Yesterday, Álex Palou took another pole at the Barber Motorsports Park. Last year, he commanded a dominant victory in Alabama as the race saw full green flag running. The question coming into today was: can Palou be the first driver in 2026 to convert pole to a win, and win his second race? 90 laps later, and answer was given. He could.
Green Flag Racing
After Palou took pole, the race also mimicked 2025 with green flag racing throughout. Palou got a great start ahead of David Malukas and Graham Rahal. Championship leader Kyle Kirkwood was able to jump Marcus Armstrong on the initial lap and set off after Rahal. Unfortunately for him, Rahal was able to defend.
In the early stages of the race, Dennis Hauger and Christian Lundgaard were on the charge. Both initially made up four places. In contrast, Pato O’Ward fell behind at the race start, finding himself battling his Arrow McLaren teammate Nolan Siegel for P15.
Whilst the race was completely green, a yellow flag almost came out for Rinus VeeKay. Alexander Rossi closed the door as the No. 76 attempted a move on the inside. Their wheels collided which sent VeeKay spinning on track. Luckily, VeeKay kept the car on track and continued running, negating the need for a yellow flag.
Lundgaard Challenges Palou
Although Malukas tried to stay in touch with Palou, his alternate tyres quickly fell behind. Ultimately, Rahal was able to overtake Malukas, but by that time, Palou had a five second lead. It quickly became clear that it wasn’t the red race that many had assumed. Due to this, the black-walled hard tyres were found to be the favourites.
And starting on those primary tyres favoured Lundgaard. Being able to stay out longer than those around him, the Arrow McLaren found himself in a podium position once the first round of pit stops concluded. In the second round of pit stops, Lundgaard jumped Rahal and, after starting tenth, was in second place. Now on his mandatory stint on the alternate tyres, Lundgaard was able to make up ground on Palou.
For Lundgaard, the reds proved vital. Managing to make the softer compound work, he was the fastest man on track and reducing the gap ahead. Palou pulled the pin first and opted to overcut his rival. Unfortunately for the No. 10, he got caught in traffic with the RLL Racing duo Mick Schumacher and Louis Foster, and then Hauger. Unable to close the gap to Lundgaard, it was looking like the No. 7 had a real chance to win.
However, it didn’t go Lundgaard’s way. A slow stop due to an issue with his rear tyres saw him concede places to both Palou and Rahal. Despite the error, it wasn’t over. As the race neared the end, he was able to utilise having more Push-To-Pass and ultimately finished the race in second, ahead of Rahal and Malukas.
Palou Wins The Race, But Kirkwood Retains The Championship
For the first time in 2026, we were given a repeat winner. The first three races of the season all saw different winners. But Palou ended that streak by taking a dominant victory. A streak that’s also ended, however, is a new championship leader at each race.
Consistency is key, and Kirkwood is proving that. Now with four consecutive top-five finishes, he retains his lead in the championship. However, the gap has been reduced and Palou is only two points adrift. After three years of Palou dominance, it truly looks as if 2026 is delivering a championship battle.
With his second podium of the year, Lundgaard has jumped up in the standings. He sits in P3, five points ahead of Malukas. After briefly leading the standings, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden rounds out the top five.
Rahal Returns to The Podium
With a third place finish for Rahal, it was a varied race for RLL Racing. In a stark comparison, his younger teammates finished at the back of the grid. This podium finish marks Rahal’s return to the podium for the first time since 2023.
Speaking to driver-turned-FOX reporter Jack Harvey following the chequered flag, Rahal admitted that “trying to fend off Christian was quite hard,” but also acknowledged that the team “did a wonderful job”.
Scott Dixon made up six places to finish seventh. But, the biggest mover went to Will Power. The Andretti Global driver finished just outside the top ten in P12, making up 11 places overall. The top ten is as follows:
Just like last year, Palou converted pole to a dominant win in a full green-flag race at the Barber Motorsports Park. He’s fighting to reclaim that championship lead, but for now he has to wait. We now see a two week break before we head to the West Coast for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Another street track awaits, what will happen?