Paddock Buzz: Marcus Armstrong Continues to Impress, Climb in Standings
Marcus Armstrong continued his strong run of form by qualifying third in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda for Sunday's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.
'It was a good day in the office,' Armstrong said. 'The lap felt pretty average if I'm brutally honest.'
The result ties Armstrong's best career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in his 42nd attempt. His best finish is third, most recently achieved last Sunday at Iowa Speedway.
Armstrong has surged from 16th to seventh in points, powered by seven top-nine finishes in his last eight starts.
'We're on a bit of a roll right now, so (Sunday) could be a good one,' he said.
Together with Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian teammates Felix Rosenqvist and Helio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500-only starter), MSR has tallied a team-record 17 top-10s in a single season, led laps in eight of 12 races and earned multiple podiums for the first time in team history.
Armstrong finished fifth in Toronto last year, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. MSR's best Toronto finish came last year with a sixth from David Malukas.
'Love the circuit from the first laps I drove around here in 2023,' Armstrong said. 'It's a track that I enjoy going to and a city that I really love and even go to in the offseason. Cool place and cool fans. Had some decent results here the last two years.'
Sunday's race coverage begins at noon ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network.
Palou Makes Fast Six for First Time in Toronto
Alex Palou earned his best career start at Toronto by qualifying second in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing.
In his previous three Toronto starts, Palou was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying, starting 22nd, 15th and 18th, respectively.
'We've normally been struggling quite a lot here in Toronto,' Palou said. 'Honestly, our target was to try and start up front. It's a surprise that we're starting on the front row, honestly.'
This marks Palou's sixth front-row start of the season. He said the car improved with each run on track this weekend, including qualifying, a promising sign for him but scary for the 26 other drivers who battle him in Sunday's 90-lap race.
The three-time series champion has shown an ability to charge through the field in Toronto, finishing sixth, second and fourth in previous starts. With just one spot left to gain, he'll look to earn his eighth win of the season on Sunday.
'Super proud of everybody's work,' Palou said. 'Happy to be starting on the front row.'
Kirkwood Believes He Threw Away a Pole
Back on May 31 in Detroit, Kirkwood believed he had a car capable of winning the NTT P1 Award but made a mistake and settled for third on the grid for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. He ultimately rebounded to win the race.
On Saturday in Toronto, a similar story played out. Kirkwood made another mistake during the Firestone Fast Six round. The No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda for Andretti Global was on a one-lap strategy to go for pole, but a near-crash just before crossing the timing line spoiled the effort, leaving him sixth on the starting grid.
'Definitely just gave away a pole, without a doubt,' Kirkwood said. 'Just started the lap — the first time all weekend that happened to me — got a huge snap, a bit of understeer. The one time I go through there when it matters for a pole, it bottoms out and I get a huge snap.
'Unfortunately, it just feels like I'm throwing away poles left and right on street courses. That one didn't feel very good, if I'm being honest. Very, very disappointed with that performance. I tried to come into pit lane because I knew the lap was already shot and wanted to get fuel to try another run, but they said no. In hindsight, that probably cost us a few positions because I didn't even complete a lap, So yeah, a lot of dumb things.'
Despite the disappointment, Kirkwood has proven he can bounce back. He leads the series with a 2.33 average finish on street courses and finished second in Toronto last year, just behind teammate Colton Herta. He was quickest in Friday's practice session and second on Saturday morning.
Herta Sweeps Street Course Qualifying Front Rows
Herta earned NTT P1 Award honors at Toronto, completing a clean sweep of front row starts on street circuits this season.
Along with his pole in Detroit, Herta also qualified second at both the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
'I think it just shows what this team is capable of on street courses,' Herta said. 'We continue to be, I feel, a dominant force in the league when it comes to that style of racing.'
Though winless so far this season, Herta won last year's Toronto race from pole and has claimed three of his nine career victories on street circuits. He's also been consistently strong in Toronto, finishing second, third, and first in his last three starts.
'They keep impressing me every time we come here,' Herta said. 'The car's still that much faster than everybody else.'
