Christian Lundgaard, INDYCAR strategy and the 'Agony' of Botched Pit Stops

In Driver's Eye with James Hinchcliffe , the six-time INDYCAR winner will bring you inside the mind of a racer while breaking down the nuts and bolts of the sport for fans.

A lot of people in INDYCAR are walking around saying, "I told you so." 

Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing returned to Barber Motorsports Park last weekend as the heavy favorites. And they duly delivered, putting on an absolute clinic and earning all available points — for starting on the pole, for leading a lap, for leading the most laps and, of course, for winning.

But let’s be honest: We’ve talked a lot about Palou, his team and their combined greatness. So, instead, I want to examine his closest competitor last weekend in Christian Lundgaard and the pain of seeing an opportunity to win… evaporate. 

At Barber, the Arrow McLaren driver was putting up a strong fight against reigning champ Palou for three quarters of the race — until a pivotal 17.8-second final pit stop eliminated his chance to even fight for the win. 

Let's break it down.

Christian Lundgaard during the 2026 Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Lundgaard closed the gap behind Palou and was attempting a strategic move called the overcut.

The overcut is when you pit a lap or two later than your competitor. You stay out and use the speed and grip from your hot tires to run faster lap times than the other guy, who pitted before you and returns to the track on cold tires before they eventually get up to temperature and peak grip.

With the overcut, Lundgaard opened the gap enough that, with a flawless pit stop, he would have come out neck and neck with Palou, and the