The Brickyard is alive again, and the month of May begins with the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Ten teams, 25 cars, and a 14-turn road circuit through the world's most famous oval venue: the traditional opener of the month-long double-header has, once again, drawn out an enormous list of drivers who want to start May on the top step.
No one comes into this weekend with more momentum than Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou. The reigning series champion has won the last four IndyCar races on the IMS road course, including a sweep last year, and victory on Saturday would make it four consecutive wins at the same event – a feat not achieved since Al Unser Jr won four straight on the streets of Long Beach. Palou has won four of the first five races of 2026, and IndyCar's preview noted that “given Palou's place in the history books, he could easily double down on the sweep last year and make everyone take notice.”
Ganassi's grip on this race has not gone unnoticed by their rivals. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing arrives off a podium at Barber Motorsports Park, and Graham Rahal is one of only four drivers to have started every IndyCar race on the IMS road course. Rahal led a race-high 49 laps last year after starting on the front row and took pole for the August race in 2023 before finishing runner-up. Five top-fives at this circuit underline how often experience pays here.
Andretti Global have arguably the most loaded weapon in the field. Marcus Ericsson already has three top-10 finishes in 2026, while Kyle Kirkwood sits second in the championship as the only driver to register a top-five in every race this season. Will Power, the series' all-time pole record-holder, also brings a remarkable IMS road course CV – the most wins, with five, and the most poles, with six. “This type of track is what attracted Andretti Global to the series' all-time pole winner,” the preview noted.
Team Penske, who own the most wins on the road course, will lean on Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and David Malukas, the team's points leader so far this season. Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard each have four top-fives at this venue and are primed for a Saturday showdown. Lundgaard qualified fourth on his IndyCar debut here in 2021, and Rinus VeeKay famously broke up the Penske party that same year for his only career win.
There is intrigue further back, too. Alexander Rossi has seven top-fives and an August win in 2022, and is one of just 10 drivers to complete every lap in 2026. Romain Grosjean made the boldest IMS road course debut of recent memory, claiming a pole and a podium in 2021. Meyer Shank Racing's Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong have both flashed pace this season, and rookies Kyle Colette, Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger, and Mick Schumacher – whose first IndyCar test came here last fall – add another layer to the field.
The Sonsio Grand Prix has also become an unofficial championship marker. The eventual series champion has stood on the podium here in seven of the last eight years. With heavy braking zones, tight passing windows and the same hallowed grounds that will define the rest of the month, Saturday will set the tone for the Indianapolis 500 to come. As the preview put it, “momentum will matter in this month of May.” For Palou, that momentum is already four wins long, and counting.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/palou-fourth-straight-sonsio-grand-prix-ims-road-course-2026). Visit for full coverage.*