Changes To Turn 3
The city of Toronto laid new asphalt in the braking zone at Turn 3 on Friday night, following requests from drivers who noted a newly developed bump since the series last visited in July 2024. Harsh Canadian winters had worsened the surface, making cars unstable under heavy braking and potentially compromising overtaking opportunities in what is considered the best passing zone on the circuit.
'I think they need to grind it,' Will Power said after Friday's practice. 'It will hurt the racing. I'm very apprehensive about going up the inside. There's a massive new bump at the end of the straight, right in the braking zone.'
Herta believed that spot was much better on Saturday.
'It was pretty brutal yesterday,' he said. 'I didn't really mind it because I think it adds character and whatnot. But it was on a limit. It was very aggressive. I think you saw quite a few guys have mistakes because of it.
'It's a very difficult part of the track to be standing on the brakes like that and have the bump there.
'I thought INDYCAR did a good job. I think there are no problems at all with it.'
Odds And Ends
· Arrow McLaren confirmed that both Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard will have new Chevrolet engines installed for Sunday's race. According to team principal Tony Kanaan, the change was prompted by Chevrolet after detecting a potential issue. As this will be the fourth engine of the season for each driver – within the limit -- no grid penalties will be applied. O'Ward rolls off 10th. Lundgaard starts 19th. The 2023 race winner started 16th and climbed to seventh last year.
· Scott McLaughlin admitted to making a driver error by missing the Turn 5 apex during his qualifying run and will start 15th in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet. He was second and fourth, respectively, in practice this weekend and had averaged a fifth-place starting position in three previous street course starts this season. This marks the first-time in four Toronto appearances that McLaughlin was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying, having previously started sixth, second and fourth, respectively.
· Callum Ilott had 20.5 average starting spot through the opening eight races of the season. Ilott starts 12th in the No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet and improved to 15th the last five races.
· Kyffin Simpson will start 14th in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, marking his best street course start this season. He previously climbed from 17th to finish 10th at Long Beach and surged from 19th to finish fifth in Detroit.
· Will Power will start fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, the fourth time he has qualified in that position at Toronto. He previously won the race from fourth in 2016.
· By qualifying fifth, Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) earned his first Toronto top-five start since qualifying second in 2017. He finished ninth that year. Rahal also qualified fifth in Detroit but suffered a six-spot grid penalty for an engine change.
· Honda has won 11 of the 12 races this season and 12 of the last 13 on street circuit events dating back to Toronto in 2022. The manufacturer also secured eight of the top nine starting positions for Sunday's race.
· Andretti Global and Chip Ganassi Racing drivers combined for nine of the last 12 top-three finishes at Exhibition Place, including a podium sweep last year. Their drivers share the front row and have three of the top six starters.
· Green Flag for Sunday's 90-lap race is 12:22 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network.
recommended
Item 1 of 1
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
44 minutes ago
- Newsweek
McLaren Driver Addresses Rumored Cadillac F1 Move
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. McLaren driver Pato O'Ward spoke about his racing future amid several rumors regarding a move to the new Cadillac F1 team. O'Ward is one of the talented drivers in IndyCar, fighting for the title and racing at a high level. His performances have been good enough to get the Formula 1 paddock talking about the Mexican driver. O'Ward currently drives for Arrow McLaren, which is under the same McLaren Racing organisation as the McLaren F1 team. He has served as a test and reserve driver for the F1 team. Pato O'Ward of Mexico and McLaren prepares to drive in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 25, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. Pato O'Ward of Mexico and McLaren prepares to drive in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 25, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Given all the speculation regarding the Cadillac race seats, O'Ward was asked by ESPN Mexico about the possibility of landing a spot with the team. "That one was pure smoke... pure social media," he told ESPN. "I think that rumor of Cadillac, of me going to Cadillac, was like the rumour of Fernando Alonso hanging out