Inside Line: Biggest Takeaway From First Half of Season?

Today’s question: The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season has reached its halfway point, with nine of 18 races complete. What is your biggest takeaway from the first half?

Curt Cavin: It’s Will Power’s struggles at Andretti Global. Sure, transitioning to a new employer after 17 years with another can be challenging, but I didn’t expect the two-time series champion (photo, above) to have this rough of a go. It seems he has had every form of trouble, too, which pushes things squarely into the unlucky category. Power’s average finish is 16.0, which illustrates why he’s 17th in the standings. (He never finished outside the top 10 in all those full seasons with Team Penske.) And how about this to sum up Power’s 2026 season to date: He has only one top-five finish and only one other in the top 10. That’s in nine opportunities! Power has too much talent and experience for that kind of standing.

Eric Smith: My biggest takeaway is the changing of the guard at several of series’ top teams. Alex Palou remains the clear leader at Chip Ganassi Racing, but Kyle Kirkwood emerged as Andretti Global’s top driver, Christian Lundgaard (photo, above) has arguably surpassed Pato O’Ward as Arrow McLaren’s standard-bearer this season, and David Malukas has been Team Penske’s most consistent performer through nine races. If you asked me before the season who would lead those organizations, I would have said Palou, O’Ward, Will Power (Andretti Global) and either Josef Newgarden or Scott McLaughlin at Team Penske. O’Ward had won the last nine races for the team, Power brought two championships with Team Penske to Andretti Global, and Newgarden is also a two-time series champion and two-time Indy 500 winner. Instead, Kirkwood sits second in points, Malukas third and Lundgaard fourth. The established stars aren’t going anywhere, but the first half of the season has shown a new generation is taking control of the INDYCAR SERIES’ powerhouse teams.

Arni Sribhen: The defining story of the first half on the 2026 season might just be the same one it’s been for the last three seasons – the inevitable domination of Alex Palou. But for me, it’s the emergence of legitimate challengers to the Spaniard’s crown. The combination of Josef Newgarden, Kyle Kirkwood (photo, above), Christian Lundgaard and David Malukas have either won races or challenged Palou, and as World Wide Technology Raceway showed, one poor weekend can cost 20-30 points. Nobody is immune. If the first half was about proving who belongs in the fight, the second half will be about who can survive the ovals and summer stretch without making mistakes. That's usually where INDYCAR SERIES championships are won.

Paul Kelly: I have a two-pronged approach for my biggest takeaway: The revivals of Graham Rahal and Josef Newgarden, two of the all-American standard bearers of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for nearly 15 years or more. Rahal (photo, top) is 11th in points with three podium finishes after finishing 19th last season with a best result of fourth. The last time he strung together three top-threes in any season was 2020. Newgarden (photo, above) is the only driver not named Alex Palou to win more than one race this season, with his victories at Phoenix and World Wide Technology Raceway. He’s also sixth in points after finishing 12th last season with just one win, in the Nashville season finale. Rahal needs to find more consistency, and Newgarden needs better qualifying performances on road and street courses. But both are back in the mix in 2026, and that’s good for the series.