Schumacher Eighth Fastest in Practice 1 of the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America; Foster 20th and Rahal 22nd

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

XPEL Grand Prix at Road America

NTT INDYCAR SERIES – Round 9 of 18

PRACTICE NOTES / QUOTES – Friday, June 19, 2026

SCHUMACHER EIGHTH FASTEST IN PRACTICE 1 OF THE XPEL GRAND PRIX AT ROAD AMERICA; FOSTER 20TH AND RAHAL 22ND

1) Marcus Armstrong 1:44.2714 / 138.585 mph

8) Mick Schumacher 1:44.7864 / 137.903 mph

20) Louis Foster 1:45.2173 / 137.339 mph

22) Graham Rahal 1:45.2947 / 137.238 mph

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 MSC Industrial Supply Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car was diabolical, and I just don’t get it. I’m so confused. Even at the test, we tried so much and yet for the most part, the car just feels the same. It just doesn’t get any better. I’m a little baffled, but we’ll try some more things tomorrow, I guess to see if we can get it to come to life.”

FAST FACTS: Will be his 13th Champ or Indy car race here and 17th overall. He has a best start of fourth place here in 2007 (NHLR) and 2020 (RLL; Race 1) and a best finish of third in 2007 & 2016. In 12 Indy car races here, his highlights include two third place finishes (2007, 2016), a fourth place (2019), sixth (2018), two eighth places (2017, 2022) and 10th (2024). In 2025, Rahal started from sixth place on primary tires. The team had one set of new, faster alternate tires which they used on the second stint. Multiple strategies were at play and Rahal ultimately finished 20th in a race that saw five caution periods. In 2024, he drove to a 10th-place finish from a 24th place start. He started on the alternate tire and planned to take an early caution to switch to the more durable primary tires. That opportunity came after a Lap 1, Turn 1 incident set off by the top three cars, which contributed to other contact through the field, include Ghiotto hitting Rahal and putting him in the gravel. Ghiotto was given an avoidable contact penalty for the action. Once Rahal got back on track, he pitted to replace his damaged tires. After a total of four stops and three caution periods, Rahal took the checkered flag in 10th place and was presented with the Josten’s Biggest Mover award for gaining 14 positions. Other race information is available upon request. Graham has earned three podium finishes in the past six races and hopes to continue that momentum at one of his favorite road courses… He is 11th in the series point standings with a total of 193.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Droplight Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Practice was difficult for sure. We started off by trying some race stuff, which, you know, was a good thing to do, but we weren’t quite in the window to start off with. And then when we did end up putting on the reds (alternate tires) and tried to go for some push laps, we weren’t really in the window still. So, yeah, it wasn’t great, but I’ve got faith in the team. We’ll be strong tomorrow.”

FAST FACTS: Foster earned his first series pole in his INDYCAR debut at Road America last year. It came days after he agreed to shave his moustache for a $1000 donation to Racing for Kids on the previous Thursday so many thought gesture led to good luck. In the race, he led the field until he was passed by McLaughlin on a restart on Lap 3. On Lap 9, he was passed by Lundgaard and made the first of three stops during a caution on Lap 11 from third place. Multiple strategies were at play and the fact he had less new alternate tires due to opting to use those in qualifying, factored into the race. He ultimately finished 11th to match his best series finish at the time of 11th place (IMS road). During Foster’s two seasons in the INDY NXT series, his best start and finish at Road America came in 2024 when he started and finished second. He qualified fifth and finished sixth in his rookie season. His best INDYCAR start this season of sixth place came on the IMS road course and he is hoping for another appearance in the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday at Road America… He is 19th in series point standings with 131.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 ENVE Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a good session. It was nice to actually have a session that ran all the way through. and not interrupted by groups. I think we did a decent job of understanding what direction we wanted to go in with the setup, and I felt like we found a pretty happy medium. Now we’ve just got to analyze what we found today, and hopefully make it better for tomorrow. (On the benefit of testing last week:) It was great. Obviously, a lot of these tracks I am seeing for the first time (on race weekend). So having had the opportunity to come and test here just accelerates the whole process of getting into the weekend. These weekends are not super long, and you’ve got to make every second count that you’re out there, and then I’m sure we did that, especially now that we got the chance to test here last week, we just made sure that we got the best out of it.”

FAST FACTS: It will be his first INDYCAR race at Road America, but a team test here on June 9 helped accelerate his learning curve. He earned his best series finish of 16th place at the previous race at World Wide Technology Raceway and is looking forward to the next two road course races at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to continue his progress during his rookie season. He is ranked 25th in series standings with 89 points.

NEXT UP: Practice 2 will take place from 10:05-10:55 a.m. CT tomorrow and qualifying will begin at 1:05 p.m. CT. Coverage for Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix of Road America will begin on FOX at 2:00 p.m. ET.