Gateway 500 Weekend Preview
- therookiereporters
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
This article will cover everything you need to know about the ninth round of the IndyCar season: stats, facts and storylines as IndyCar races for a fifth consecutive weekend.
Setting the Scene
We arrive at the half way point of the season where every race from now on becomes of utmost importance no matter where you sit in the standings. Heading into this event, Alex Palou leads the standings with a healthy advantage over nearest title contender Kyle Kirkwood of 54 points after a strong victory last time out at Detroit. This was further enhanced by Malukas's blunder of a weekend seeing him finish way down the order. However Palou heads to the commonly named Gateway Oval this weekend having not podiumed on this track in his Indycar career thus far making it a more difficult assignment. This gives impetus to his chasers in the title fight to close in. Meanwhile, on the other end of the championship we have the rookie of the year fight which is lead by Dennis Hauger by 38 points which is a healthy lead that has rewarded consistency after a disappointingly quiet weekend for Caio Collet still brushing off the wounds of his Indy 500 crash whilst Mick Schumacher was off the pace yet had an amazing opportunity for a season defining race result until he found the wall. This battle isn't and is sure to intensify as the season continues.
Championship Standings
1. Palou 327 pts
2. Kirkwood 265 pts
3. Malukas 248 pts
4. Lundgaard 226 pts
5. O Ward 220 pts
6. Rosenqvist 205 pts
7. McLaughlin 192 pts
8. Newgarden 187 pts
9. Rahal 186 pts
10. Armstrong 174 pts
Track Analysis
This Oval stands at 1.25 mi in distance with 4 distinct corners of varying difficulty with the first few turns having increased banking whilst the last two corners are clearly a more longer sweeping corner configuration. It will be interesting to see the teams try to manage this difference and what sorts of setups they will run to be most consistent across the whole lap.
This oval took a hiatus on the calendar after debuting in the early 2000s but has been ever present since 2017 becoming a fan favourite every time we head down to Madison, Illinois for the race weekend. This race has often been drama filled in the past and as of late with moments of high-octane chaos and will likely continue this year.
Drivers to watch
Newgarden - The most successful racer around this track overwhelmingly with 5
wins at a circuit he thrives around. It would have likely been 6 if not for his crash last year. Even though not at his physical best at the moment, with the smoother nature of this circuit it should go easier on his injury making him still one of the top favourites to head to victory lane this weekend
O’Ward - Always the bridesmaid never the bride? Pato has been so close to glory at this track since 2020. He has achieved 5 podium finishes and multiple second places. His consistency around this track is clear and he should remain a high threat this weekend to finally make a breakthrough in this 2026 season which has been consistent but quiet for Pato's standards so far.
Malukas - A driver who needs a bounceback performance and no better track to arrive at than at Gateway for a driver who has had some great performances here in his early career with the highlight performance the incredible last lap pass for P2 over Scott McLaughlin in 2022. He has accrued another podium position of P3 in 2023 as well. With the Penske machinery underneath him, who doubts that he could go one position greater this year and take his first ever Indycar Victory.
Kirkwood - A weekend that will feel like an opportunity for Kirkwood to close that championship lead on a track where 1 year ago he took Andretti's first oval win since 2018 showing the consistent improvement to their oval performance over the years. Already this season at Phoenix, Kirkwood bagged a podium in P2 at a short oval so is a likely contender once more.
Rasmussen - An outside shot but a driver that cannot be ignored after his short oval performance in 2025 was immense which led to his first victory in Indycar. However, the form card holds grim reading for Rasmussen this season amidst his own struggles on track and Ed Carpenter's team struggles overall but no better place for them to rewrite the script and take another short oval victory.
Weekend Schedule
Practice: 11:30 CT/17:30 BST Saturday
Qualifying: 15:35 CT/21:35 BST Saturday
High Line Practice: 19:05 CT Saturday/01:05 BST Sunday
Final Practice: 20:00 CT Saturday/02:00 BST Sunday
Gateway 500: 20:25 CT Sunday/02:25 BST Monday
This weekend of action here at the Gateway track will sure be a spectacle once more where a few surprise results could easily be sprung. Whether Malukas can get his first win, O ward breaking his podium duct this season or even a surprise return to form from Rasmussen there is always something at stake around this race circuit.
Article Written by Taegan H
