Once the action in Washington D.C. came to an end with Kirkwood winning the inaugural race, attention immediately turns to Milwaukee. The Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 and Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 will be the final double-header of the 2026 season, putting even greater emphasis on consistency and points across the two races.
Practice One
Josef Newgarden topped the opening practice session at the Milwaukee Mile, setting the fastest lap at 159.430 mph. Dennis Hauger finished just 0.0075 seconds behind in second, while Álex Palou completed the top three. David Malukas took fourth, followed by Rinus VeeKay in fifth.
However, the session included two major incidents. Nolan Siegel spun and backed into the SAFER Barrier in Turn Two, causing damage to his car. Later, championship contender Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen made contact while running side by side before crashing heavily into the barrier. Neither driver suffered an injury, but both teams faced significant repair work before qualifying.
INDYCAR Announces Milwaukee Mile Grid Penalties
INDYCAR has announced nine-position starting grid penalties for the No. 3 and No. 12 Team Penske entries, the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing car, and the Nos. 76 and 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing cars.
The penalties follow unapproved engine changes made after the Streets of Washington, D.C. race on Aug. 23. Under Rule 16.1.2.3.2, a fifth engine is only eligible for Engine Manufacturer points if a full-season entrant has completed the full-season engine mileage with its first four engines. Otherwise, it is classed as an unapproved engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2, this results in a six-position penalty at road and street courses and a nine-position penalty at oval events. The affected cars will serve their penalties at Saturday’s Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 at the Milwaukee Mile.
Qualifying
Qualifying at the Milwaukee Mile used a two-lap format, with each driver completing two laps to set the starting grids for both races of the double header. The first lap set the grid for Race One, while the second lap set the grid for Race Two.
Scott McLaughlin set the fastest time for Race One qualifying with a speed of 165.536 mph. However, a nine-place grid penalty dropped him to 10th on the starting grid. Álex Palou qualified second, while David Malukas qualified third, but both drivers also faced the same penalty. As a result, Pato O’Ward moved from fourth in qualifying to pole position for Race One.
For Race Two, Palou took pole position with a speed of 164.658 mph. O’Ward qualified second, followed by Josef Newgarden in third. Mick Schumacher took fourth, while Will Power completed the top five.
Qualifying result
Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 qualifying results
- Scott McLaughlin
- Alex Palou
- David Malukas
- Pato O’Ward
- Josef Newgarden
- Will Power
- Denis Hauger
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Louis Foster
- Christian Lundgaard
- Alexander Rossi
- Romain Grosjean
- Mick Schumacher
- Marcus Ericsson
- Scott Dixion
- Marcus Armstrong
- Kyffin Simpson
- Christian Rasmussen
- Rinus Veekay
- Graham Rahal
- Caio Collet
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Sting Ray Robb
- Santino Ferrucci
- Nolan Siegel
Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 qualifying results
- Alex Palou
- Pato O’Ward
- Josef Newgarden
- Mick Schumacher
- Will Power
- Louis Foster
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Scott McLaughlin
- Marcus Armstrong
- Scott Dixon
- Christian Lundgaard
- Rinus Veekay
- Marcus Ericsson
- David Malukas
- Denis Hauger
- Alexander Rossi
- Christian Rasmussen
- Kyffin Simpson
- Graham Rahal
- Romain Grosjean
- Caio Collet
- Santino Ferrucci
- Sting Ray Robb
- Kyle Kirkwood
- Nolan Siegel
Race one
The race faced a one-hour rain delay before the action started, with Pato O’Ward leading the field. On lap two, Josef Newgarden tried to take the lead from O’Ward. Two laps later, Louis Foster and Romain Grosjean made contact, but both drivers continued.
Meanwhile, Felix Rosenqvist took second place from Newgarden on lap 14. From laps 15 to 64, drivers battled throughout the field and completed their pit stops. However, rain brought out a caution on lap 65 and continued to disrupt the race. Eventually, officials stopped the race and brought out the red flag on lap 91.
Afterwards, the race did not resume because the track could not dry and the weather conditions did not improve. As a result, INDYCAR postponed the remainder of the race until the following day after the 7:30 p.m. CT deadline passed. Race One would then resume at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday, with drivers completing the remaining laps before the Indy NXT race and Race Two. Half an hour before race one started, it was announced that it was postponed for a second time and was pushed to 5pm CT after race two, scheduled for 12pm CT.
