Eyes on the streets of Detroit
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES rolls into Detroit this weekend, and the streets are already whispering stories of past glory. Honda has been untouchable on this 1.645-mile layout, claiming all three wins since the series returned to this downtown course in 2023. Alex Palou arrives as the man to beat, carrying an average finish of 1.3 on street courses this year and wins in St. Petersburg and Long Beach, despite a rough 25th-place finish here last season.
He faces a stacked deck of favorites. Scott Dixon, who claimed the win here in 2024, is riding a wave of consistency with five top-10 finishes in his last six starts. Meanwhile, Kyle Kirkwood is a true street fighter, having secured five of his six career victories on such tracks, including a win in Detroit last year. Will Power and Scott McLaughlin are also looming, with Power adjusting to his new reality with Andretti Global while chasing his fourth top-six finish on these streets.
Then there are the sleepers who could turn the weekend upside down. David Malukas is surging with consecutive runner-up finishes in the Indianapolis races, yet he still hunts for that elusive first win in 68 career starts. Watch out for Felix Rosenqvist, fresh off a stunning Indianapolis 500 victory; history shows that winning the "500" and the very next race is an incredibly rare feat, last achieved by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000. It is a wide-open 100 laps waiting to unfold.