with Taylor Swift." The Alonso-Swift rumors were nothing other than pure speculation from fans on social media with no evidence of anything tangible, which means O'Ward won't be driving for Cadillac next season. O'Ward has done a Free Practice 1 outing each of the last three seasons with McLaren in Formula 1. He made two appearances in Abu Dhabi and one in Mexico last season. Recently, McLaren announced that O'Ward will participate in another FP1 session at Mexico this season. Before the 2024 Indy 500, O'Ward revealed his long-term racing plan. "IndyCar is my home, it has been my home, and it feels like home. But just like IndyCar felt a bit alien five years ago, that's what Formula One is to me now," O'Ward said, according to The Athletic. "I feel like I have a very special opportunity. I have an opportunity to win an Indy 500, to win an IndyCar championship. "And then maybe the doors open to go to Formula One, and I have a shot at maybe possibly winning a world championship, or just being in Formula One and then growing there. "That's all part of the process. But I feel like I'm in a very special position that I feel like a lot of people would kill to be in, and I want to take advantage of it." Despite the move not materializing, he remains secure in his role with Arrow McLaren. He currently sits in second place with 437 points this season for McLaren and two race wins to his name. The Mexican driver captured a shocking win in Toronto, Canada, which cuts rival Alex Palou's lead down to 30 points with plenty of driving left on the track. What were the rumors about Fernando Alonso and Taylor Swift? Last season, tabloid rumors circulated about Spanish driver Fernando Alonso potentially being in a relationship with Swift. However, there was no confirmation from either party. Swift proceeded to begin dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Failure at Iowa sparks latest 2026 IndyCar schedule question: Will Penske Entertainment be able to promote?
TORONTO — Perhaps less than a month away from releasing what in many ways could be a pivotal 2026 season schedule – for the ways in which it reflects Penske Entertainment's priorities and objectives for IndyCar in the short and medium term – series leadership faces several key questions, not the least of which is this: Is Penske Entertainment properly positioned to promote on its own as many races, if not more, than its charged with? Because the camera shots of the grandstands at Iowa Speedway — the first race weekend, a doubleheader no less, that Penske Entertainment has spearheaded on its own outside the confines of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the city of Detroit — captured proof of what can only be called an unmitigated failure in doing what a promoter is expected to do first and foremost: promote. And whether it's at Iowa Speedway, or Richmond Raceway or Phoenix Raceway or Homestead-Miami Speedway or any other oval track IndyCar might add to its calendar in the near future, it's hard to imagine Penske Entertainment being able to work out a deal that involves anything but series leadership having to put its neck out on the line and doing the hard work itself (i.e. a track rental and a self-promoted event) large in part because it's been so easy to point to examples of how difficult it is to make the IndyCar oval race business model work. What just two years ago felt as if it might be IndyCar's best track on the calendar — and one that at the time came with maybe its most active, passionate consumer-facing brand as title sponsor and promoter, and an event that fit a well-defined niche (an oval race weekend not named the Indy 500 capable of drawing more than diehards out to the track) — all a sudden is believed to be on the chopping block, with multiple series sources telling IndyStar that Iowa is expected to be dropped from IndyCar's schedule altogether come 2026. Some of that setback lives on the shoulder of a track owner (NASCAR) who stood by and watched Penske Entertainment lease the track and breathe much-needed life back into a venue that was starting to feel weathered and neglected, and then performed a single-groove repave with the sole purpose of maybe benefitting a series that had never run there at the expense of the one that had every year but once since 2007. IndyCar racing at Iowa Speedway that was maybe the best it had been in 2023 transformed into two of the series' worst events it's put on in 2024, and for those who watched those races either on TV or in the grandstands earlier this month, its no wonder IndyStar counted that the venue had sold fewer than 6,000 reserved grandstand tickets for each day — and that being on the ground and looking at the stands both afternoons made those ticket sales figures seem awfully generous. But when the quality of your on-track product has taken a hit, and then what amounts to both your race weekend's title sponsor and its promoter pulls out of a multi-year deal it had just struck months prior, you can do