Arrow McLaren teammates realize real-time benefit from Road America test
By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Eric Siegel capitalized on a recent test at “America’s National Park of Speed” to emerge as best-in-class among Chevrolet-powered teams after Friday’s opening INDYCAR practice for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
Pato O’ward – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Joe Skibinski
O’Ward turned a lap in 1-minute, 44.3688-seconds/138.455 mph around the 4.014-mile/14-turn natural terrain circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wis., to place his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet fourth on a chart topped by Marcus Armstrong’s No. 66 Honda.
Suffering from a bout with the flu, Armstrong led a 1-2 effort by Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian with a best lap of 1-minute, 44.2714-seconds/138.585 mph. Teammate Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden _ the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion _ was second overall at 1:44.3501-seconds/138.480 mph in MSR’s No. 60 Honda.
O’Ward’s time was less than a tenth-of-a-second off P1 in a practice that saw 24 of 25 drivers record laps within one second over the longest track on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule. Siegel enjoyed arguably his strongest practice session of the season to slot-in behind O’Ward in fifth after a best lap of 1:44.4328-seconds/138.370 mph in the No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Elkhart Lake, WI – The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Elkhart Lake, WI
(Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)
“Test days are usually super-helpful, especially close to a weekend because you get somewhat similar weather to what you’re going to get,” said O’Ward, a 27-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. “That’s always a very good opportunity to extend your weekend and make it that much better.
“It’s just guidance of where we want to go for qualifying. Just kind of getting a read on what the alternate (Firestone Firehawk soft compound tire) is going to do. Yeah, the nature of INDYCAR is you get surprised. You get surprised. What you felt in Practice 1, Practice 2, is completely different sometimes. You’re like, ‘Why?’ Sometimes it’s just a very smooth weekend. Whatever it’s going to be we’re going to try to maximize it.”
O’Ward logged 15 laps _ six fewer than Siegel _ at one of his favorite summertime venues. “It’s a great track. It’s a beautiful facility,” said O’Ward, fifth in the point standings led by Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. “Also the fans are super, super-excited to see us come here every single year. It really is a track that is a joy to drive. It races well. It obviously is a very rewarding track in qualifying, as well. Always happy to come back.”
Marcus Armstrong – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Chris Jones
Armstrong spent Friday operating on minimal sleep due to the flu. “It’s OK. The car feels good _ that’s the main thing,” said Armstrong, a 25-year-old native of New Zealand. “I’m as sick as a dog. I don’t feel great. At least I’ve proven to myself I can still be fast with two hours of sleep.”
Armstrong said his car was well-balanced on both Firestone’s primary (black) and alternate (red) compounds. “I don’t think we strung together a perfect lap,” Armstrong said. “I thought the following lap was going to be a little spicier. Yeah, I feel pretty confident around here. It’s good to be back on a road course. It reminds me a bit of Spa in Europe, this circuit. Somewhere that I’m very well familiar with.
“It’s cool. It’s nice and smooth. Seems like the tire is a bit better this year, too. It’s good that you roll out on blacks and you’re fast, and you put reds on and you’re fast. And we didn’t do anything spectacular. It’s nice Felix is right up there, too. It’s all good.”
Reigning Road America winner Palou was third at 1:44.3659-seconds/138.459 mph in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. A 29-year-old native of Spain, Palou leads runner-up Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global by 49 points following the series’ most recent event at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., outside St. Louis on June 7. Palou finished 17th and two laps down to winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske under the lights on the 1.25-mile oval after gambling, and losing, on fuel strategy.
Kyle Kirkwood – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Paul Hurley
Palou is determined to rebound at Road America, where he has three career victories in seven starts. “This place, it’s so enjoyable as a driver, especially when you have a fast car like we seem to have today,” said Palou, the four-time/reigning series champion. “It’s hard work; it’s never easy to put up a lap together here at Road America, but it feels so fun.”
Kirkwood, the only driver within a race’s-worth of points of Palou, was 15th at 1:45.0332-seconds/137.579 mph in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.
Native Brazilian Caio Collet was Friday’s quickest rookie, sixth at 1:44.4651-seconds/138.328 mph in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet of Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing. Teammate and Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci was 10th at 1:44.8493-seconds/137.821 mph in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet.
Mick Schumacher – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Chris Jones
In addition, rookie Mick Schumacher of Switzerland produced his best session since qualifying fourth in March for his first oval race at Phoenix Raceway, placing eighth at 1:44.7864-seconds/137.908 mph after 18 laps in the No. 47 ENVE Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
“It was nice to actually have a session that ran all the way through and not interrupted by groups,” said Schumacher, the 27-year-old son of seven-time Formula One World Driving Champion Michael Schumacher of Germany. “I think we did a decent job of understanding what direction we wanted to go in with the setup, and I felt like we found a pretty happy medium. Now we’ve just got to analyze what we found today, and hopefully make it better for (Saturday).”
Like O’Ward, Siegel and Collet, Schumacher said he benefitted from testing at Road America last week. “It was great,” said Schumacher, mired in 25th and last in points among series regulars. “Obviously, a lot of these tracks I am seeing for the first time (on race weekend). So having had the opportunity to come and test here just accelerates the whole process of getting into the weekend.
“These weekends are not super-long, and you’ve got to make every second count that you’re out there. I’m sure we did that, especially now that we got the chance to test here last week, we just made sure that we got the best out of it.”
One incident triggered a red flag. Sting Ray Robb was uninjured after spinning on the exit curb at Turn 14 and hitting the outside wall, bending the left front suspension and rear wing of his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger/Goodheart Chevrolet.
