David Malukas gained ground in the championship chase during the Month of May, trimming his gap to leader Alex Palou from 63 points to 37 after consecutive runner-up finishes in the Sonsio Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The challenge shifts Sunday in Detroit from gaining points to recovering them.

Malukas (photo, top) crashed his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet in Turn 7 at the closing seconds of the first round of the three-round knockout qualifying Saturday and starts 25th in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. To make matters worse, championship leader Palou earned the NTT P1 Award and leads the field to green in the 100-lap race airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

“All good,” Malukas said. “It’s just fine margins, and honestly our car wasn’t where we wanted it to be. In both practice sessions, we were missing that little bit. I just drove that little bit harder.

“I almost hit the wall a few corners earlier, and then on that one, I had a big wobble on entry. I had to keep my foot planted because we needed that extra time to transfer. I probably should have let go and accepted not making the transfer and kept the car in one piece. That one is all on me.”

Fortunately for Malukas, Detroit has become one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar.

The first three races on the downtown street circuit have featured 20 total caution periods and numerous multiple-car incidents. Seven cars were involved in crashes during both the 2023 and 2025 races, while 18 of the 27 starters were involved in accidents in 2024.

That creates opportunities for drivers buried in the field. Pit strategy can change with a caution, and track position often swings throughout the race.

Malukas is also eager to move on from Indianapolis, where he lost the closest Indianapolis 500 in history to Felix Rosenqvist by .0233 of a second and was distraught over the last-lap pass.

“It feels good to go right back into another race weekend,” Malukas said. “I’ve already run so many late-race simulations. You learn more being the loser. I watched the video, went through everything and feel like I’m already a better driver.

“If I’m in that situation again, I know what to do differently. I’m more driven than ever after that race.”

Scott McLaughlin

McLaughlin Keeps Momentum in Detroit

Scott McLaughlin finished third in last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 and will start from the same position Sunday in Detroit aboard the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet.

“I was fairly loose on that run,” McLaughlin said. “In hindsight, I would have loved to have taken some front wing out. I could run solid, but I didn’t want to hit the wall and just made sure I got a good lap. We’re right there to have a crack tomorrow.”

McLaughlin (photo, above) was quickest in the Top 12 session and earned the first selection in the Firestone Fast Six qualifying order. Under a revised street course qualifying procedure introduced before Long Beach, drivers advance to the Firestone Fast Six and then choose their qualifying position based on Top 12 speed.

Despite having first choice, McLaughlin admitted afterward he may have overthought his decision.

“Since this whole thing happened at Long Beach, I hadn't made it into the Fast Six until now,” McLaughlin said. “I always told myself that I was hell-bent on going out second or third, but I went first because of how long it's been taking the tires to come up to temperature. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But we're there.”

McLaughlin has two top-six finishes in three street races this season, including a runner-up finish at St. Petersburg, where he started from pole. His best Detroit finish is seventh in 2023.

Pato O'Ward

O’Ward Content With Seventh

Pato O’Ward was third fastest in Saturday morning practice but starts seventh in Sunday’s race.

Despite missing the Firestone Fast Six, O’Ward (photo, above) was pleased with the effort from the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“Happiest I’ve been here,” O’Ward said. “That was all we had. I maybe had a little bit more, but we would have needed to be perfect.”

Seventh is O’Ward’s best starting position on the downtown Detroit circuit. He has finished seventh in each of the last two Detroit races and enters the weekend with fifth-place finishes in all three street races (St. Petersburg, Arlington, Long Beach) this season.

Ferrucci Hitting 28 Sunday

Santino Ferrucci turns 28 on Sunday and hopes to celebrate with a strong result at a track that remains meaningful in his career. He starts 22nd in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing.

Ferrucci made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut with Dale Coyne Racing in Detroit in 2018, when the event was still held at Belle Isle. He also finished a career-best second in 2025 at this event after starting 21st.

“This place has a lot of special memories for me,” Ferrucci said. “I've had so many roller-coaster moments around this place. I also love seeing the transformation of the city. From 2018 to now, it's vastly different.

“You can tell businesses have invested a lot to help revive the economy here. That's one of the reasons I enjoy coming back.”

Odds and Ends

  • Eight times a driver has won Detroit and the championship in the same season, most recently Palou in 2023 and Will Power in 2022. They share the front row Sunday with Palou first in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Power second in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda.
  • Since 1995, the winner of the eighth race of the season has gone on to win the championship 16 times.

ECR crew

  • ECR crew members wore Team USA No. 21 jerseys (photo, above) during Saturday morning practice in support of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. The World Cup opens June 11 and will be televised by FOX and FS1 in the United States.
  • Kyle Whittingham, head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines, is the passenger Sunday in the Fastest Seat in Sports two-seater Indy car that leads the field to the green flag.
  • Scott Dixon won this race from fifth in 2024. He starts fourth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
  • Kyle Kirkwood starts sixth in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda for Andretti Global. He won from seventh in March on the streets of Arlington. He started sixth and finished fourth here in 2024.
  • An overnight cold front brought cooler conditions to Detroit, with Saturday's air temperatures about 10 degrees lower than Friday's practice session.