INDYCAR Drivers’ Midseason Report Cards, From A’s To Needs Improvement

In Driver’s Eye with James Hinchcliffe, the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans.

INDYCAR’s trip to Road America in Wisconsin this weekend marks the first race of the back half of the 18-race calendar. So I figured it would be fitting to look back at the first half and deal some midterm report cards to a handful of drivers who have stood out so far. 

Now, look, I could sit here and wax poetic about Alex Palou, but we end up doing that most weeks on the broadcast anyway. Such is the type of season he is having. 

So I am going to skip the obvious one here and say he and the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing team get an A and move along. Nothing personal, Alex!

I want to look a bit further back at a few of the drivers whose seasons have either exceeded or come up short of expectations. And remember, these marks are inclusive of the whole car crew for that driver, not just the driver themselves.

Let’s get into it.

David Malukas, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

David Malukas is third in the INDYCAR standings going into Road America. (Photo by Geoff Miller/Lumen via Getty Images)

Let’s start with David Malukas. I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure how long it was going to take Malukas to get up to speed and on par with his teammates, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin. 

We knew he had pace, but that is a big jump and against some of the best in the biz. But halfway through the year, he’s had his first pole, that sensational drive at the Indianapolis 500 and is currently the highest Penske driver in the points. 

Not having nabbed the first win yet is a bummer. But you have the undeniable feeling it’s a “when,” not “if” proposition. 

Grade: I give Dave and the No. 12 team an A-

Louis Foster, No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

Ahead of Road America, Louis Foster No. 19 in the INDYCAR standings. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

OK, let’s go to the other end of the spectrum and chat about Louis Foster. Louis broke onto the scene last year after a blowout season in Indy NXT. The pace was apparent immediately, but so were some of the signs of inexperience. 

That said, he started putting it together later in the year and even got his first career pole position at Road America. So the expectations of him for season two were fairly high, and this has been a textbook definition of a sophomore slump. 

Only two top-10 starts and two top-10 finishes is below what he wanted, but the results hurt more (and his grade more affected!) when you see that teammate Graham Rahal has three podiums in the last six races. Here’s hoping he and the No. 45 squad can hit its stride in the second half. 

Grade: C+

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet 

Rinus VeeKay enters Road America ranked 13th in the INDYCAR standings. (Photo by Geoff Miller/Lumen via Getty Images)

Rinus Veekay has had a wild few seasons. After separating from ECR at the end of 2024, he raced for Dale Coyne Racing in 2025. Six top 10s and a podium caught the attention of JHR, which snatched him up for this season. 

Expectations were tempered for the switch, considering the top JHR car was four spots behind VeeKay at the end of last year. But once again, he has taken the little race team that could to great heights. 

Three top 10s in the first half put him on pace with his tally from last season, and the team is doing its part, too, sitting fifth in the Firestone Pit Stop Standings. Throw in him being only one place behind Scott Dixon — a six-time champ — and one ahead of Alex Rossi, and that’s nothing to turn your nose up at. 

Grade: B+ for the JHR crew

Marcus Ericsson, No. 28 Andretti Global Honda

Marcus Ericsson is ninth in the INDYCAR standings ahead of Road America. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Finally, let’s take a look at Marcus Ericsson for Andretti Global. His first two seasons with AG had not lived up to the expectations of the team or driver, and coming into the final year of his contract, all eyes — and all the pressure — was on the Swede. 

Marcus has benefited greatly from Will Power joining the team and corroborating a lot of the feedback he had been giving the last two years. The result has been a slow and steady improvement in his pace and consistency, as he starts to get the Andretti car feeling the way he wants it. 

He’s already had bad luck work against him, but some recent strong races have turned the momentum back in his favor. 

Grade: It is a B for the first half, with all signs pointing to a strong finish to the year

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FAST: ROAD AMERICA

The second half of the season kicks off at one of the best race tracks in the world. It is definitely my favorite road course in America, and I have a feeling many drivers feel the same way. 

What makes this place so special? The simple answer is “yes.”

Alex Palou after winning the 2025 Road America race. (Photo by Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images)

Road America has a little bit of everything. It is a classic, old-school type of track built through the Wisconsin wilderness. Scenic as they come, the layout is a rolling asphalt ribbon, scything through the trees. It has everything drivers like: fast corners, slow corners, technical sections, long straights and big brake zones.

It doesn’t have a ton of run off like a lot of the newer tracks built these days. That means that mistakes are punished and bravery is rewarded. Drivers like that. 

And the layout is also conducive to exceptionally high-quality racing. Captivating wheel-to-wheel action that keeps drivers on their toes.

Some tracks boast great layouts to drive an Indy car, and some tracks have great layouts for racing an Indy car. But Road America is a beautiful blend of both. 

The atmosphere at the event is awesome, too. It’s a huge camping event and has something for the whole family. Plus, downtown Elkhart Lake is basically a Hallmark movie set, so it truly makes the whole weekend one of the best of the year.

Scenic Road America (Photo by Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images)

SOUND LIKE AN INDYCAR EXPERT

On the technical side, Road America throws up a few challenges. One of the bigger ones surrounds fuel. It’s the longest lap of the year at about four miles. 

Long laps mean small fuel windows, because saving enough fuel to last an entire additional lap is very difficult. 

(Photo by Gavin Baker/Lumen via Getty Images)

Think about it: The last race was at Gateway. It’s 1.25 miles, and you are at a much more constant speed. Road America is more than three times the length and has a lot of starting and stopping, which is killer for mileage.

What that usually means is, sometimes you don’t get a ton of strategy variance, and that can be bad for drivers who excel at making fuel and cutting out stops (*cough* Scott Dixon). 

But the flip side of that is less fuel saving means more flat-out racing. And that is something that drivers and fans alike love to see.

Man, I cannot wait for this weekend!

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