DETROIT — Alex Palou won the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix on May 30, 2026, after securing his third consecutive pole position on the 1.7-mile, nine-turn street circuit. The victory marked his fourth win of the season and his second career win in Detroit.
Palou recorded the fastest lap time of 1:01.9017 in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda during the Firestone Fast Six qualifying session, earning his 16th career pole. Will Power qualified second with a lap of 1:02.1249 in the Andretti Global No. 26 TWG AI Honda, setting up a front-row start for the two drivers.
Palou’s qualifying performance completed a sweep of pole positions in May 2026 across three circuit types: the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 speedway oval, and the Detroit street course. “It's super satisfying. It's incredible,” Palou said of winning the pole. “Poles are cool, (but) it doesn't pay as much as tomorrow. Sadly, we haven't won any of the last two races that we started on pole. It’s just super satisfying for today, but at the same time, as we've seen the past two races, it doesn't really mean we're going to have more chances to win.”
“I was close to pole, man,” Power said. “Damn. Just that one guy all the time.” After the post-qualifying news conference, Power added, “I knew I left a little on the table, and you definitely scooped that up.” Palou responded, “I tried. When I saw your lap time, I’m like, man, that's fast.”
During the race, Palou led the first 15 laps before Power overtook him on Lap 16. Palou pitted on Lap 35, one lap earlier than most of the field, including Power, and retook the lead on Lap 41. A caution on Lap 66, triggered by a crash between Rinus Veekay and Santino Ferrucci, bunched the field and allowed Palou to regain the lead after Kyle Kirkwood made his pit stop.
Power, who called the Detroit track “one of my favorites” and anticipated “mayhem” due to its tight and bumpy surface, crashed out on Lap 79 and did not finish. Kirkwood, the defending race champion who had led Saturday morning practice but qualified sixth, finished second. Robert Rahal placed third.
With the win, Palou extended his lead in the 2026 IndyCar Series standings. He has won four IndyCar championships, including the last three.