ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Meyer Shank Racing looked poised today to add to an impressive 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season on Sunday (June 21) at Road America with their first-ever victory outside of the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
Indy 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong both easily controlled the lead of the 220-mile XPEL Grand Prix after qualifying on row two behind the two championship contenders of Alex Palou and David Malukas.
From the onset of the race, it felt like the fans at Elkhart Lake, Wis., were in for another masterclass by the Spaniard.
However, a caution for Romain Grosjean losing a tire during the opening pit sequence on lap 15 shuffled Rosenqvist to the top, and he used the quick pace of his No. 60 Honda to gap Palou. Additionally, Palou would suffer a rare pit road penalty that seemed destined to take Palou out of the equation.
Unfortunately for Rosenqvist, the same fate awaited the Swede as he was caught out by a caution for a disabled Christian Rasmussen on the frontstretch after a hybrid failure.
The caution frustrated both Rosenqvist and team co-owner Mike Shank.
“It’s been some kickback from the drivers for sure,” Rosenqvist said. “We think maybe there’s a middle ground where you can use more common sense. If there’s debris on the track, maybe you don’t have to go yellow, but if the car is stopped like that, you should go yellow.”
“That one yellow screwed Felix,” Shank told Frontstretch. “The [No. 21] car parked on the front straightaway on purpose, we think. I don’t know if it’s on purpose or not, but it seems suspect to me.”
While Rosenqvist would fight his way free of the clutches of the midfield and battle back to eighth by race’s end, it turned over the lead to his teammate Armstrong, who put on his own clinic, outmatching everyone on every strategy and looking destined for his statement first-career IndyCar Series win.
“I’m massively proud of the guys and girls on the 66 because we had the quickest car out there today,” Armstrong told FOX. “I think we had the quickest car this weekend. My engineers did everything right, my pit crew as well. Every pit stop was spot on. I thought that was ours to lose.
But sometimes, racing can be cruel.
With only three laps remaining, his No. 66 Honda’s engine failed from the lead, surrendering control of the race to eventual winner Lundgaard in a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking way for what seemed to be another banner day for the team based out of Columbus, Ohio.
For Armstrong, who also led on the final lap of this year’s Indy 500, it’s another bitter pill of disappointment for all on the team.
“It was smooth sailing in turn 6, and the engine just started sputtering like it was out of fuel,” Armstrong said. “Clearly it wasn’t, and it just completely died. We got to speak to Honda and see what the issue was, but there was no indication that there was something wrong … Just gutted really.”
The Indy 500 champion shared that same feeling watching a victory elude Armstrong in such cruel fashion.
“So disappointing also for Marcus and the No. 66,” Rosenqvist said. “I feel for them because once I got screwed, they were leading, and they were in perfect position. Then their car broke. It’s tough for the team today.”
Shank, who was aboard Armstrong’s pit box at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, arguably felt the worst about Armstrong’s situation as the team leaves the weekend having been within reach of a win just to come up empty-handed.
“It’s pretty epically disappointing,” Shank said. “This stuff happens sometimes. We push these machines to the nth degree, and then once in a while, this stuff happens. I feel bad for both of them. Marcus had that race won. That was a done deal, so it’s hard to watch that.
“It’s hard for me to watch. We asked for more from him, and he keeps delivering more and more and more, and that should have been his first win.”
Despite the expectations, the strength shown all race, and domination, MSR leaves with nothing going into their home race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Wyatt Watson has followed motorsports closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt is one of Frontstretch's primary IndyCar correspondents, providing exclusive video content on site. He hosts Frontstretch's Through the Gears podcast and occasionally The Pit Straight.You can find Wyatt's written work in columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monsteras well as exclusive IndyCar features. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media team, posting unique and engaging content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on X @WyattWRacing
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