Favorites and Sleepers: Detroit
Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood won the last street-circuit race of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13.
Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on March 2.
Palou's teammate Scott Dixon is the defending winner of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
Given Honda's dominance on street courses, scoring 10 wins in the last 11 tries since the start of the 2023 season, this could signify a Chip Ganassi Racing vs. Andretti Global battle for Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Pato O'Ward's 2024 St. Petersburg win, driving the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the lone exception.
Kirkwood, Dixon, Palou, Felix Rosenqvist, Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard are the six drivers to finish in the top 10 at both street course races this season.
How many will remain on that list after an action-packed weekend around the 1.645 mile, nine-turn street circuit?
Favorites
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 TireRack.com Team Penske Chevrolet)
McLaughlin finished seventh in 2023 and 20th last year in Detroit but placed fourth in St. Petersburg on March 2 and sixth on April 13 at Long Beach this season. He has three top-six finishes in the last four races on the season, too.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Over Dixon's last 16 street course starts, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has four wins and nine top-six results, including a victory here last year and runner-up in this year's St. Petersburg season opener and eighth in Long Beach. He also finished fourth at Detroit in 2023.
Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
Palou has one finish worse than eighth in his last 17 street course starts. He has nine podium finishes and 14 top-six results on these tracks during that span, including a victory March 2 in St. Petersburg and runner-up April 13 at Long Beach. Palou won at Detroit in 2023 but placed 16th last year. On the season, Palou has five wins and a runner-up finish in six starts.
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)
Power finished fifth in Long Beach, runner-up and sixth, respectively, at Detroit, and produced seven top-seven finishes in his last 11 street course starts. He has four top-six finishes in the last five races.
Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens AWS Honda)
All three of Kirkwood's NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories came on street courses for Andretti Global. He led 53 of 85 laps in his Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach triumph in 2023 and 46 of 90 in April, both from the pole. Kirkwood also earned his second career victory in August 2023 on the streets of Nashville. He finished fifth in St. Petersburg this season and sixth and fourth, respectively, in his last two Detroit starts.
Sleepers
Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
Lundgaard finished eighth and third, respectively, on street courses races this season. His only NTT P1 Award and victory occurred in July 2023 on the streets of Toronto. This car has placed fifth in the last two Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix races. Lundgaard was 11th for Arrow McLaren last season.
Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet)
Rossi finished fifth at Detroit the last two years driving for Arrow McLaren and was 10th in the season opener at St. Petersburg.
Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Siemens Honda)
Three of Ericsson's four career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on street circuits. All three came at different venues, St. Petersburg, Nashville and Belle Isle. While he hasn't won on this Detroit circuit, finishing ninth in June 2023 for Chip Ganassi Racing and runner-up last year for Andretti Global, watch out. At the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding, Ericsson finished sixth. Ericsson has qualified seventh and fifth in the pair of street races this season, too.
Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda)
Rosenqvist came from ninth in the 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear to finish third and was eighth last June. This season, Rosenqvist finished seventh at St. Petersburg and fourth in Long Beach. He has five top-10 finishes in six races this season.
Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda)
Armstrong had four top-11 finishes in five street-course starts in 2023. Last season, he finished 12th in Long Beach, third in Detroit and fifth at Toronto. This year, he moved to Meyer Shank Racing and qualified fourth in St. Petersburg and seventh at Long Beach. If he can stay out of trouble, Armstrong could surprise everyone this weekend.
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