Tag: Alex Palou

The Year of Palou-IndyCar Season Review

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Caution free races, cheating scandals, firings gave way to some outstanding racing in the second half of the year. While turmoil reigned off track and the racing improved, there was one constant throughout the season- Alex Palou. Palou won the title by nearly 200 points after winning five of the first six races, and six of the first 10.

After a first lap caution at the St. Pete opener end3ed after lap 6, we did not see another yellow flag for 408 laps. the next caution came on lap 70 of the Sonsio Grand Prix on the IMS road course in race number five. As if to make up for lost time, the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 featured seven cautions for 45 laps. No race went caution free the rest of the year, and the racing coincidentally got much better.

The Indianapolis 500 saw another rules infraction scandal involving Team Penske when it was discovered that the cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power had unapproved modifications to the attenuator. Their cars were moved to the rear of the starting grid, and three top Penske officials were dismissed from the team.

After the race the second-place car of Marcus Ericsson and the sixth place car of Andretti teammate Kyle Kirkwood were disqualified and place 31st and 32nd in the finishing order. The car of Callum Ilott was moved to 33rd from12th place, all three cars failing post race inspection.

At Detroit another team received a technical penalty. After that, there were no more infractions announced the rest of the year.

IndyCar is looking to have an independent technical inspection team beginning in 2026, and i hope we have seen the last of violations on the scale we saw this year.

After Palou won the first two races of the year, and Kyle Kirkwood won the third event at Long Beach, no one batted an eye.It appeared to be a typical season on the horizon. But Palou won at Barber and swept May at Indianapolis. Still the season was young, and surely Palou would cool off.

Hopes were high for a championship battle after Kirkwood won at Detroit and Gateway, but Palou came back to win Road America, and he had Mid Ohio in his grasp until a late race error in turn 9 handed the victory to Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon.

Palou won the second race at Iowa and then took the checkered flag at Laguna Serca for his final win of the season. A third place at Portland clinched his third consecutive title with two races left.

Palou’s season- eight wins, tying him for the fourth highest single season total in history, six poles, 14 top fives, 15 top 10s, and 13 podiums (8 wins, 4 seconds, 1 third).

Notable

Some things that stood out in 2025:

Rookie Robert Shwartzman winning the pole at the Indianapolis 500 for new team PREMA.

Christian Rasmussen winning his first career race for ECR at Milwaukee.

Louis Foster winning Rookie of the Year honors over Robert Shwartzman by two points in a race that wasn’t decided until the final lap, of the season.

Pato O’Ward’s strong second half of the season in which he won twice and took command of second place in the standings.

Best races, in order- Nashville, Milwaukee, Gateway, Iowa 2.

Worst races, in order- Thermal, Laguna Seca, Barber.

I want to thank all who followed along this season. I appreciate all of you. I will be on site for the IMSA race at IMS, and I will be doing some historic features the rest of the year.

St. Pete isn’t that fart off, is it?

Alex Pole-O

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If Alex Palou has a weakness, it is that he can’t steer the car with his knees. Palou took his seventh pole of 2025 today, Edging David Malukas for the top spot in tomorrow’s Snap-on Milwaukee 250.

Palou averaged 162.971 mph to better Malukas’s 162.256 mph.S

In a very interesting qualifying session, early strength from Team Penske slipped although Chevrolet power appeared to rule the day. Palou, the day’s final qualifier, spoiled the bowtie party.

Scott McLaughlin Led Team Penske with a fourth place effort. Will Power earned the sixth spot but will start fifth after Scott Dixons penalty is applied. Josef Newgarden qualified eighth and will start seventh.

Colton Herta spun without making any contact in turn 2 of his first lap. He complete the run at a very reduced speed. Felix Rosenqvist spun and backed into the turn 4wall coming to the start of his run.

The day nearly belonged to Malukas. After he set fast time, nine drivers still needed to qualify. Pato O’Ward threatened to take the first position with a faster first lap, but O’Ward’s second lap was slower enough to allow Malukas to keep the top berth.

