The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season is over, and Alex Palou took the Astor Challenge Cup, but what can the Frontstretch Open Wheel team talk about this week?
Turns out, a lot.
First, they give Formula 1 due credit for an exciting and entertaining Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Besides the excellent racing product, there’s chatter about Max Verstappen, Kimi Antonelli’s incredible season that now includes a hometown win, and then look forward to the new Madring for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Turning to IndyCar, of course Palou is mentioned, but who is going to rise up during the off-season to challenge the No. 10 bunch next year? Will Team Penske get their act together, after a second season with few wins to show for it? And should IndyCar mandate that they conclude their season on an oval? Oh, and the new car was on track at Indianapolis!
Join the Frontstretch Open Wheel team of Tom Blackburn, Christopher DeHarde and Michael Finley dive into the stories from Monza and Laguna Seca, as well as get ready for the IndyCar off-season.
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“The Pit Straight” is Frontstretch‘s open-wheel racing podcast, available during the racing season before Formula 1 and IndyCar races on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and right here on the web.
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and frequent editions of Inside IndyCar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.
Christopher DeHarde has covered IndyCar racing and the Road to Indy for various outlets since 2014. In addition to open wheel racing, DeHarde has also covered IMSA and various short track racing events around Indiana. Originally from New Orleans, DeHarde moved to the Indianapolis area in 2017 to further pursue a career as a motorsports writer.
Michael has watched NASCAR for over 25 years and has covered it on-and-off for 14.
In addition to Frontstretch he also writes sporadically for his own websites GrandPrixFocus.com and StockCarFocus.com.
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