IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix: Schedule, Predictions, And How To Watch

Less than a week after the biggest race of the season, IndyCar is back in action, this time on the streets of Detroit. Gear up for the Detroit Grand Prix with all the information you need to know to navigate this race weekend.

IndyCar Round 7: Detroit Grand Prix Preview and Predictions 

For the last two weeks, the drivers have been turning left around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500, which was won by Alex Palou. This week, they are doing a 180 and heading to the imperfect streets of downtown Detroit for the Detroit Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Alex Palou Becomes a Part of Racing History at the 109th Indianapolis 500

Looking at last year’s results, Detroit could shake things up. The bumpy streets caught Palou off guard in 2024, and he finished in 16th, one of his worst results of the season.

Will this track dampen Palou’s historic championship dominance and give a chance to another driver to take home the victory? Or will he continue to be unstoppable?

Detroit Grand Prix Preview

The Detroit Grand Prix is 100 laps on the streets of Detroit. The narrow streets, tight corners, and short track are going to be a cause for chaos. All the lack of yellows we’ve been missing before the 500 may come in this race.

Last year, there were eight cautions involving 22 cars, although four of those cars were in two incidents each. Turn 3 saw the most contact, with seven cars stopped in the first pass through the hairpin. With the number of cautions, the winner may be determined by who has the best strategy.

The Track: Streets of Detroit

The Detroit Grand Prix has seen some location and track changes over the years, the most recent being in 2023, going from the Belle Isle Circuit to the current layout, the downtown streets of the Windy City. This isn’t the first time IndyCar has been on the streets of Detroit, but it is much shorter and features fewer corners than the original track.

The nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit takes no prisoners, with its narrowness, bumpy surface, and plenty of unforgiving concrete walls. This track features a straightaway on Jefferson Avenue, which is seven-tenths of a mile long, creating more overtaking possibilities than it was on the even narrower track at Belle Isle.

Drivers to Watch

Scott Dixon

Last year, Scott Dixon took home the victory with one of his strategy masterclasses. On lap 56, Dixon pitted under caution, while others decided to stay out. With his fuel-saving sorcery and a few more cautions, he managed to stretch fuel until the finish at Lap 100 and beat Marcus Ericsson by .8567

READ MORE: How Scott Dixon Stole the Show in Chaotic Detroit GP

It also seems like Detroit may be a good luck charm as he is the most successful driver in Detroit history, winning four times. His first win came on the Belle Isle circuit in 2012. He also won in 2018 and 2019. Dixon’s ability to take risks with strategy and almost defy odds will come in handy to see if he can go back-to-back

Louis Foster

Louis Foster is coming off a 12th-place finish in the Indy 500 after starting 20th in his first appearance. Now heading into Detroit, this is a track he’s seen before while racing in Indy NXT. In the two qualifying sessions he’s had in 2023 and 2024, he not only managed to get pole but he did so in a record-breaking fashion. In 2024, he broke the track record of 1:06.8374 he set in 2023 with a lap of 1 minute, 5.1079 seconds.

His quick speed in qualifying around the 1.645-mile temporary street circuit may put him in the conversation to earn pole at the Detroit Grand Prix, and who knows, if he performs well in qualifying, he could go for a podium or even the win.

Marcus Ericsson

Marcus Ericsson is eager to recover after his second-place finish at the Indy 500 was downgraded to last place due to his car not passing inspection. What better opportunity to do so than in Detroit, a track where he also seeks redemption?

Last year, he was fighting Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Armstrong for the podium spot while Dixon led. Ericsson couldn’t complete that pass for second until Lap 99, and although Ericsson made the most of his final lap, cutting Dixon’s less than a second, it was too late.

How to Watch the IndyCar Detroit Grand Prix: