By: Spencer Neff
June 19, 2026
Marcus Armstrong and Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist kicked off this weekend’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America in great fashion as the Meyer Shank Racing teammates ran first and second in Friday afternoon’s opening practice.
Armstrong, who relayed to Fox Sports’ Georgia Henneberry that he’s battling a seasonal illness, posted a best lap of 1m44.2714 (138.585 mph) on the 4.014-mile, 14-turn Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin road course. Armstrong earned his first Road America Top Five, ending the 55-lap race in fifth during his first season at MSR.
Rosenqvist, who earned his first INDYCAR victory at Road America in 2020 (Race 2), was .0787 of a second back of his teammate.
2025 race winner and current NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou was third on the afternoon, completing 1-2-3 for Honda-powered cars. The four-time series champion also won in 2021 and 2023, in addition to earning his first podium in 2020 (Race 1).
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing team shares a technical alliance with MSR.
Rounding out the Top Five was the Arrow McLaren duo of Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel, the fastest Chevrolets in the field. A.J. Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet ended his first INDYCAR practice at Road America in sixth, best among the field’s three rookies.
The first on-track incident this weekend occurred with less than 30 minutes remaining in practice. Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Sting Ray Robb spun exiting Turn 14 and made contact with the outside wall, damaging his no. 77 entry’s rear wing.
Once Robb’s incident was cleared, the remainder of the 75-minute session ran without further incident.
Despite winning two weekends ago, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden has Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Felipe Nasr on standby as he continues to nurse a foot injury suffered at the Indianapolis 500.
Up Next
Here is the remaining on-track schedule
At-track schedule (all times Central Time):
Saturday, June 20
10:05-10:55 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2, FS1 (live)
1:05-2:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (live)
Sunday, June 21
10:05-10:35 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warmup, FS1 (live)
12:30 p.m. — Driver introductions
1 p.m. – FOX on air
1:20 p.m.–XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Command to Start Engines
1:27 p.m. -XPEL Grand Prix at Road America (55 laps/220.77 miles), FOX (live)
Header Image By Paul Hurley/INDYCAR
IndyCar1909.com 