Round two
After Pato O’Ward won Race Two earlier on Sunday, the action returned to the unfinished Race One, which resumed from its postponement on Saturday. O’Ward led the field as the race restarted under caution and the safety car ran for the opening laps. Several drivers then pitted to change the tires they had used since their previous stops around lap 50. Racing resumed under green flag on lap 100, with O’Ward keeping the lead.
Between laps 101 and 151, drivers battled throughout the field and completed further pit stops. A caution came out on lap 152 after Dennis Hauger sent Mick Schumacher into a spin. The green flag returned on lap 164, with David Malukas leading O’Ward.
Malukas pulled away from the field and built a strong advantage, with one more pit stop remaining. However, a caution shuffled the strategies on lap 200, as Will Power retired after running into the marbles and damaging his car.
The green flag returned on lap 211, but another caution followed three laps later when Caio Collet made contact with Josef Newgarden and then hit the wall. Racing resumed on lap 227, when O’Ward made a spectacular three-wide move to overtake David Malukas and Scott McLaughlin.
The Mexican then pulled clear of the field and secured two wins from two races at the Milwaukee Mile, becoming the first driver since 1981 to achieve the feat. Meanwhile, Álex Palou secured his fourth IndyCar championship title in a row, and fifth in total.
Palou clinches his fifth title at Milwaukee Mile
After a hectic weekend, Álex Palou secured his fifth championship title after the opening race of the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader. Although he mathematically secured the championship with two races remaining, the first race concluded after race two, meaning only one race remained on the calendar before the season finale at Laguna Seca.
Driver of the Day
It’s hard to define a proper driver of the day for this races, as the weekend has been very eventful. The weather was certainly a key player at the Milwaukee Mile, keeping the drivers on their toes. After getting back on track, it has to be Pato O’Ward. For the past 24 hours, he had the world in his hands, winning a race whilst leading another, eventually triumphing in both.
Top Ten
- Pato O’Ward
- David Malukas
- Rinus VeeKay
- Scott McLaughlin
- Christian Rasmussen
- Christian Lundgaard
- Josef Newgarden
- Marcus Ericsson
- Marcus Armstrong
- Alex Palou
Race two: O’Ward leads race two with race one yet to finish
Álex Palou led the field from pole position at the start of race two, while Josef Newgarden took second place from Pato O’Ward. In the midfield, Christian Lundgaard, Romain Grosjean and Scott Dixon battled for positions on lap two, with Grosjean making the most progress during the opening laps.
Newgarden began to challenge Palou for the lead on lap 31 but could not complete the move. He did so three laps later, taking the lead on lap 34. A caution followed on lap 36 after Grosjean spun, although he kept his car under control. The leaders then completed their pit stops under the yellow flag.
VeeKay takes the lead
The green flag returned on lap 47, with Palou quickly building a gap at the front. On lap 48, Mick Schumacher and Louis Foster went three-wide during a battle for position, while Foster held fourth place.
Drivers continued to battle throughout the field and completed another round of pit stops between laps 48 and 99. Rinus VeeKay took the lead from Palou on lap 100, before the race continued to develop through the next stint.
Newgarden’s race ends
Newgarden’s race came to an end on lap 142 when he spun and hit the wall, bringing out another caution. The race restarted on lap 158, but the green flag period lasted only briefly as Grosjean crashed during the restart procedure, bringing out another yellow flag.
The green flag returned on lap 169, with Scott McLaughlin leading the field. Will Power then took the lead on lap 175, but officials gave him a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. The final stages featured further battles and pit stops as the order continued to change.
O’Ward takes second victory at Milwaukee Mile
Pato O’Ward eventually emerged at the front during the closing stages of the 250-lap race. McLaughlin closed in during the final laps, but O’Ward held him off to win Race Two of the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader. McLaughlin finished second, while Christian Lundgaard completed the podium.
Top Ten
- O’Ward
- McLaughlin
- Lundgaard
- Malukas
- Palou
- Kirkwood
- VeeKay
- Rasmussen
- Ericsson
- Foster
Feature Image Credit: Penske Entertainment by Amber Pietz
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