Then it was Palou’s turn. Would the bully take the prize away from the kid? Of course, he would, by three tenths of a second.

Palou has a chance on Sunday to Mario Andretti’s mark of nine wins in a season, which Andretti did in1970.

Notes

Attendance was much higher today than what we usually see on a qualifying day. All signs point to a very well attended race tomorrow.

“I knew I had a good car,” Palou said. “I just wanted to get everything out of it, so I just fired as much speed as I think it could handle and a little bit more, and it sticks. It feels amazing to get a pole here.”

Results

Power Outage Ends

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There was a race at Portland, but all the talk centers on two things- Team Penske ‘s first win of the season after a 15-race winless streak, and Alex Palou’s fourth series title. before I give my thougths on the race, let’s talk about Power and Palou,

Will Power won for the second straight year at Portland, his first win since that 2024 Portland race. It has been a difficult year for Team Penske as a whole, and today provided some balm for their wounds.

Questions still surround power’s status with the team for 2026 despite Power having the team’s only victory, being the only Penske driver in the top 10, and having the most top five finishes on the team.

Of the three current drivers, based on this year’s results, Power is the one who most deserves to return.

Alex Palou is once again the IndyCar season champion, retaining his title he has held since 2023. Palou finished third today. His closest competitor, Pato O’Ward, had a power issue just after his first pit stop. O’Ward rejoined the race, but was 10 laps down.

Palou remains unflappable, even with his big off track excursion near the end of the race. He joins Ted Horn (1946-48) and Dario Franchitti (2009-2011) as three in a row champions.

Palou is a generational talent. He also won the Indianapolis 500 this year, along with seven other races. He still has a chance to join A. J. Foyt abd Al Unser, Sr. as winners of 10 races in a season.

The Race

Some quick thoughts on the race.

Power took command early when the leaders pitted during the third caution period on lap 16. He held the lead except for pit cycles the rest of the day, building a lead that sometimes grew to more than five seconds.

Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou made the last stint exciting as the top three cars were together on track. Lapped traffic kept Lundgaard and Palou close to Power.

Three early cautions, the last of which ended on lap19, dulled what had been some good action between yellows. Cars began to get strung out, but there were still some passing in the back.

Great Drives

Graham Rahal finished fourth, led 10 laps, and stayed close to the front after starting 22nd.

Callum Ilott grabbed another sixth place for PREMA, coning from 24th on the grid.

Alexander Rossi earned his first top five with ECR.

Race Control

Christian Rasmussen had no action taken for punting Conor Daly hard into the wall, yet Scott Dixon received a drive through for lightly tapping and spinning Josef Newgarden on lap 85. If Dixon deserved a drive through, what should have been the penalty for Rasmussen? This was Rasmussen’s first incident this season.

After Newgarden’s spin, he sat facing oncoming traffic in turn1 for several seconds, with no yellow. He waited until Power passed him to restart his car. I will grant that Newgarden was off the racing line, but with all the craziness that turn causes, maybe Race Control should err on the side of safety?

That will do it for me today. Thanks for following along this weekend. I will have more on Power and Palou Tuesday. Tomorrow is a long travel day.

Race Day at Portland

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Good morning from Portland International Raceway.

Today’s Schedule: Times Pacific.

10:06 am- Indy NXT Race 35 laps or 55 minutes FS1

11:30 am Driver Introductions

12:22 am Green flag- Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland 110 laps FOX

Weather- 85 degrees at green flag, climbing to 92 degrees by the end of the race. Track temperature should be around 117 degrees at the start of the race and climb.

Only seven drivers will start on the alternate tires, including the first three starters. All team Penske cars are starting on alternates, and Andretti starts two of their drivers, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson, on the red tires.

My initial pick of Christian Lundgaard still seems pretty solid despite his grid penalty, but I am going to hedge a bit and make Felix Rosenqvist my co choice to win.

