INDYCAR News in 5 Minutes - April 20, 2026 - Ep. 23
About this episode
Long Beach delivered a tight, strategy-heavy weekend with Felix Rosenqvist Dixon on the podium and strong engineering execution praised. The big talking point was IndyCar’s new single-car “Fast 6” qualifying format, which made advancing feel crucial and turned qualifying into riveting TV. Rosenqvist won the pole and led laps but pit timing cost him; Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin scored top results, while rookie Dennis Hauger impressed with 11th despite no prior Long Beach laps. Mick Schumacher overcame a disastrous practice 1 to finish 17th. Next up: Jacob Abel’s Indy 500 entry, a rumored Catherine Legg AJ Foyt Racing seat, and an end-of-month open test.
The conversation covers the Long Beach Grand Prix highlights, the new qualifying format, and impressive rookie performances. It also discusses top performers, upcoming events, and rumors in the IndyCar world.
Takeaways
- Long Beach Grand Prix highlights
- New qualifying format
- Impressive rookie performances
Chapters
- 00:00 Upcoming Events and Rumors
Long Beach Grand Prix
"So, the big news is the Long Beach Grand Prix was this weekend. Palo Rosenquist Dixon was the podium, a master class by engineers at Canasse. They brought the cars and the drivers did their thing."
Long Beach Grand Prix is one of IndyCar’s big races, run on a street-style track. Street tracks are tight and tricky, so small mistakes—or pit timing—can swing the outcome.
The Long Beach Grand Prix is a major IndyCar street-course race held in Long Beach, California. Because it’s a tight, barrier-lined circuit, qualifying and pit strategy often have an outsized impact on race results.
single car Fast 6 qualifying
"The other news is the new qualifying format is... Great man, it's single car Fast 6 qualifying is fantastic to watch. It's riveting television getting into the Fast 6 is now super important."
This is a new IndyCar qualifying style where drivers go out one at a time. You have to be fast enough to make the top six, and that’s a big deal because it sets you up for the final qualifying runs.
“Single car Fast 6” is a qualifying format where cars run individually and the top six advance to a final shootout. It increases pressure because each driver’s lap is isolated—no drafting or traffic—and getting into the Fast 6 becomes a major objective.
pit selection
"He got the poll. He led the most laps. And he really could have won the race except I think really pit selection is what did him in. Fro's pit took a little longer to get in and out of."
“Pit selection” refers to choosing when to pit during the race, especially around cautions and changing track conditions. A well-timed pit stop can put a driver in better track position, while a slower or poorly timed stop can cost positions even if the driver is fast.
caution
"Paloe obviously kept himself in the race the whole time when the caution came. He and his team jumped at the chance and they got the lead and then he kept it."
A caution is when the race slows down because of an accident or hazard on track. When that happens, teams often change strategy—especially when to pit—because the field is moving slower.
A “caution” in IndyCar is when race officials slow the field due to an incident, typically using yellow flags. Cautions dramatically affect strategy because pit timing and tire/fuel decisions can change when the race pace drops.
Prema
"He'll have a Chevy engine, probably the engines that they had earmarked for Prema."
Prema is another racing organization that’s connected here through engine planning. The idea is that the engines being used for this entry may have been intended for Prema first.
Prema is referenced as the source of engine packages that may be earmarked for another team’s entry. In IndyCar, teams can sometimes receive engines or technical support through arrangements, which can influence performance quickly.
Abel Motorsports
"And so Abel Motorsports is gonna provide the car. If you guys are not familiar with Abel Motorsports, they're not usually an Indy car team, although they have been."
Abel Motorsports is the racing team that will build and run the car for this Indy 500 entry. The host is saying they don’t always race IndyCar, but they have experience and think they can do better than expected.
Abel Motorsports is an IndyCar team mentioned as providing the car for Jacob Abel’s Indy 500 entry. The host notes they’re not usually an IndyCar team, but they’ve been involved in Indy 500 efforts before and are aiming to be competitive.
Chevy
"He'll have a Chevy engine, probably the engines that they had earmarked for Prema. And so Abel Motorsports is gonna provide the car."
“Chevy” here means the engine brand used in IndyCar. In IndyCar, the engine matters a lot, and who gets which engines can change how strong a team is.
“Chevy” refers to Chevrolet’s IndyCar engine program. Engine supply and which team gets which engines can strongly affect competitiveness, especially when teams are sharing or reallocating packages.
rookie test
"There's the open test at the end of the month. There's two days basically to practice at on the speedway, the big speedway. And this will be when rookies take their orientation and take their rookie test"
The “rookie test” is an IndyCar requirement for new drivers to learn the car and track procedures before competing. The host ties it to the open test window at the speedway, where rookies and veterans both get on track.
Request an Explanation
Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.
Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.
Want to learn more?
Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.
Help improve this episode
See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.