IndyCar Results and Highlights From the Streets of Detroit

Check out the full results and race highlights from the first race back after the Indianapolis 500 at the Detroit Grand Prix.

Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Indianapolis 500 Qualifying | Via Penske Entertainment, Amber Pietz

There is no break for the IndyCar Grid after the 'Month of May' and Indianapolis 500 – the Detroit Grand Prix double-header IMSA weekend quickly follows on one of the tightest street tracks on the calendar.

After Felix Rosenqvist's historic Indianapolis 500 win over series favorites like Palou, O'Ward, Malukas, McLaughlin, and more, the Detroit race becomes a chance for all 24 other full-time drivers to bounce back, and for Rosenqvist to throw his momentum into a new track.

During Qualifying earlier in the weekend, both Schumacher and Malukas crashed, shaking up the starting grid order. Additionally, both Rossi and Newgarden are still nursing injuries from the 500 weekend – both with injured feet/ankles – raising the question of their physical ability to finish the race.

Although the race was full of action, it was the pole-sitter Alex Palou who ended up at the front, taking home a win at Detroit. He was closely followed by Kyle Kirkwood and Graham Rahal.

Second Half Carnage

The first half of the race, all in all, was uneventful, save for Christian Rasmussen crashing early and retiring from the race. Much of this race was about tire and pit strategy, with drivers running alternate strategies with hopes for yellow flags that are always expected at Detroit.

Ed Carpenter Racing driver Christian Rasmussen | Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, the second half of the race brought the phrase 'yellows breed yellows' to the forefront of the race story.

First, there was a caution on Lap 66 when Santino Ferrucci ran into the back of Rinus VeeKay. Both drivers were able to continue in the race. However, Rossi was forced to enter the pits under caution and was then penalized. During this time, Dixon also retired due to mechanical issues.

On the restart, both Schumacher and Malukas, who were running well into the Top 10, collided with the wall. Both cars pit for several laps before returning to the track several laps down.

The race restarted, but on Lap 79, Ferrucci stopped on track – likely due to earlier damage from his collision with VeeKay. On the same lap, former teammates McLaughlin and Power collided, ending the race for both. Both drivers had led the race earlier in the day.

Don't worry, it doesn't stop there! With only 10 to go, Rossi, after serving his earlier penalty, was fighting hard for positions to regain his front-of-the-grid finishing position until he sent Romain Grosjean into the runoff. Another caution.

IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix Results

Position	Driver/ Team	Time Diff from Lead
1.	Palou/ Chip Ganassi	-
2.	Kirkwood/ Andretti	+3.058
3.	Rahal/ RLL	+5.180
4.	O'Ward/ McLaren	+6.242
5.	Lundgaard/ McLaren	+7.263
6.	Rosenqvist/ Meyer Shank	+8.193
7.	Foster/ RLL	+8.800
8.	Ericsson/ Andretti	+9.247
9.	Simpson/ Chip Ganassi	+9.674
10.	Newgarden/ Penske	+11.896
11.	Armstrong/ Meyer Shank	+12.530
12.	VeeKay/ Juncos	+13.400
13.	Hauger/ Dale Coyne	+14.188
14.	Robb/ Juncos	+14.952
15.	Siegel/ McLaren	+15.324
16.	Collet/ AJ Foyt	+15.960
17.	Rossi/ ECR	+54.044
18.	Malukas/ Penske	+4 Laps
19.	McLaughlin/ Penske	+4 Laps
20.	Grosjean/ Dale Coyne	DNF
21.	Schumacher/ RLL	DNF
22.	Power/ Andretti	DNF
23.	Ferrucci/ AJ Foyt	DNF
24.	Dixon/ Chip Ganassi	DNF
25.	Rasmussen/ ECR	DNF

Detroit Podium Stories

While this race saw a number of drivers unable to finish, the top 3 drivers, and a few of those in the top 10, had notable finishes. Naturally, with Palou's fourth win of the season, he sits solidly at the top of the 2026 Championship Standings.

May 24, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; IndyCar Series driver Kyle Kirkwood (27) during the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

However, his championship rival, Andretti's Kyle Kirkwood, finished in second yet again, bringing the gap between the two in the championship to an even smaller gap. After the Indianapolis 500, Malukas overtook Kirkwood in the points, but with his near DNF at Detroit, Kirkwood is the closest competition to the 4-time IndyCar champion.

Additionally, Graham Rahal has now achieved his third podium finish of the season, bringing him up into the top 10 in overall points. In recent years, Rahal has been struggling as a driver and with the RLL organization, but with several incredibly strong performances this season, there may still be some life in the family-owned team.

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The IndyCar Series will return again next weekend at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois. This is IndyCar's marquee night race with the show starting on Fox at 9:00 PM ET.