Winning nine of the 10 races since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to Road America in 2016, Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske are the organizations to beat.

Alexander Rossi’s win for Andretti Global in 2019 is the lone exception.

CGR boasts five wins in that span, including four victories in the last six tries. Also, CGR driver Alex Palou is 3-for-3 on natural terrain road courses this season with victories at The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Team Penske has four wins at Road America since 2016, including a sweep of the podium last season with Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin finishing first, second and third, respectively.

Can anyone new join the fray for Sunday’s 55-lap XPEL Grand Prix at Road America Presented by AMR? Live coverage starts at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Favorites

Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet)

Newgarden has six top-three finishes in his last nine Road America tries. He led 32 laps but suffered a mechanical failure while leading on a late-race restart in 2021. He led 26 laps in his 2022 win and finished runner-up the last two years.

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet)

He’s 0-for-4 at Road America but has finishes of 14th, seventh, eighth and third, respectively. McLaughlin led 18 laps last year. Over his last 16 natural road course starts, McLaughlin has five podiums, six top-five finishes and 11 top 10’s.

Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

O’Ward has five top-10 finishes in his last six Road America starts, including a third-place finish after qualifying second in 2023. He finished runner-up to Palou at The Thermal Club and on the IMS road course. O’Ward also has three podium finishes in the last four races this season.

Alex Palou (No. 10 Solo Cup Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Palou is undefeated on natural road courses this season and has a pair of wins in his last four Road America starts. He finished fourth last year.

Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)

Power had four top-five finishes at Road America, including a 2016 win and a pair of runner-up results, in a five-year span. He’s had two over the last five, including a 2024 victory. Power finished sixth at The Thermal Club this spring, fifth at Barber Motorsports Park and third on the IMS road course.

Sleepers

Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

In three Road America starts, Lundgaard finished 10th in 2022, seventh in 2023 and 11th last year. In his first season driving with Arrow McLaren, Lundgaard has been strong on natural road courses by finishing third at The Thermal Club, second at Barber Motorsports Park and 16th on the IMS road course.

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)

The Andretti Global driver led 33 laps from the pole in 2023 at Road America. If not for the decision to pit a lap too soon, Herta was well on his way to a victory. Instead, he finished second. Herta has seven top-eight finishes in as many Road America starts, including five of the last six ending in the top five. Also, since the start of last season, Herta has eight top-eight finishes in nine natural road course starts. The outlier was a 25th-place finish in this year’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course.

Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Siemens Honda)

Can he score the season hat trick of wins on a street circuit, oval and road course? Kirkwood has improved all three opportunities at Road America, going from 20th as a rookie for AJ Foyt Racing in 2022, to ninth and fifth, respectively, the last two seasons with Andretti Global. Kirkwood also finished eighth in The Thermal Club this season, 11th at Barber and eighth on the IMS road course, leading to nine consecutive top-11 finishes on natural road courses.

Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Fresh Connect Central Honda)

Ericsson boasts six consecutive top-10 finishes at Road America, including results of fourth, sixth, second, sixth and ninth, respectively, in his last five starts in Wisconsin. Ericsson has four top-10 finishes in his last seven natural road course starts overall.

Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda)

Road America was the site of Armstrong’s breakout performance in 2023. He had a top-five car, leading five laps, before going off track late in the race. He qualified third last year, but a mechanical failure relegated him to 26th. Armstrong was seventh at The Thermal Club, 17th at Barber and seventh on the IMS road course. He also has three top-10 finishes in the last four races this season.