Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard pulled off an unbelievable victory at the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, surviving what can only be described as a beautifully chaotic race. After suffering a broken front wing and a tire puncture on the very first lap, the Danish driver fought his way back to the front. He inherited the lead with just four laps remaining when Marcus Armstrong’s Meyer Shank Racing Honda suffered a heartbreaking mechanical failure, before holding off Team Penske’s David Malukas on a dramatic final-lap shootout.

The triumph marks Lundgaard’s second victory of the 2026 IndyCar season, catapulting him to fourth in the championship standings—now trailing series leader Alex Palou by 77 points. Following a wild afternoon in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, we break down the biggest winners and losers from the grid.

1. Winner: Christian Lundgaard

Sometimes you need a perfect blend of luck and skill, and Lundgaard had exactly that on Sunday. What initially looked like a championship-ruining opening lap was salvaged by five well-timed cautions. The crucial moment came when he swapped his damaged harder primary tires for a fresh set of softer alternates, allowing him to exit the pits ahead of early leader Alex Palou. Masterful calls from race strategist Kyle Moyer navigated the subsequent cautions to place the #7 car in a podium position, perfectly poised to strike when Armstrong’s engine gave out.

2. Loser: Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel

While Lundgaard celebrated, his Arrow McLaren teammates experienced a frustrating afternoon. Despite qualifying well—Siegel in seventh and O’Ward in ninth—neither managed a top-10 finish. O’Ward found himself on the wrong side of the strategy cycle and crossed the line in 12th, continuing a winless and podium-less drought in 2026. For Siegel, the 21st-place finish feels incredibly harsh. The rookie was enjoying a stellar weekend, showing great pace and fighting for a top 10 before getting punted by Josef Newgarden on the final lap. The raw speed is there, but he needs results to back it up in a critical contract year.

3. Winner: Alexander Rossi

Expectations were tempered for Ed Carpenter Racing and Alexander Rossi heading into the 4.014-mile natural terrain road course, especially after qualifying a dismal 25th. Things looked even bleaker when teammate Christian Rasmussen retired early with mechanical issues. However, Rossi delivered a gritty, hard-fought performance to carve his way through the field and finish sixth. The result matches his best finish of the season and finally snaps a frustrating four-race streak of finishing 17th or worse.

4. Loser: Marcus Armstrong

If not for terrible luck, Armstrong could easily have two victories this season. The New Zealander executed a nearly flawless weekend: he was rapid in practice, qualified third, and looked destined for his maiden North American open-wheel victory. Heartbreakingly, his engine expired with just four laps to go—prompting a public apology from HRC US boss David Salters. The bitter 24th-place classification drops Armstrong out of the top 10 in the championship standings down to 11th.

5. The Golden Horseshoe: Alex Palou

Alex Palou seems to be operating with an immense stroke of luck right now. The Spaniard secured his fifth consecutive pole position—a feat not seen since Alex Zanardi in 1996-1997—and dominated the opening 13 laps. A catastrophic drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding on Lap 29 threatened to ruin his afternoon, but he was instantly bailed out by a caution flag on the very next lap. Benefiting from the timing, Palou executed brilliant damage control to finish fifth. Crucially, he maintained his comfortable championship gap over main rivals Kyle Kirkwood and Pato O’Ward.

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