We’re getting ready for the second half of back-to-back race weekends for the NTT IndyCar Series, and our next race is bringing us to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
Round 9: Road America Preview and Predictions
Last year at Road America, it was a Penske 1-2-3 with Will Power winning his first of three races in 2024. Now, in 2025, Penske has had an abysmal year. Can they turn it around in Elkhart Lake? Or will Kirkwood and Palou continue their dominance?
XPEL Grand Prix Preview:
Road America is a road course that’s been hosting races since the 1950s. The first official race held at the track was the Sports Car Club of America. Since then, it’s hosted multiple different race series. Today, Road America serves as a points-paying race for IndyCar and the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The XPEL Grand Prix is a 4.048-mile road course located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The race runs for 55 laps and features 14 different turns.
The Track: Road America
The CART Champ Car series raced at Road America from 1982 to 2007. IndyCar revived the race as part of the 2016 season and has been racing there ever since. Chip Ganassi Racing has five wins at the track while Team Penske has had a driver take the top step four times.
The main straight and Kettle Bottoms are ideal spots for overtaking. Other areas that give good overtaking opportunities are Turns 5, 6, and 12, but they’re also known as the prime area for lockups due to being a heavy braking zone.
The track has a few elevation changes, making Road America a bit more physically demanding. Some notable examples are the uphill run into Turn 6 and the significant elevation drop at the Carousel.
Just done a lap of the track and a reminder to me that @roadamerica really is one of the most daunting and challenging tracks. It’s also hands down one of the most beautiful circuits I’ve ever been to, anywhere in the world. pic.twitter.com/aV7Pq8aHvn
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) June 19, 2025
Drivers to Watch:
David Malukas
Malukas has been a driver to watch this season. With rumors floating around about him replacing Will Power at Team Penske, Malukas has had eyes on him all season long.
The past few races, he’s been inching closer and closer to a win. After finishing as the runner-up at the Indy 500, it’s clear that there has been an increase in his performance over recent months.
He’s managed to snag a spot in the Firestone Fast Six. While his impressive qualifying results have yet to be converted into a win due to some bad luck on race day, He led more than 20 laps in St. Louis. It’s only a matter of time until David Malukas takes the top step for his first IndyCar career win.
Kyle Kirkwood
At the start of the season, it seemed like a fourth championship win for Alex Palou was a no-brainer. This quickly changed once Kyle Kirkwood snagged the win at Long Beach.
Since Long Beach, Kirkwood has won the past two races, also marking his first career oval win.
The championship battle thus far is between Palou and Kirkwood. If Kirkwood can pull off three wins in a row, he’ll continue to close the gap in the standings before him and Palou in hopes of surpassing them as we enter the back half of the season.
Just another weekend of bringing home hardware 😘 pic.twitter.com/WzoZofZvw1
— Andretti INDYCAR & INDY NXT (@AndrettiIndy) June 16, 2025
How to Watch IndyCar at Road America:
Practice 1 is on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and will be available to watch on FS1.
Practice 2 is at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, with qualifying starting at 2:30 in the afternoon the same day. Both will be streaming on FS1.
On Sunday morning, FS1 will have coverage of the warmup at 10:00 a.m. Then, at 1:30 p.m., the drivers will start their engines for the 2025 XPEL Grand Prix at Road America.
All times are according to Eastern Standard Time.
Last Word On Motorsports will have all the updates from Road America and the NTT IndyCar Series.
Main Photo: Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Recording Date: 6/9/2024