one of two things: Dig in and fight for what you believe can still be a key event on the calendar, even if it's one that's going to require several years of extra hard work, nurturing in-your-face, outside-the-box promotion tactics that might not immediately bear fruit but which could plant seeds for a rebound; or scale back and turn race promoting into a black-and-white business proposition where finishing in the black, or at least as close to it as possible, is the be all end all. I oftentimes hesitate to buy into the 'I didn't hear any radio ads/see any billboards/see any preview TV coverage' chatter we often see on social media from local race fans whenever an event flops. But the uniformity in so, so many responses — and the evidence provided by the simple images of what the Iowa Speedway grandstands looked like at a track that two years running now has sold out NASCAR and in an area that has such a vibrant short-track scene less than an hour away in Knoxville — made it clear there was more to be had. Is that an easy ambition in what's clearly a very competitive motorsports market and where recent impacts of the economy haven't been so kind? No. But there was one way to ensure that IndyCar would lose that battle and leave Penske Entertainment searching for its next oval track project, and that's assuming defeat and choosing not to come up with creative ways to try and get fans out to the track and build interest back in a track that can put Indy cars on display in a way few can. Is that simply offering cheaper tickets and attempting to pack the place up before gradually, not drastically, bumping them up as demand rises? Is it finding creative ways to partner with Knoxville, whether helicoptering or somehow shuttling drivers after Saturday qualifying to the track for some hot laps and an autograph session in order to create front-of-mind awareness? Is it coming up with a special ticket package for those fans? Is it trying to get NASCAR Trucks to join in on the weekend and creating a far busier crossover-infused race weekend? Because whatever it is, it's not leaving scores of locals feeling as if they're caught off guard on a race weekend they hardly knew was coming, while also making for one of, if not the most expensive, race weekend tickets among Midwest IndyCar races at what is also for the series' hub of fans in Indianapolis the farthest one of those races away and one that's tough to turn into an action-packed weekend both at and away from the track when comparing Des Moines to Nashville, St. Louis, Detroit and Milwaukee. Maybe it's not offering up a way to watch Ed Sheeran perform with some racing action on the side, but it's clear from Hy-Vee's abdication of its race weekend role that wasn't exactly a worthwhile business proposition. Now, is there a chance Penske Entertainment executives had already privately decided headed into its Iowa Speedway doubleheader that the track was not long for IndyCar's schedule? It's always a possibility, and it would explain why this felt on the outside strictly like a business venture where the bottom line took precedence above all. Even still, you would hope that every time your series is on track with a pair of national network windows, you'd go above and beyond to portray the healthiest image of your sport as possible. After all, prospective tracks and promoters out there are watching, and they're no doubt wondering why a series that positions itself as one in growth mode and on a new, better trajectory struggled so mightily to draw interest at a track it's now raced at 23 times since 2007. And now that Penske Entertainment is believed to have moved on to eyeing other oval prospects to replace Iowa, it's likely again to be charged with the responsibility of renting a track and promoting the event itself — a proposition that clearly wasn't easy at Iowa and one that has made adding ovals to IndyCar's schedule in recent years difficult. It's the central issue of why there didn't seem to be a clear-cut logical option between pressing on through tough times at Iowa and moving on: You may be right in thinking that market is no longer rich enough in IndyCar fandom, at a time when NASCAR has proven it's king, but hell or high water, Penske Entertainment is going to have to put the second word in that company name to use and transform its approach elsewhere into a risk-taking, money-spending, outside-the-box-thinking, ever-present-in-market promoter in order to keep this same balance of types of races on the calendar. And as Penske Corp. president Bud Denker said, that's very much a vision of the sport in the short-term. 'We don't want to lose ovals,' Denker told IndyStar ahead of the Iowa race weekend. 'But they're limited, so do you partner with NASCAR somewhere else? 'You also need to look at the market those are in, because we don't want to oversaturate yourself in certain markets.' Insider sources: IndyCar working to finalize Mexico City for 2026 schedule as partial Iowa replacement So where could that be? According to a series source, Penske Entertainment has discussed a return to Phoenix Raceway, a NASCAR-owned track IndyCar last visited from 2016 to 2018 for a poorly attended short saga, in recent weeks among options the series could pursue as it considered whether to pull the plug on its efforts in the Des Moines, Iowa market. Richmond Raceway — another NASCAR-owned oval, like Iowa and so many others — has also been a frequent topic of conversation within the paddock, the irony of Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles' quotes 11 months ago of 'We're not going back to places like Richmond … I don't want to go to places we've been' not withstanding. But the problem with the pursuit of any new oval is this: If the track itself had wanted IndyCar in the recent past, meaning it felt hosting an IndyCar race and paying the series a sanctioning fee was a good business proposition, then I'm quite confident the sport would already be there. Series leadership has enough conversations around the racing world and is well-connected enough that if IndyCar was truly sought after by an oval track, it would've moved mountains to be there. In the face of what a potential new oval track host witnessed earlier this month at Iowa, it seems unlikely any prospective oval track host would change its tune after years of not rolling out the red carpet for the series. And so it begs the question: Why would yet another stab at Phoenix, or Richmond or Homestead-Miami or anywhere else be different? When it comes to Phoenix, you're talking about a market and a track IndyCar was at less than a decade ago and left at the end of a single three-year deal, a tenure the series explicitly said ended due to poor attendance brought on by IndyCar's struggle to put an entertaining product on track. As its recent schedules have shown, NASCAR visits that track within the first four weeks of its schedule — the fourth race of the year this year, a model that next year would have it falling March 8. Partnering with NASCAR and slipping a race in between your season opener (St. Pete, March 1) and the new Grand Prix of Arlington (March 15) isn't exactly what your schedule needs when you're looking at three open weekends shortly after (more on that in a minute). So are you running less than a month after NASCAR? As Iowa and Texas have shown in the past, that typically doesn't go well. 'You feel that intensity.': Will IndyCar return to Iowa Speedway? Pivotal weekend may decide future Following its March race date earlier this year, Homestead-Miami is in the process of undergoing significant renovations to ready the track to host NASCAR's season finale in 2026, a timeline that would appear to make a spring IndyCar date an unlikely proposition. Could Richmond be an option? Up until this year, the track had annually hosted a pair of NASCAR weekends since 1959 (outside the pandemic-altered 2020 season) — one in the spring and one in the fall — before the stock car series' addition of its Mexico City race weekend led to slashing Richmond's spring date. The series will still run there for its penultimate regular season round on Aug. 16. With that in mind, you could argue those charged by NASCAR to operate the track might now be that much more interested to take on an IndyCar race weekend — especially when the track was slated to host IndyCar's return in 2020 before the pandemic, combined with poor early ticket sales and the lack of a title sponsor made for an uphill battle for the sides to continue as the landscape changed significantly. In recent years, NASCAR has run there anywhere between late March to late April, hinting at the potential for the track to perhaps be able to help fill one of a pair of multi-open-weekend gaps that appear to exist on IndyCar's known spring schedule. Richmond also offers proximity to several major metro markets (D.C., Philadelphia and New York City among them) and some semblance of an East Coast presence. Outside the prospect of Penske Entertainment possibly having to host Richmond instead of Iowa, it's biggest drawback would seem to be how quickly plans for IndyCar to run there five years ago were abandoned and that they weren't picked back up once the pandemic settled, but outside of turning its Milwaukee Mile race weekend back into a doubleheader, something Penske Entertainment made a point to roll back for 2025 following IndyCar's return last year, several sources in the paddock view it as perhaps the sport's best option to keep a roughly similar count of oval races on the calendar. So where does that leave IndyCar's schedule? Persistent rumors linger as to the futures of the streets of Toronto — as has been the case the last couple years, brought on by consecutive one-year deals — as well as poorly attended road course races at Portland International Raceway and Laguna Seca. Over the course of the weekend, multiple sources have said they've been told by series officials that both Portland and Laguna Seca will remain on next