INDYCAR RACE REPORT: XPEL Grand Prix at Road America
Race Results
| XPEL Grand Prix at Road America |
| Will Power | P3 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | P10 |
| Marcus Ericsson | P13 |
Race Notes
- The NTT INDYCAR SERIES took on the scenic road course at Road America this afternoon for a high-intensity 55-lap contest. Will Power emerged as Andretti Global’s top finisher this afternoon, executing great strategy after a full course yellow on Lap 30 set him up in an ideal position to slice through the field and secure a third-place finish in a fierce last-lap battle for the podium. This result marks Power’s fifth podium result on the Wisconsin track and 110th overall career INDYCAR podium.
- Rounding out the top-10 finishers was Kyle Kirkwood in 10th, with Marcus Ericsson crossing the line close behind in 13th.
- Today’s race saw five caution periods totaling 11 laps.
- Andretti Global will take a week off before returning to road course racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 3-5. Fans can tune into live coverage on FOX and FOX One.
Will Power
No. 26 TWG AI Honda
P3
| Started | P10 |
| Standings | P14 (180 points) |
- Despite qualifying 11th yesterday, Will Power took today’s green flag from 10th for his 14th start at Road America following a grid penalty issued to the No. 14 and No. 20 cars.
- Power lost three positions in the opening laps before making his first pit stop on Lap 12. As cars cycled through pit stops under yellow, the No. 26 broke back into the top 10 and remained in his starting position at the halfway point.
- Power made his second pit stop on Lap 30 before a yellow was issued three laps later. With many of the field pitting under yellow, the No. 26 moved up to fourth before cycling back to sixth when the race returned to green on Lap 36.
- Running seventh with 18 laps to go, Power worked his way into the top four in the closing laps and moved into third on the final lap. Contact with the No. 15 in Canada Corner dropped the No. 26 Honda to fifth, but following Race Control review, Power earned a third-place finish.
- Today’s podium marks Power’s second of the season and sixth at Road America.
“It was a great day for us and definitely a result we needed. The strategy was really good, and there were some great calls on the stand. We had strong restarts as well. That last sequence was very good and moved us into the top four, and on the final restart, I was able to get up to P3. I’m really proud of the effort from the entire TWG AI Honda crew. This is a well-deserved result, and hopefully we can build on it at Mid-Ohio.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda
P10
| Started | P18 |
| Standings | P3 (313 points) |
- Starting on the Firestone alternate tires in his fifth start at Road America, Kyle Kirkwood took the green from 18th and remained in the middle of the pack through the first stint of the race.
- After making his first pit stop on Lap 14, a yellow flag one lap later played into Kirkwood’s strategy, allowing the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda to move into the top 12 by Lap 19 as some of the field made their first stop of the day.
- Continuing to move up the field, Kirkwood ran 10th at the halfway point before climbing to seventh by Lap 30. After making his second pit stop on Lap 32, the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda remained in contention for a top-10 finish.
- Committed to a three-stop strategy, Kirkwood battled his way through the closing stages of the race and ultimately took the checkered in 10th.
- Today’s result marked Kirkwood’s fourth consecutive top-10 finish at Road America.
“We’re done with Round 10 here at Road America. We finished 10th, and I’m fairly happy with that, considering our performance. We were just fighting gremlins all weekend long. So, the fact that we were able to come out of here with a top 10 is actually pretty good. Now, we move into testing at Mid-Ohio in a couple of days before we race there. Then, we’ll focus on the long stretch to the end of the season. We’re still not out of Championship points contention. We’re still well in it. So, hopefully there are many more wins to come.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 Delaware Life Honda
P13
| Started | P5 |
| Standings | P9 (213 points) |
- Making his second-best start at Road America this afternoon, Marcus Ericsson took the green flag from fifth for his ninth start on the Wisconsin road course.
- After dropping a few positions on the opening lap, Ericsson carved his way back to his starting position by Lap 3, carrying that positive momentum all the way up to second place before making his first pit stop on Lap 14.
- As a full-course yellow came out from Lap 14-18, the pit cycle shuffled the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda to fourth, but Race Control ordered the Swede to move up to third ahead of the Lap 19 restart.
- Just as Ericsson established himself in second and prepared for his next stop, a second caution flag waved on Lap 30. Forced to pit under yellow on Lap 31, he rejoined the field only to suffer contact from the No. 18 car, which damaged his left-front tire and suspension.
- Despite his best efforts, Ericsson struggled to find the pace over the remaining stints due to the slight damage to the No. 28 Honda, causing the Swedish driver to lose momentum at the front and cross the finish line in 13th.
“It was the day of what could have been. I think we did really well during the first part of the race. The No. 28 Delaware Life Honda was great out there. We were making our way up to the top three, and then we just got burned on that yellow. You know, the way they call the yellows now, after they changed the rules mid-season, is the way we’re going to go racing. This puts a lot of luck into it, and we just got burned on that second yellow. It was a fight from then on. We had some good battles, but got shoved off and hit. That bent my toe link on the left front, so I had quite a bent car for the second half of the race. I still battled through it and sort of got a result out of it, but it’s definitely a what-could-have-been day. I think we had the pace for a podium, at least. So there’s frustration in that, but still a lot of positives to take from this weekend. We have a lot of pace, and we’re going to bring that to Mid-Ohio.”
Ron Ruzewski
INDYCAR Team Principal
“A good day when it was all said and done. Kind of a crazy race. We put ourselves in good opportunities with the No. 26 and got Will a podium, which was great for the team. We had good cars all weekend. It’s a shame for Marcus and Kyle to get caught out. Marcus had a solid car and was running well all weekend. We’ll look forward to carrying this momentum into Mid-Ohio.”