Up next is practice at 11 a.m. (EDT) Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2 p.m. FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls will broadcast both sessions live.
Live coverage of the 55-lap/220.77-mile race is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. (EDT) Sunday on FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.
INDYCAR Officiating has announced six-position starting grid penalties for the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet driven by Santino Ferrucci and No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet driven by Alexander Rossi for unapproved engine changes following practice at Road America on Friday, June 19.
The entries were in violation of Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Approved Engine Change-Out if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine Change-Out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR Sunday, June 21, at Road America.
With five points separating the top three drivers in INDY NXT by Firestone entering this weekend’s double-header at Road America, Andretti Global’s Max Taylor delivered a powerful reminder during Friday’s practice.
Max Taylor – INDY NXT Presented by Firestone – Photo by Paul Hurley
Taylor led the only session for both races in INDYCAR’s developmental series, turning a top lap of 1- minute, 53.1419-seconds/127.719 mph in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car as Andretti Global drivers took the first three spots in the 45-minute practice. Taylor is fourth in the series standings, 27 points behind leader Nikita Johnson.
SEE: Practice Results
“First time on this track in an INDY NXT car but definitely not my first time here,” said Taylor, an 18-year-old native of Greenwich, Conn. “There are a lot of things to get used to, a lot more than I thought, but I adapted pretty quickly and the Andretti car was on rails. As you can see, we were 1-2-3, so a really good way to start a weekend.”
Andretti Global flexed with Australian Lochie Hughes second at 1:53.2732-seconds/127.571 mph in the team’s No. 26 entry, with teammate Josh Pierson third at 1:53.3204-seconds/127.518 mph in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti machine.
Elkhart Lake, WI – during the Grand Prix at Road America Elkhart Lake, WI
(Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)
Series leader Johnson was the quickest non-Andretti driver and top rookie, fourth at 1:53.3652-seconds/127.468 mph in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car. Johnson leads HMD Motorsports rookie teammates Enzo Fittipaldi and Tymek Kucharczyk of Poland by two and five points, respectively, in the standings entering this event.
Matteo Nannini of Italy completed the top-five at 1:53.6558-seconds/127.142 mph in the No. 20 ENVE Motorsports car as Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR filled the bottom two spots of the top-five.
Myles Rowe celebrated his 26th birthday Friday by placing sixth at 1:54.1355-seconds/126.607 mph in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine. Rowe won the series’ most recent event June 7 on World Wide Technology Raceway’s 1.25-mile oval in Madison, Ill., outside St. Louis after starting 24th and last. Rowe recorded the longest climb to victory in the series’ 40-year history.
Myles Rowe – INDY NXT Presented by Firestone – Photo by Paul Hurley
“Very excited to continue the momentum in Wisconsin,” said Rowe, a 25-year-old native of Powder Springs, Ga. “St. Louis was an incredible win and incredible lift to our program, so really just looking forward to continuing to go to work with the No. 99 crew.
“Road America is a very special place to me because of my history with the Pabst Racing family, and all of my old teammates. I know what it means to be successful there and I’m looking forward to gaining more momentum in Elkhart Lake.”
Among the closest championship contenders to leader Johnson, Fittipaldi was 10th at 1:54.4460-seconds/126.264 mph in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Fittipaldi, a 24-year-old resident of Miami, is the grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil. Fittipaldi won the Indianapolis 500 driving for Patrick Racing in 1989 and for Team Penske in 1993.
“Emmo” launched his successful INDYCAR career after winning Formula One World Driving Championships as “Fitti” with Team Lotus in 1972 and McLaren in 1974.
Kucharczyk ranked 16th Friday at 1:54.7796-seconds/125.897 mph in HMD Motorsports’ No. 71 machine.
Up next on the 4.014-mile/14-turn natural-terrain road course is qualifying at 10 a.m. (EDT) Saturday, which will set the starting grids for both races. Race 1 (20 laps/80.28-miles/55 minutes) will start at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, with Race 2 (18 laps/72.25-miles/50 minutes) set for noon Sunday. Live coverage of all sessions is available on FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.
NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _ 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 342; 2, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 293; 3, David Malukas, Team Penske, 274; 3, 4, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 246; 5, Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, 239; 6, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 238; 7, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 222; 8, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 221; 9, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 196; 10, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 196;
11, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 193; 12, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 192; 13, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 175; 14, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 152; 15, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 147; 16, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 146; 17, Will Power, Andretti Global, 145; 18, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 133; 19, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 131; 20, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 117;
21, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 116; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 112; 23, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 99; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 89; 25, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 89; 26, Derek Daly, Dryer & Reinbold Racing, 24; 27, Takuma Sato, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 20; 28, Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, 8; 29, Jacob Abel, Abel Motorsports, 6; 30, Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian, 5;
31, Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 5; 32, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Arrow McLaren, 5; 33, Katherine Legge, HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, 5.
FOX SPORTS’ 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE/(RACE WINNER)
Note _ All times Eastern
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, (Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren)
Sunday, May 24 _ 110th Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, (Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing with Curb Agajanian)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon
Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA
Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.
Note _ Dates and times subject to change.
2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE/(RACE-WINNER)
Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)
Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)
Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)
Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2, (Tymek Kucharczyk, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Downtown Detroit, (Enzo Fittipaldi, HMD Motorsports)
Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., (Myles Rowe, Abel Motorsports)
Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1
Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2
Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1
Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2
Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.
Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.
Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1
Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2
