INDYCAR Sets June 21 Road America Race for 2 p.m. ET on FOX

Q: Can Àlex Palou make history with a record-setting fourth victory at Road America?

Yes. If Àlex Palou wins Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix, he would become the first INDYCAR driver to claim four victories at Road America. Palou already has three wins at the 4.014-mile circuit, which puts him alongside Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and Michael Andretti for the most Road America wins in series history. A fourth would give him the standalone record at one of INDYCAR’s most prestigious road courses. He arrives with a strong case to do it. Palou is the defending Road America winner, leads the 2026 championship with 342 points, and has been one of the series’ most consistent performers. He also won earlier this season at Long Beach and has remained a weekly contender in the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The challenge is that Road America rarely rewards anyone easily. Felix Rosenqvist, fresh off his Indianapolis 500 victory and a past Road America winner himself, is a major threat. Pato O’Ward was quickest in Saturday’s pre-qualifying practice, while Kyle Kirkwood, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Will Power also give the field unusual depth. Palou was sixth in that session, so he has pace, but not clear dominance. Weather could also matter, with rain possible Sunday. That would add strategy risk and increase the chance of an upset. So the history is there for Palou to make, and the record is within reach. But with a deep field and uncertain conditions, it remains a realistic opportunity rather than a foregone result.

Q: With rain looming on race day, could an underdog driver upset the favorites?

Yes—but not necessarily because of rain. The latest reporting around Road America is mixed on Sunday’s weather. Some coverage mentions a chance of rain, but another update says race day is expected to be dry, cooler and cloudy. That means a weather-driven shock result is possible, but not something strongly supported yet. Even so, Road America is a track where an upset can happen. Its 4-mile layout, long straights, fast corners and strategy demands can reward drivers who get setup, tire management and pit timing right. If conditions turn variable, that only increases the chance of a surprise by reducing the usual edge held by the top teams. There is recent evidence that changing conditions can scramble an IndyCar race. At WWT Raceway this season, rain interruptions hurt front-runners such as Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, while Christian Rasmussen climbed from 17th to finish third by finding a different line and adapting better than others. That is the kind of opening an underdog would need. If the race stays dry, the favorites remain the safest picks. Palou is the defending winner and a three-time Road America winner, Rosenqvist has won here before and arrives with strong momentum, and Pato O’Ward led Saturday practice. But Marcus Armstrong, David Malukas and Caio Collet all showed speed in the pre-qualifying session, suggesting the field behind the headline names is close enough to capitalize if strategy, cautions or weather create chaos.

3 articles · Updated · FOX Sports · Jun 15

Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America will start at 2 p.m. ET on June 21, with FOX carrying the race and FOX One offering streaming.
The Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin event caps a three-day INDYCAR weekend at the 4-mile, 14-turn circuit, with Practice 1 on June 19, qualifying on June 20 and warmup before the race.
Àlex Palou enters as the defending winner and will chase a fourth Road America victory against a field that includes Indy 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist, Pato O'Ward, Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Scott Dixon and Kyle Kirkwood.
Road America, opened in 1955 on 640 acres between Milwaukee and Green Bay, remains one of INDYCAR’s signature road-course stops.