Alex Palou’s Rivals Face Crucial Battle at Markham Race

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES launches a new challenge this weekend with the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham, a 12-turn, 2.19-mile street circuit that will probe execution and adaptability.

This debut layout features “The Loop,” a tight hairpin-style maneuver echoing Long Beach’s signature corner, and places a premium on traction, braking stability, and rotation on entry.

Turn 5 should prove decisive, feeding the uphill drag to Turn 6, the track’s longest passing zone. A fast, sweeping approach to Turn 10 offers another realistic opportunity to attack.

Sunday’s race runs 90 laps with 25 cars, and strategic margins could be slim given a double-sided pit lane, mirroring recent solutions at Detroit and Arlington.

With practice starting Friday at 3 p.m. ET, teams must quickly refine brake bias, ride heights, and traction mapping to handle repeated heavy stops and surface transitions.

Alex Palou remains the benchmark. The three-time consecutive champion is pursuing a record-tying fourth straight title and fifth overall, backed by five wins already in 2024.

He has led 35.4 percent of laps during a four-race top-five streak, underlined by his recent Portland win, which reinforced his all-surface supremacy.

Palou cannot clinch this weekend, but he carries a 110-point advantage over Kyle Kirkwood, 11 more than at the equivalent stage last season, with five rounds and 49 points per race remaining.

Kirkwood is the primary street-circuit threat. Five of his six career wins have come on temporary layouts, including one this year, and he passed Palou on the streets of Arlington.

Even so, Chip Ganassi Racing’s operational sharpness often insulates Palou from undercuts and caution risk, especially where pit-lane layout compresses strategy variance.

Markham is the first INDYCAR event in the Toronto metro area outside city limits, breaking from 39 races at Exhibition Place since 1986, won by the likes of Rahal, Dixon, Power, and Newgarden.

Three active drivers—Dixon, Power, and Newgarden—own multiple Toronto victories, though all were on the old circuit. This fresh layout resets references and rewards rapid learning.

Street racing has been tight all season. Pato O’Ward holds top-five finishes in every street race, and McLaughlin, Rosenqvist, and Rahal are among several others with street-circuit top-fives.

With two new tracks debuting in consecutive weeks, volatility rises. That elevates qualifying execution, yellow management, and pit in-laps as primary levers against Palou’s consistency.

Weekend schedule: Practice Friday 3 p.m. ET, Practice Saturday 10 a.m. ET, Qualifying Saturday 2:25 p.m. ET, Warmup Sunday 8:30 a.m. ET, Race Sunday noon on FOX, with INDYCAR Radio coverage.

For event specifics on the new venue, see the Markham race guide as the series adapts to an uncharted street layout.

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Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson focuses on IndyCar Series news, from qualifying speeds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to street-course race strategy. He delivers concise feature stories and technical breakdowns on chassis setups, tire choices, and championship standings for open-wheel enthusiasts.