at 8:21 p.m., with the session resuming at 8:30 p.m. before running cleanly to the checkered flag at 9 p.m.

In terms of overall pace, final practice reflected teams shifting from the qualifying-trim work that defined Practice 1 to race-representative setups — longer runs, higher fuel loads and a focus on what the car will do over 60-plus laps rather than two. Alex Palou had been candid about those expectations before the session. "I don't know what to expect honestly," he said. "I wish it felt the same way as qualifying. Again, you're going a lot slower. You're trying to make the tires last for 60, 65 laps. You have traffic, which you start having understeer, oversteer, understeer, oversteer. You start struggling with the car."

Palou ended final practice fourth fastest at 169.445 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, with front-row partner David Malukas fifth at 169.375 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Scott Dixon was second at 169.614 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda — an encouraging sign for a two-time WWTR winner — and Marcus Armstrong third at 169.576 mph in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda.

Josef Newgarden continued the trajectory he has traced throughout Saturday, improving from his 16th-place Practice 1 result through eighth in qualifying to seventh in final practice at 169.234 mph in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet. The five-time WWTR winner enters Sunday's race with momentum behind him, injury and all. Dennis Hauger was eighth at 168.947 mph in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda, the strongest final practice performance among the three rookies.

Kyle Kirkwood was ninth at 168.804 mph in the No. 27 Sam's Club Andretti Global Honda, and Will Power 10th at 168.787 mph in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda. Practice 1 pacesetter Pato O'Ward was 16th in final practice at 168.161 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, consistent with a team that used the opening session exclusively for qualifying simulation. O'Ward remains the combined practice leader at 172.696 mph set earlier in the day.

Caio Collet was the top rookie in the combined standings, placing 21st overall at 169.748 mph from Practice 1. Mick Schumacher finished 17th in final practice at 168.101 mph in the No. 47 ENVE Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda. Hauger's 168.947 mph in final practice placed him 23rd in the combined standings.

Conditions at the start of the evening session were warm, with the ambient temperature at 86 degrees and the track surface reading 103 degrees according to Firestone engineers.

The green flag waves Sunday night at 8:25 p.m. local time, kicking off 260 laps and 325 miles on the 1.25-mile oval, with FOX broadcasting live beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Palou Claims First WWTR Pole in Dominant Bommarito 500 Qualifying

Alex Palou delivered the signature run of his career at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday afternoon, winning the NTT P1 Award for the 10th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 with a two-lap average of 174.353 mph in unofficial results. It was the 17th pole of his IndyCar career, his fifth of the 2026 season and — strikingly — his first at a circuit he had described just hours earlier as his worst track.

"Not this morning when I was here at the press conference earlier, no," Palou said when asked if he had believed he could take the top spot. With the qualification order at oval races determined by entrant points, Palou went out last as the championship leader. He maximized every advantage that afforded him. "It's always huge when you have the advantage of going last, not only because of track evolution but also just to see what your teammates do, especially Scott, but also the MSR cars," he said. His first timed lap — a 174.985 mph circuit — was the fastest single lap turned by any driver in the session. He backed it up with a 173.745 mph second lap to seal the award by more than 1.1 mph over the field.

David Malukas was the last driver to hold the session lead before Palou erased it. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet went second-to-last in the qualifying order and averaged 173.244 mph to briefly set the benchmark, earning him a front-row start alongside the championship leader — his fourth of 2026. "It was such a guessing game trying to figure out where this car needed to be," Malukas said. He had gone into his run with limited confidence about where things would land. "I had a strong feeling we weren't going to get it there because Palou was going last," he admitted, before adding simply: "There's a lot you can do from the front row."

Malukas reflected on a turnaround from a difficult Detroit weekend with characteristic directness. "Everything is on a real high. Detroit was a bit of a stinker. The rest of the season has been good. We got all the bad luck, the bad juju out of the way. Now we're coming to one of my favorites, and I think we have a really good opportunity," he said.

Defending race winner Kyle Kirkwood starts third on the grid after the No. 27 Sam's Club Andretti Global Honda averaged 173.206 mph — the most consistent run of the session, with successive laps of 173.242 mph and 173.171 mph separated by less than one-tenth of a mile per hour. Felix Rosenqvist was fourth at 172.953 mph in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, and Scott McLaughlin fifth at 172.869 mph in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet.

The session unfolded as a march of improving benchmarks driven largely by a track surface that gained grip as the afternoon wore on. Marcus Armstrong posted the fastest average through the middle portion of qualifying — 172.483 mph in the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda — before McLaughlin displaced him, then Rosenqvist took the top spot briefly at 172.953 mph, then Malukas reset the standard entirely, before Palou rendered all of it moot. Scott Dixon was seventh at 172.478 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Josef Newgarden eighth at 172.415 mph in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet — a significant improvement for Newgarden after his 16th-place showing in Practice 1.

Practice 1 pacesetter Pato O'Ward slipped to ninth in qualifying at 171.992 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet after a first timed lap of 173.486 mph that didn't hold up on his second circuit. Will Power, who holds the track's one-lap qualifying record, managed only 169.670 mph to start 21st in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda.

Among the rookies making their first IndyCar qualifying laps at WWTR, Mick Schumacher set the initial session standard as the first driver to run, posting 170.290 mph in the No. 47 ENVE Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda — a benchmark that held through the opening six attempts. He ultimately qualified 18th. Caio Collet was 20th at 170.104 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, and Dennis Hauger 24th at 168.731 mph in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

The pole comes with an important caveat. No driver has converted a WWTR starting position into a race victory since Helio Castroneves did so in 2003 — a drought spanning more than two decades. Palou was the last person to let the hardware go to his head. "...it's only a pole. Like, I wish it meant more, but it only means I'm going to be super happy going to sleep tonight. I have a fancy hat and another point. Apart of that, that's it," he said with a smile.

Qualifying was conducted under mostly cloudy skies, with the ambient temperature at 88 degrees and relative humidity of 60 percent. The track surface read 119.5 degrees according to Firestone engineers. The provisional starting grid is subject to change following Saturday evening's high-line session and Final Practice.

O'Ward Paces Palou in Opening Practice for 10th Annual Bommarito 500

Pato O'Ward and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet set the pace in Practice 1 for the 10th Annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, turning a lap of 172.696 mph to top championship leader Alex Palou in the opening session of the race weekend. O'Ward, who arrived in Madison having never tested with the new aerodynamic and tire package, found his best speed late — his fastest lap came on his 42nd of 43 circuits, suggesting the No. 5 grew stronger as the session wore on.

Palou was second at 172.238 mph in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, a result that stood in pointed contrast to the admission he had made just hours earlier. "This is probably my worst place. I've always struggled here personally," he said Saturday morning. "I think we had good cars, but never been able to run up front. Hopefully we change it this weekend." Palou also brought some prior data to bear — he noted that Chip Ganassi Racing had tested at WWTR roughly six weeks before the event weekend — and his best lap came on his 34th circuit, another sign of a car building toward the top of the sheet rather than coasting on early speed.

Meyer Shank Racing had the strongest showing of any organization in Practice 1. Felix Rosenqvist was third at 172.073 mph in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, with teammate Marcus Armstrong fourth at 171.925 mph in the No. 66 entry — both finding their best laps in the final push of the session.

Scott McLaughlin had the field covered through the first half. The No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet's fastest lap came on just his fifth circuit, and that 171.371 mph stood as the session benchmark through the 30-minute mark. As cars found pace in the second half, McLaughlin's early time fell out of the top spot, and he ultimately finished eighth.

A yellow flag 40 minutes into the session brought a brief interruption when Rinus VeeKay's No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet made contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 4 following a quarter-spin to the right, sustaining damage to the rear wing. VeeKay climbed from the car without assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was subsequently seen and released from the INDYCAR Medical Unit. The session resumed at 12:17 p.m.

David Malukas was sixth at 171.625 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. "This place definitely has a special place in my heart from that P2, first podium in INDYCAR, night race as well," he said Saturday morning. "I really like this place. We tend to do good here." Third in the championship with 248 points, Malukas has been one of the series' most consistent short oval performers in 2026 and enters qualifying with the credibility of someone who has led laps and found success at this venue.

Defending champion Kyle Kirkwood was ninth at 171.250 mph in the No. 27 Sam's Club Andretti Global Honda, with Scott Dixon 10th at 171.222 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Kirkwood offered an honest assessment of where his program stands. "We had a really good race here last year. We were the ones that kind of just did everything right and put ourselves in fortunate positions 'cause quite honestly we weren't the fastest car here," he said. "I still think this is a track we need to get better on even though we did win here last year."

The session's most notable underperformer relative to expectations was Josef Newgarden. The five-time WWTR winner was 16th at 170.539 mph in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, running 25 laps as he manages the left foot injury he has carried since his Indianapolis 500 crash. With the NTT P1 Award qualifying set for this afternoon, Newgarden will need to find significant ground between now and then.

Among the rookies making their first IndyCar laps at World Wide Technology Raceway, Mick Schumacher was the strongest, placing 17th at 170.497 mph in the No. 47 ENVE Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda. Caio Collet was 20th at 169.748 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, and Dennis Hauger 24th at 167.645 mph in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

Practice 1 was held under mostly cloudy skies with an ambient temperature of 86 degrees, relative humidity of 62 percent and a track surface reading of 110.3 degrees according to Firestone engineers. The 25-car field combined for 897 laps. Qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 follows this afternoon, with the NTT P1 Award decided by a single-car, cumulative two-lap time.