The NTT IndyCar Series closes out its busy May stretch on the streets of downtown Detroit on Sunday, and the betting market has a clear headliner. Alex Palou starts from pole and sits atop the board at -250 to win the 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. That marks a shift from the Thursday odds, when defending Detroit winner Kyle Kirkwood led the market. Palou's third consecutive pole flipped the script. Below we lay out our top pick, a longer-priced value play, and a pair of secondary-market angles for race day.
Last Updated: Sunday, May 31, 2026
2026 CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX DATE, TIME & HOW TO WATCH | |
|---|---|
| Where | Streets of Downtown Detroit, Detroit, MI |
| When | Sunday, May 31 – 12:30 PM ET |
| TV | FOX |
Pre-Race Report
Palou earned the pole with a best lap of roughly 1 minute, 1.9 seconds. It was his third straight pole and the 16th of his career. He edged Will Power, who qualified second in the Andretti Global No. 26 Honda. Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Christian Lundgaard and Kirkwood completed the Firestone Fast Six. That front group stacks the grid with proven street-course and road-course winners.
Palou arrives with momentum despite a quiet Indianapolis 500. He finished seventh at the Brickyard, where Felix Rosenqvist won by 0.023 seconds. A post-race penalty trimmed Palou's points total. Even so, he still leads the championship by 37 over David Malukas. For the full Brickyard breakdown, see our 2026 Indianapolis 500 predictions. No grid penalties have been reported across the top of the field. Kirkwood, last year's Detroit winner, lines up sixth and is chasing his goal of becoming the first repeat Detroit winner since 2017.
2026 CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX – TOP ODDS TO WIN | |
|---|---|
| Name | Odds |
| Alex Palou | -250 |
| Kyle Kirkwood | +300 |
| Will Power | +600 |
| Scott McLaughlin | +1100 |
| Christian Lundgaard | +1200 |
| Pato O'Ward | +1200 |
| Scott Dixon | +1200 |
| Marcus Armstrong | +2800 |
| Marcus Ericsson | +3300 |
| David Malukas | +3500 |
Odds accurate as of Sunday, May 31, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest IndyCar Odds - Props
Top Pick to Win — Alex Palou
The Pick: Alex Palou to win (-250). The case starts with track position. Detroit's tight, nine-turn, 1.645-mile street circuit offers few clean passing zones, so the front row matters more here than at most venues. Palou converts poles into wins as well as anyone in the series. He has already won three times in 2026, taking St. Petersburg, Barber and Long Beach. He also leads the standings comfortably, which signals a car and team operating at a high level.
The price is the obvious knock. At -250, Palou carries an implied probability near 71 percent, which leaves little room for error. Street races also invite chaos. Cautions bunch the field, restarts reshuffle track position, and one mistimed yellow can bury even the fastest car deep in the order. Palou finished seventh at Indianapolis, and he has not won on this downtown Detroit layout. Backing him means trusting clean execution over 100 laps, not just raw speed.
On balance, the pole sitter is still the most logical side. Palou pairs the best starting spot with the steadiest season-long form in the field. The price is short, however, so a smaller stake fits the risk.
Value Play — Will Power
The Pick: Will Power to win (+600). Power qualified second, his best starting spot of the season, and he shares the front row with Palou. He also brings genuine Detroit pedigree. Power owns three career Detroit wins, taking the event in 2014, 2016 and 2022. The Andretti Global No. 26 Honda showed real pace all weekend, and a front-row start on a track-position circuit gives him a clear path to contention.
The counterpoint is fair. Those past Detroit wins came on the old Belle Isle layout, not the current downtown street course, where Power finished fourth a year ago. Non-oval wins have also been rare for him lately. Still, +600 from the front row offers far more margin than the favorite's price, which is what a value play is meant to provide.
Race Day Outlook — Picks and Final Thoughts
The feed offers a couple of secondary angles worth a look. In the winning-manufacturer market, Honda sits at -350 and Chevrolet at +250. Honda holds four of the top six grid spots through Palou, Power, Dixon and Kirkwood, so the favorite makes sense. The price is steep, though, and Chevrolet's depth runs through McLaughlin in third plus O'Ward and Lundgaard, so the +250 return has merit for contrarians.
The driver head-to-head between Arrow McLaren teammates is also intriguing. Christian Lundgaard (-110) over Pato O'Ward leans on grid position, since Lundgaard starts fifth and O'Ward lines up further back. On a circuit where passing is hard, that starting edge is meaningful. The flip side is that O'Ward, priced at -120, often shows stronger long-run race pace, so this matchup is closer than the grid alone suggests.
Strategy will shape the result. The race runs 100 laps on a narrow nine-turn layout where the preferred line is tight and clean air is precious. Pit windows, fuel timing and restart positioning tend to decide Detroit more than outright speed. Expect cautions to play a role, and watch how the leaders manage traffic on older tires. Track position, once again, is the through-line.
To recap our 2026 Detroit Grand Prix picks: Alex Palou to win (-250), Will Power to win (+600), Christian Lundgaard over Pato O'Ward in the head-to-head (-110), and Honda as the winning manufacturer (-350). Each carries a clear case for and against, so size stakes to the price and the risk.
2026 Detroit Grand Prix Predictions FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix?
Alex Palou is the favorite at -250 via TheSpread.com. He starts from pole and leads the IndyCar Series championship standings. Defending Detroit winner Kyle Kirkwood is next at +300.
When is the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix?
The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, 2026, with the green flag set for 12:30 PM ET on the streets of downtown Detroit.
What channel is the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix on?
The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will be broadcast on FOX.
Who is on pole for the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix?
Alex Palou won the pole, his third consecutive pole position of the season. Will Power qualified second and Scott McLaughlin third.
Who won the Detroit Grand Prix last year?
Kyle Kirkwood won the 2025 Detroit Grand Prix, holding off Santino Ferrucci and Colton Herta over the closing laps on the downtown street circuit.
How many laps is the 2026 Detroit Grand Prix?
The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is scheduled for 100 laps around the nine-turn, 1.645-mile downtown Detroit street circuit.