year's schedule, with Laguna Seca expected to slot in as the precursor to IndyCar's trip to Mexico City that series officials are believed to be targeting for July 26. As Fox broadcasts the 2026 men's FIFA World Cup next summer with a championship match broadcast scheduled for 3 p.m. ET July 19, Lagun Seca would appear to offer a race that could be held at 6 p.m. or so, given its West Coast location that could give IndyCar a significant ratings boost running the wake of the World Cup final. Though it's a lengthy trip of roughly 1,700 miles to reach the border from Monterey, California, and then 700 more to Mexico City from there, it's roughly the same distance the NASCAR paddock traveled in their voyage to Mexico City earlier this year straight from Michigan International Speedway. Off the sked: Thermal Club owner says IndyCar won't return to the track in 2026 It's less clear where Portland may slot into the calendar next year, though with the series expected to position an off weekend following IndyCar's visit to Mexico City, it could make sense to slot it back into the second weekend of August, identical to how it falls this year. The prospects of Toronto returning looms as the largest and most uncertain question mark. In recent years, the city and the promoter have elected to operate on successive one-year deals that haven't been approved until August or later of the year prior, and a search of city public records indicates no deal has yet been struck for 2026. Next summer, Toronto's BMO Field is slated to host several Group Stage matches for the World Cup, as well as an elimination round fixture July 2. The stadium, notably, backs right up to several stretches of the Toronto street course, leaving some in the IndyCar paddock to suspect that running the race in it's typically mid-to-late July slot — and building the track in the weeks beforehand — could be untenable. Could that jump forward a month into mid-August? That was the prevailing belief leaving the track Sunday among several members of the paddock, and it would seem there could be room on IndyCar's calendar there for it. Whether the city would ultimately want to see it return is unclear. Watkins Glen has been a frequently mentioned venue that some believe could serve as an option if a race like Toronto or Portland fell off in 2026 — particularly for Toronto, given its proximity to the Northeast, though it's a road course, not a street course. Both unconfirmed races are put on by the busiest promotional group in the series outside Penske Entertainment: Green Savoree Racing Promotions. How would dropping one of their events go over? Could you have them promote a replacement at Watkins Glen, and avoid putting the promotion of yet another race on Penske's plate? Of course, Miles said 11 months ago that there was 'no (expletive) way' IndyCar was going back to Watkins Glen … then again, he said that sitting in an RV in the infield of the Milwaukee Mile, a track the series was returning to for the first time in nearly a decade. Looking at The Glen's calendar, though, with an IMSA weekend in late June and the expectation of a NASCAR one in August, that could be a tough needle to thread and ensure you could draw a proper crowd, something IndyCar struggled to do when it last visited as a last-minute fill-in for the much-maligned Boston street race for Labor Day weekend races in 2016-17. As IndyStar reported Sunday, Penske Entertainment is prepared to drop its hopeful Mexico City race weekend into a post-World Cup late-July slot, adding the latest crucial piece to an ever-evolving IndyCar schedule that's beginning to have major events, not just races, in just about every month on the schedule: Arlington (March), Long Beach (April), Indy 500 (May), Mexico City (July) and the Nashville Superspeedway season finale (August/Labor Day weekend). The missing month there? June, the target for which Penske Entertainment hopes to place a Denver street race around the Broncos' Mile High Stadium next summer, according to multiple paddock sources — an event that appears to have gained traction, at least in part, to the hype around IndyCar's to-debut Grand Prix of Arlington that will run around the homes of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers (which was designed off the successes of Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix that has showcased the Dolphins' stadium). Looking at the final pieces of the puzzle, the most glaring issue with what's known, believed to be known or presumed regarding IndyCar's 2026 calendar are the four consecutive unspoken for weekends between Arlington (March 15) and Long Beach (April 19). Until the latest news, Penske Entertainment was believed to be holding the weekend between Easter (April 5) and Long Beach for Mexico City. With those plans scrapped, an early April slot for Barber would seem to make the most sense, when considering that NASCAR's Talladega weekend (when looking at recent history) would track for April 26, and the Birmingham