2025 IndyCar at Road America: Preview and predictions

IndyCar heads to Road America after a chaotic race at the WWT Raceway, which was the series' first and only Sunday night prime-time race of the season. Kyle Kirkwood emerged victorious to take a second consecutive win after the Detroit GP.

The victory helped him close the championship gap to Pato O'Ward, second in the standings, from 13 points to two. O'Ward finished right behind him in P2. The worth of their combined result was exaggerated as the dominant Alex Palou finished in an uncharacteristic P8.

Before the race at WWTR, the reigning champion was 90 points clear of O'Ward and 102 points clear of Kirkwood. Those numbers dropped to 73 and 75, respectively, infusing some life in the championship battle.

With IndyCar prepping for an exhilarating weekend at the 4.048-mile Road America circuit, let's see what the top storylines are.

Key storylines for the 2025 IndyCar XPEL Grand Prix at Road America

Though the championship battle remains the focus after Kyle Kirkwood's third win of the season, a bigger battle between the engine manufacturers will take center stage at Road America.

Honda v/s Chevrolet

Only two drivers have won races this season - Alex Palou (5) and Kyle Kirkwood (3). The last time only two drivers won the first eight races of the season between them was in 1980 - Bobby Unser and Johnny Rutherford.

However, what makes this season special is that both winning drivers are Honda-powered. Honda has outright dominated the battle of engine manufacturers, while Chevrolet has yet to register a win.

Road America could be the perfect place for Chevy to strike back for a breakthrough. The American manufacturer has provided its IndyCar drivers with great straight-line speed, which will come into play on the track's unusually long straights.

From disaster-class to masterclass: Team Penske eyes a comeback

Team Penske has been arguably the biggest loser of the 2025 IndyCar season so far among the frontrunners. With heartbreak after heartbreak and an Indy 500 controversy among it all, the Roger Penske-owned team goes into Road America in the wake of a triple DNF at WWTR.

Will Power, who took pole at the 1.25-mile oval, had a mysterious puncture in the first quarter of the race. Teammate Josef Newgarden, who was leading the race on lap 129, crashed with a spinning Louis Foster, terminating his hopes of a breakthrough result. Scott McLaughlin then had a mechanical issue on lap 216 of 260, forcing Team Penske to leave empty-handed.

Power, who won at Road America in 2024 as his first win of the season, will look to replicate it this weekend.

Predictions for the 2025 XPEL Grand Prix at Road America

Alex Palou returns to winning ways

As boring as it may sound, nothing is stopping Alex Palou from taking a sixth win this season at Road America. He won at the 4.048-mile circuit in 2021, and his results at the last two races this season aren't a direct reflection of his performance.

At the Detroit GP, despite Chip Ganassi Racing's struggles on the bumpy track, Palou made his way into the Fast 6 in qualifying and was on track for a solid result in the race before David Malukas took him out.

At the WWTR race last weekend, the three-time champion started in P9. However, troubles mounted during a pit stop. The three-time IndyCar champ's No. 10 squad executed a quick pit stop, but couldn't release him back on pit road because of incoming traffic. That cost him a bunch of positions. Yet, he clawed his way back to secure P8.

Will Power takes Team Penske back to the podium

Will Power at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Will Power goes into the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America as the defending winner. The two-time IndyCar champion was also the first race winner at the circuit when it returned to the IndyCar calendar in 2016 after a nine-year absence.

Power took a record-extending pole at WWTR last weekend, giving Penske its 700th pole in IndyCar. Power, who has arguably been Team Penske's best driver this season, can help it take its first step towards the top of the podium, which will most likely come at a short oval later.