Four races into the 2026 IndyCar season, there is so much to unpack. There are 5 drivers that have already stood out for all the right reasons. While the Championship is still far away, these are the drivers that impressed early and to watch out for as the season unfolds.
1. Kyle Kirkwood, No. 27 Andretti Global
Kyle Kirkwood is having the best 2026 IndyCar season so far. Being in IndyCar for 4 seasons, he is following up his breakout year with full championship contention.
The IndyCar St. Pete race brought on his most drastic feat, where he qualified 15th but faced many struggles climbing to P4 during the race. After a big undercut, he had a possible right-rear puncture amidst a battle with McLaughlin.
He then finds himself short on fuel and falls victim to both Lundgaard and McLaughlin. Despite all the commotion, Kirkwood moved up 11 positions at the 2026 St. Pete race.
The No. 27 driver responded at the next race by being the best performing Andretti driver in qualifying, paired with a podium finish. Thanks to some pressure from Newgarden, Kirkwood pushed past Rasmussen gaining a position but losing first place to the Penske driver at IndyCar Phoenix race.
An already stellar two races were continued by an inaugural win to stake his claim as championship lead. At the 2026 IndyCar Arlington GP, Kirkwood moved up from 11th in spite of managing both a long pit stop and side-by-side action with Lundgaard. He then made a move on four-time champion Alex Palou to take Victory lane.
The championship leader had a consistent fifth place finish at the Barber race, reinforcing his race-by-race execution. Kirkwood is at the top of the Championship and shows that he won’t be moving from there anytime soon. Being such a strong contender for the title is what drove him to the first spot in our top 5 drivers to watch this season.
2. Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren
No. 7 driver Christian Lundgaard was quick to announce himself this season. From lowest in the Fast 12, he rose to the challenge and finished P3 at the IndyCar St. Pete race.
The Danish driver got himself a career-best 5th in the 2025 Championship standings following his move to Arrow McLaren. The elevated potential with the No. 7 car, puts the pressure on him to extract the most out of the 2026 IndyCar season.
He endured a tough second race finishing 13th as he struggled with the first oval of the 2026 IndyCar season. Although, he quickly redeemed himself with two more top 10 finishes, making that three of the four races so far. Lundgaard is up to the task, as he qualified 18th but managed a P7 finish on the streets of Arlington.
This driver suffered yet another setback at the IndyCar Barber GP, a disastrous pitstop by Arrow McLaren. Managing to get ahead of the Rahal and into second, he almost closed the gap to Palou before the final pitstop. His had trouble with his right-wheel but immediately gets passed by the RLL driver with 21 laps to go.
Against all odds, the Arrow McLaren driver managed a last-second pass into P2 with three laps left of the 2026 Barber GP. This technically strong driver has repeatedly proven that he will succeed despite any setbacks. Lundgaard earns himself the second spot in our top 5 drivers of the 2026 IndyCar season.
3. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske
Josef Newgarden had a big drop in the Championship last year, but he is set out to erase the past this 2026 IndyCar season. In a stunning first race, the Team Penske driver qualified P23 but finished seventh. The major move up the field served as a reminder that he is the most established driver on the grid.
The two-time Champion seals the deal with a great strategic call where he sacrificed track positions for new tyres. He takes the lead with six laps to go and proves he is a driver contending for the Championship once again this 2026 IndyCar season.
He has his wits about him this 2026 season as he returns as a diamond under pressure. Newgarden follows up his strong start with a trip to Victory Lane at the IndyCar Phoenix GP.
In a string of bad luck at the IndyCar Arlington race, he had a touch with David Malukas and he spun.
Newgarden was largely consistent during the Barber GP, gaining only one position from qualifying. A third top 10 finish in the first four races of the year marks improvement for the two-time Indy500 winner.
Newgarden is back on the prowl for another Championship fight, having made good headway so far. It is for these reasons that the established Penske driver is third in the top 5 drivers this 2026 IndyCar Season.
4. Dennis Hauger, No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing
One of three rookies this 2026 IndyCar season, Dennis Hauger started his season off strong. He qualified in the Fast six on debut weekend and managed a top 10 finish at the St. Pete GP. He still has loads to learn but the No. 19 car was quick to get the upper hand against his fellow rookies.
Hauger clinched the Championship from AJ Foyt driver Caio Collet last year in the 2025 INDY NXT season by 72 points. This earned him the name Norwegian Nightmare and his debut in IndyCar shows he plans to keep it.
Though he qualified at the bottom of the grid at the Phoenix IndyCar race, Hauger managed to make 7 places. On his way through the midfield, he caused the first caution in a battle with Christian Rasmussen. He spun around, ultimately unable to catch the ECR driver but still finished highest amongst the rookies.
Coming from the INDY NXT feeder series, Hauger shows fast adaptation to this 2026 IndyCar season. He brought on similar results at the Arlington GP while learning tyre management, pit stops and adapting lap-by-lap.
His most recent result shows a lower-pack finish, but his on-track performance during the IndyCar Barber GP says otherwise. Hauger reminds the RLL rookie how it’s done by overtaking Schumacher. He then makes it quite difficult for the reigning champion Palou to lap him, holding him off for a lap and a half.
Hauger proves his worth early this season by racing with champion-level drivers and a strong debut. This puts him in the top 5 IndyCar drivers to watch this 2026 IndyCar season.
5. Marcus Ericsson, No. 28 Andretti Global
Andretti driver Marcus Ericsson had a rough 2025 IndyCar season. With lower-pack finishes, he previously mentioned that he’s focused a lot on his mentality during the off-season. This work looks like it’s paying off as he’s made it into the top 5 drivers of the 2026 IndyCar season so far.
Ericsson started the season strong, qualifying P2 for the St. Pete GP. The Swede showed his opportunistic driving style as he barged past Marcus Armstrong’s overcut during the race. They continued their aggressive battle until his tyres completely fell off. Though he finished P6, he showed he’s not a driver to mess with this season.
The Phoenix GP brought a mediocre result of P17. However, it was at Arlington where he showed his true talent. Ericsson qualified on pole at the 2026 Arlington GP, finding pace on his last lap in Group 1. He then eliminated his teammate Kyle Kirkwood at the crucial moment of the Fast 12. The Swede went on to take his second career pole from reigning champion Alex Palou in the Fast 6.
He continued to battle Palou during the IndyCar Arlington race as he remained in control at the front until a wheel gun issue took away precious time. Proving he is a changed driver, the Andretti driver maintained a strong mentality and continued to fight for a P4 finish.
Ericsson continued on this streak of top finishes at the Barber GP, reaffirming he is top-contender driver. He finished P9 adding to his strong results this season and confirming he is back to being a reliable front-half driver. This earns him the fifth spot in our top 5 drivers to watch out for this 2026 IndyCar season.