area is slated to host a PGA Champions Tour tournament in Birmingham the weekend of May 3 put on by the same promotional company that runs IndyCar's Barber race weekend. In order to maximize attendance, interest and media coverage, going head-to-head with either would be unwise, as would running in the South on Easter. Barring the addition of a new race the first weekend of May, the Sonsio Grand Prix (May 9) appears slated to kick off a several-week stretch of the paddock competing at the track, and without a Month of May precursor like Barber for next year, Penske Entertainment could look to tack on a pair of consecutive races immediately following the 500, as it's done before. We already know the Detroit Grand Prix will run May 31, but the ability to sneak the series' World Wide Technology Raceway date in before the start of the World Cup would seem wise (June 7) before the prospect of an off weekend as the World Cup kicks off, and then a trip to Road America. Precisely which weekend Mid-Ohio will fall is unclear. From April: 4 questions about 2026 IndyCar schedule begging for answers Therein lies the IndyCar 2026 scheduling jigsaw puzzle at play, a chess board that could seemingly offer as many as four new venues, with at least one more shortly on the way. Below is what a 2026 IndyCar schedule could look like, based off of intel from multiple paddock sources as well as well-informed presumptions. Race dates that have been formally confirmed by the series (or from IMSA's 2026 schedule) are in bold: March 1: Streets of St. Pete March 15: Streets of Arlington April 12: Barber Motorsports Park April 19: Streets of Long Beach April 26: Richmond Raceway May 9: IMS road course May 24: Indianapolis 500 May 31: Streets of Detroit June 7: World Wide Technology Raceway June 21: Road America July 5: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 19: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca July 26: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (Mexico City) Aug. 9: Portland International Raceway Aug. 16: Streets of Toronto Aug. 30: Milwaukee Mile Sept. 6: Nashville Superspeedway
Fox Sports
10 hours ago
- Fox Sports
How to Watch Cubs vs. Royals: TV Channel & Live Stream
Data Skrive Maikel Garcia and the Kansas City Royals will hit the field on Monday at Wrigley Field against Ryan Brasier, who is projected to start for the Chicago Cubs. First pitch will be at 8:05 p.m. ET for the first game of a three-game series. Here is everything you need to watch the Cubs vs. Royals game. Keep up with MLB on FOX Sports. Check out the best highlights between the Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins. Cubs vs. Royals Game Information & How to Watch When: Monday, July 21, 2025 at 8:05 p.m. ET Where: Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois TV: Watch on MLB Network, MARQ, FDSKC Box Score: Fox Sports Cubs vs. Royals Prediction Score Prediction: Cubs 5, Royals 3 Total Prediction: Over 8 runs Win Probabilities: Cubs 66%, Royals 34% Cubs vs. Royals Head to Head Date Favorite Spread Total Favorite Moneyline Underdog Moneyline Result 7/28/2024 Royals -1.5 9 -184 +153 7-3 CHC 7/27/2024 Royals -1.5 8 -136 +115 9-4 CHC 7/26/2024 Royals -1.5 9 -152 +129 6-0 KC 8/20/2023 Cubs -1.5 9 -214 +178 4-3 CHC 8/19/2023 Cubs -1.5 9 -216 +178 6-4 CHC 8/18/2023 Cubs -1.5 8.5 -182 +155 4-3 KC Cubs Last 10 Game Stats Stat Avg/Total Record 6-4 Runs Per Game 4.2 HR 13 ERA 3.52 K/9 8.3 Cubs Player Insights Kyle Tucker has 19 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 62 walks while batting .279. Among all batters in MLB, Tucker's home run total ranks him 28th, and his RBI tally ranks him 28th. Pete Crow-Armstrong's 26 home runs lead his team. Crow-Armstrong is sixth in home runs and ninth in RBI among all major league hitters this season. Crow-Armstrong enters this game looking for his fifth game in a row with a hit. During his last five outings he is hitting .286 with three doubles, a home run and two RBIs. Seiya Suzuki paces the Cubs with 26 home runs and 80 runs batted in. Nico Hoerner is hitting .288 to lead his team. Hoerner is riding a three-game hitting streak into this one. During his last five outings he is hitting .316 with a triple, a walk and an RBI. Cubs Recent & Upcoming Games Royals Last 10 Game Stats Stat Avg/Total Record 6-4 Runs Per Game 4.3 HR 16 ERA 3.23 K/9 8.4 Royals Player Insights Bobby Witt Jr. is hitting .289 with 33 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs and 31 walks. Witt's home run total places him 62nd in MLB, and he is 45th in RBI. Garcia's .292 batting average paces his team. Garcia is currently 155th in homers and 99th in RBI in the big leagues. Vinnie Pasquantino paces the Royals in home runs (15) and runs batted in (57). Salvador Perez paces the Royals with 15 long balls. Royals Recent & Upcoming Games FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily. FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Chicago Cubs Kansas City Royals recommended Item 1 of 1
