Just one week after the historic 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar was back. This time, all twenty-five full time drivers would compete on the streets of Detroit. It’s an incredibly tight street circuit that punishes for the smallest mistake and rewards for simply surviving. With Alex Palou back on top after a close fight with Kirkwood, Rahal’s return to form and Power’s intense fight with McLaughlin, there was a lot going down in Chevrolet’s backyard.

Here are The Paddock Chronicle’s Key Takeaways from IndyCar in Detroit.

Palou Returns to the Top in Detroit

Amidst all the chaos, one man remained cool, calm and collected throughout. Unsurprisingly, that man was Alex Palou. It was third time’s the charm for the Spaniard. He finally converted his third straight Pole Position into a win in Detroit. But the Chip Ganassi driver had to work for it. Kyle Kirkwood kept him honest throughout, just running out of tyre capability in the dying laps to make a charge for the lead. Palou was further aided by a continuation of some of the most fortunate luck we’ve ever seen befall a driver. Be it pit stop windows, safety car deployments or even the weather, Palou and his team always seem to time things to perfection.

Palou leaves Detroit with an extension of his lead in the Championship standings. He now sits sixty-two points clear of Kirkwood in second overall.

Rahal’s Resurgence

Following a disappointing P20 finish in the Indy 500, Graham Rahal bounced back in style in Detroit. After qualifying in a solid twelfth place, Rahal went on a charge through the field to claim the final spot on the podium come the end of the race. What made it even more impressive was that for the final stretch of the race, he was virtually out of push to pass – with the two Arrow McLaren’s of O’Ward and Lundgaard behind him. But neither could get near him as Rahal instead somehow began to close down the gap to Kirkwood ahead.

P3 in Detroit is his third podium this season and his third in the last five races. Ninth overall in the Championship, those ahead of him may have to watch out if Rahal can keep up this level of performance.

Power’s Bad Luck Continues

For a brief, glittering, beautiful moment, it looked as if Will Power’s woes from the season so far were finally about to go away. The Andretti driver put his car on the front row of the grid alongside Palou and snatched the lead away from the him too in the early phase of the race with a simply sublime overtake. This later turned into a gorgeous four way battle for the lead between Power, McLaughlin, Kirkwood and Palou that lasted for around five laps. It was IndyCar at its best.

But cautions and impacted strategy put him back down into the top ten. It looked like it was going to be a tough battle for Power to get back to the top. That was proven to be a correct assumption when he came across his old teammate of Scott McLaughlin. The two duelled each other hard – arguably too hard when it came to McLaughlin’s attacks. Twice McLaughlin made contact with Power. The first time, Power was squeezed into the wall with the front of his car going airborne. The second time proved too much for Power’s car to handle as McLaughlin nudged the rear of his car and ultimately sent Power out of the race.

No penalty was given for either incident. It left Power fuming and aiming expletives at the television cameras once he was out of the car. Surely, surely, Will Power’s time will come this season. Won’t it?

Arrow McLaren’s Consistency

While Nolan Siegel qualified and finished just outside the top ten in what was still one of his better performances of the season, all eyes were on his teammates. Both qualified in the top seven and finished inside the top five. It would be O’Ward on top over Lundgaard with the teammates finishing in P4 and P5 respectively. It was a really solid and slightly anonymous drive from both. This reinforced the consistency they’ve both shown for most of the season with style.

Heading out of Detroit, Lundgaard sits fourth in the points. O’Ward is in fifth – with only six points separating the pair. Their Championship hopes aren’t done yet.

Driver Resilience

IndyCar in Detroit was also an occasion for the walking wounded to prove their worth. Both Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi were carrying injuries that they’d sustained from the Indy 500 into the weekend. But neither let that stop them from going racing. Rossi would ultimately finish in P17 while Newgarden went impressively from the rear of the field to P10. Both drives were brilliant though, especially given the bumpy and unforgiving nature of the Detroit street circuit. IndyCar drives are made from something different and this was a perfect demonstration of that from both.

Good Day for the Underdogs in Detroit

Everyone loves an underdog and in Detroit, it was both drivers of the underdog team, Juncos Hollinger Racing, that gave the fans what they wanted. Veekay backed up his phenomenal drive in the Indy 500 with a P12 finish while teammate Sting Ray Robb pulled out his best result of the season by a country mile as he finished in P14. Hopefully the pair can use this result as positive momentum that they can carry into the next round of the season coming up this weekend.

IndyCar in Detroit – Final Thoughts

Eight Chevrolet engines had to be changed across the grid ahead of the race in Detroit last weekend. That number follows a few that already had to be changed back in Indianapolis in May. It’s a storyline worth keeping an eye on, especially when Honda dominated the podium in Detroit – Chevrolet’s back yard.

Louis Foster equalled his best result of the year, P7, in Detroit but it came with some controversy. His aggressive move on Armstrong got the attention of Race Control but no action was taken. A precedent was set however and was seemingly utilised by others throughout the race, most notably by Scott McLaughlin and by David Malukas. The latter had a shocking weekend. After crashing in qualifying, he started from the back of the grid, only to collide with Mick Schumacher attempting to make a move on the German that was never really on. Keep an eye on this moving forwards too.

Finally, Felix Rosenqvist, winner of the Indy 500, finished in a very respectable P6. Its significance? For the last quarter of a century or so, those who have won the Indy 500 have gone on to have shocking results at the following race. Maybe, just maybe, Felix broke that curse this time around.

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IndyCar returns June 6th in Madison, Illinois.

Feature Image: IndyCar Media Centre