TRACK: Streets of Belle Isle (2.35-mile, 14-turn street course), DISTANCE: 70 Laps (164.5 Miles each race)

Favorites – Can Penske Get Just 3rd Win In Last 10 Belle Isle Races?

Josef Newgarden

He won Race No. 1 in 2019 and has four top four finishes in his last seven Belle Isle starts. The only problem is, those are his only four of his career there too.

Will Power

He’s not won this race since 2016 but he does have a podium in each of his last four races in the second round of the doubleheader format. It’s just that the first race he’s finished 20th, 18th, 7th and 18th respectively too.

Scott Dixon

Hard to bet against him here. Dixon, won the second race of 2019’s weekend and has two wins in his last four Belle Isle starts overall. He’s also had six top six results in his last seven overall.

Alexander Rossi

He’s really good at Belle Isle despite not ever having won on this track. Rossi, has three top fives in his last four tries including a top 10 in all but two starts.

Graham Rahal

He swept the weekend in 2017 and has seven top seven finishes in his last nine Belle Isle tries.

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Race Preview

Following a week off after Indy, the NTT IndyCar Series is back in action for the doubleheader in Belle Isle. They guys in the paddock won’t look at weary this time though as for the first year since we started doing two races for this weekend, they’ve had a week to decompress.

Now, the championship season per say begins with the two races bringing us to the halfway point of the year. Really, the first portion is all about Indy. But, once Indy ends, the focus turns to the championship. Right now, Alex Palou leads after six of 17 rounds.

Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden split wins at Belle Isle the last time they visited the island in 2019. Dixon then split wins with Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2018. Graham Rahal swept the weekend in 2017 to give us four different winners in the last six Belle Isle races. Factor in Sebastien Borudais and Will Power in 2016 and you get six in eight tries.

Nevertheless, with Belle Isle this weekend, Road America next then following another week off we go to Mid-Ohio in early July, we’ve got four great races all in the upper midwest.

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Of Note

Only one time (2017) has anyone swept the doubleheader weekend in Belle Isle.

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Key Stat

Just one pole winner has won at Belle Isle in the last 14 races. Another big stat, the race winner in each of the last two years of the opening race of the two at Belle Isle went on to win the championship later that season. Josef Newgarden won Race 1 and the championship in 2019 and Scott Dixon did the same in 2018.