Christian Lundgaard (7) celebrates his victory alongside his team after the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, June 21, 2026, at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Christian Lundgaard demonstrated resilience, climbing from a poor start to secure his second IndyCar Series victory of the season at the XPEL Grand Prix in Road America on Sunday.
After dropping from 12th to last on the opening lap following a collision, Lundgaard steadily regained positions in his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, taking the lead permanently on lap 52 of the 55‑lap event at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
This triumph marks his third IndyCar career win, surpassing the total victories he accumulated over his first four seasons in the series. The result elevates him to fourth place in the NTT IndyCar Series championship standings.
“I knew we had a chance,” Lundgaard said of his recovery from the back of the field. “I studied last year’s race and understood that perseverance was key. After making several errors last season that dropped us out of contention, I was determined to capitalize on those lessons.”
“We’ve been struggling all weekend,” he added, “so I owe a great deal of gratitude to the team for their efforts.”
Lundgaard led only seven laps — the fourth‑most of any driver — after his car incurred damage to the left front wing and a deflated tire following a Turn 1 collision with Scott Dixon.
He ultimately outpaced second‑place finisher David Malukas and his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet by 0.6241 seconds. The race concluded under caution after a one‑lap restart to determine the winner was halted when Graham Rahal went off the track, colliding with Will Power, who finished third.
For Malukas, this marked his third runner‑up finish of the season; although he is still pursuing his maiden IndyCar victory, the result lifts him to second in the series standings with five top‑five finishes in ten races.
Alex Palou, who topped the championship standings with four wins this season, secured his sixth 2026 pole position, but a pit‑speed penalty on lap 29 dropped him to fifth, behind Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Kyffin Simpson.
New Zealand driver Marcus Armstrong, aiming for his first career win, led for 14 laps into the final stretch and held a nearly three‑second advantage with five laps remaining. However, his car suddenly lost power, allowing Lundgaard to overtake him and relegating Armstrong to 24th place.
“It was all smooth sailing,” Armstrong remarked after the race. “Coming out of Turn 6, the engine began sputtering as if it were out of fuel; despite clear indications otherwise, it then died completely, with no prior warning of trouble.”
Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden led the most laps — 18 — and finished eighth.
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