Christian Lundgaard won the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on Sunday, storming back from last place in the final laps to take his second road-course victory of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season by 0.6241 seconds over David Malukas.
The finish came down to chaos. Graham Rahal spun off Will Power’s car on the final lap, triggering a late caution that handed Lundgaard — charging hard from deep in the field — an opening he didn’t waste. “WHAT A WILD FINAL LAP!” wrote Motorsport reporter Tyler Kitchen. “RAHAL SPINS OFF OF POWER’S CAR! CAUTION IS OUT! LUNDGAARD WINS! KYFFIN SIMPSON PODIUM WOW!”
Kyffin Simpson claimed third, completing a stunning podium from 19th on the grid. Alex Palou, who started on pole and led early, crossed fourth — valuable points, but not the series-record fourth win at Road America he had been chasing.
Here is the final leaderboard for Sunday’s race:
| POS | DRIVER | STATUS | GAP | ENGINE | BEST LAP | LAPS | START |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C. Lundgaard | Active | — | Chevrolet | 1:45.5659 | 55 | 12 |
| 2 | D. Malukas | Active | +0.6241 | Chevrolet | 1:46.2308 | 55 | 2 |
| 3 | K. Simpson | Active | +2.3097 | Honda | 1:46.2769 | 55 | 19 |
| 4 | A. Palou | Active | +2.9679 | Honda | 1:46.2845 | 55 | 1 |
| 5 | W. Power | Active | +4.2087 | Honda | 1:46.3693 | 55 | 10 |
| 6 | A. Rossi | Active | +4.5825 | Chevrolet | 1:46.4338 | 55 | 25 |
| 7 | S. McLaughlin | Active | +4.6413 | Chevrolet | 1:46.4694 | 55 | 6 |
| 8 | F. Rosenqvist | Active | +5.4393 | Honda | 1:45.9130 | 55 | 4 |
| 9 | J. Newgarden | Active | +6.7757 | Chevrolet | 1:46.5544 | 55 | 15 |
| 10 | S. Ferrucci | Active | +7.4519 | Chevrolet | 1:46.6688 | 55 | 13 |
| 11 | K. Kirkwood | Active | +7.8581 | Honda | 1:47.1510 | 55 | 18 |
| 12 | S. Dixon | Active | +8.3559 | Honda | 1:46.2619 | 55 | 11 |
| 13 | P. O’Ward | Active | +9.0912 | Chevrolet | 1:46.0214 | 55 | 9 |
| 14 | M. Ericsson | Active | +10.0192 | Honda | 1:46.6572 | 55 | 5 |
| 15 | L. Foster | Active | +10.8189 | Honda | 1:46.9689 | 55 | 23 |
| 16 | R. Grosjean | Active | +11.6583 | Honda | 1:46.2938 | 55 | 14 |
| 17 | C. Collet | Active | +12.1206 | Chevrolet | 1:46.9537 | 55 | 8 |
| 18 | M. Schumacher | Active | +12.3524 | Honda | 1:47.2048 | 55 | 22 |
| 19 | R. VeeKay | Active | +13.1409 | Chevrolet | 1:46.8825 | 55 | 21 |
| 20 | S. Robb | Active | +13.7503 | Chevrolet | 1:46.8878 | 55 | 24 |
| 21 | D. Hauger | Active | +14.6665 | Honda | 1:46.1025 | 55 | 17 |
| 22 | N. Siegel | Active | +19.8068 | Chevrolet | 1:46.3121 | 55 | 7 |
| 23 | G. Rahal | Cont. | +1 Lap | Honda | 1:46.2599 | 54 | 20 |
| 24 | M. Armstrong | Mech. | +2 Laps | Honda | 1:45.9160 | 52 | 3 |
| 25 | C. Rasmussen | Mech. | +26 Laps | Chevrolet | 1:46.9719 | 28 | 16 |
Alex Palou’s XPEL Grand Prix Penalty and Road America Championship Impact
Alex Palou entered Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America in a familiar position: on pole, atop the IndyCar standings and favored to win. Now the series leader has an opportunity to add another chapter to his remarkable 2026 season with a potentially historic victory on one of IndyCar’s most iconic road courses.
The challenge won’t come easily. Rising star David Malukas starts alongside Palou on the front row, while Meyer Shank Racing teammates Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist occupy the second row in a race where tire strategy, cautions and Road America’s demanding layout could reshape the championship picture.
The race began as a showcase for the front row. Palou controlled the early laps from pole, with Malukas pressing from second. Then the afternoon unraveled for several contenders.
Marcus Armstrong, who had battled through flu symptoms all weekend to qualify third, briefly led by nearly three seconds with 16 laps remaining — within sight of a first career win. His left engine bank started smoking with four laps to go, dropping him to 24th and classified as a mechanical DNF.
Felix Rosenqvist led with 11 laps remaining, only to pit during a caution flag and rejoin 10th. A wide exit on the restart sent him off the circuit and dropped him to 18th before he recovered to finish eighth. Pato O’Ward was penalized for receiving emergency service in a closed pit lane, ending his afternoon as a factor.
“So there you have it, Armstrong in the lead and Palou seventh, in no man’s land between Simpson and Rossi. If nothing happens, that’s how it’ll stay. Unless Lundgaard pulls off a killer pace to stop it, which he might,” wrote motorsports journalist Rubén Carballo with five laps remaining — and Lundgaard did exactly that.
Palou’s afternoon was complicated further by a pit lane speeding penalty that buried him in the order before his late charge to fourth, according to Motorsport reporter Tyler Kitchen. Palou entered Road America as the championship leader by 49 points over Kyle Kirkwood, who finished 11th Sunday. Malukas, third in points and second Sunday, narrowed the gap with a strong result from the front row.
XPEL Grand Prix at Road America: Christian Lundgaard Wins 2nd 2026 Road Course