Crowning a Champion?

Alex Palou’s chances of clinching the series championship depend on where Pato O’Ward finishes. O’Ward can get a maximum of 53 points today. Plaou needs to end the day with a lead of 108 points. If O’Ward gets max points, Palou needs to finish second. Pato needs to outscore Palou by 14 points to keep the title alive for two more weeks.

Milwaukee Under Water

Heavy rains in Milwaukee have flooded Wisconsin State Fair Park, home of the Milwaukee Mile where IndyCar will race in two weeks. The park is closed today.

I hope everyone in Milwaukee stays safe, and the waters recede safely.

I will be back after the race.

1964: The Improbable Season

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Alex Palou is having an amazing season, one that could tie a record of a 10-win season shared by two of the greats, A. J. Foyt and Al Unser, Sr. He has already tied Al Unser, Jr, who won eight races in 1994, and Sebastien Bourdais who reached the checkered first in 2007, with eight victories.

Foyt won 10 times in 1964 in a dominating rout of the competition. He won the first seven races of the season, and then he won three of the last six races. Only two other drivers, Parnelli Jones and Lloyd Ruby, also won that season.

The season opener at Phoenix was also the debut of the track, and Foyt became its first winner. The winning streak continued as the series entered May. The Lotus of Jim Clark was favored to win. The race was marred by tragedy as Eddie Sachs and Dave McDonald were killed in an early accident. Clark’s suspension failed, setting up a battle between Foyt and Parnelli Jones. The anticipated fight was short-lived, however. On Jones next pit stop, the fuel cap blew off, setting the car on fire. Foyt breezed to the win.

There was no 500 hangover for Foyt, as he won the next weekend’s race in Milwaukee. Another fiery crash involving Jim Hurtubise put a damper on the second race in a row. Hurtubise survived, but his hands and fingers were badly burned. He had doctors rebuild his fingers so that they could grip a steering wheel.

Foyt’s first loss of the season occurred on August 23rd in the second Milwaukee race. Parnelli Jones won the race from the pole. Jones’s win would start another pattern for1964.

It would be another month before Foyt would lose again, this time at Trenton on September 27th. Like Milwaukee, Jones earned pole position and won the race.

On November 22nd, the season finale at Phoenix, Jones again was the fastest qualifier, but Lloyd Ruby became just the third driver to win a race that year.

One oddity of Foyt’s year-in the three races he did not win, Foyt suffered DNFs. He ended his day at Milwaukee in 26th, finished 20th at Trenton, and 19th at Phoenix.

Alex Palou has three chances to win two races. A win at Portland next weekend will tie Mario Andretti’s victory total from 1969. After that he will need to win his first race on a medium sized oval. I think it would be a full circle moment if Palou were to tie the record at the site of Foyt’s first loss of1964.,

Race Recap: Java House Grand Prix of Monterey

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After six very good races in a row, IndyCar produced a rather dull show yesterday at Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca. The winner was never in doubt as Alex Palou won his eighth race of the season. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver should clinch the title at the next race in Portland.

Palou has a chance to finish the season with a record 11 wins should he sweep the rest of the schedule. A. J. Foyt won 10 races in 1964, and Al Unser, Sr. matched that victory total in 1970. Mario Andretti won nine times in 1969.

There were a couple of interesting on track battles, the best of which was between Colton Herta and Christian Lundgaard for second place late in the race.

Pato O’Ward did not get the start he needed from second place and had to settle for fourth place. He lost 22 points to Palou. If O’Ward does not gain 14 points on Palou at Portland, the championship is officially over.

Where is Race Control?

Once again race control dropped the ball and failed to throw an immediate yellow flag after Marcus Ericsson spun and stalled with his car sitting on the track in a dangerous spot on lap 77. It seemed to be at least a lap before the caution flag came out.

I believe the flag was held so that Alex Palou and other cars could pit. Allowing pit stops is not a good reason to withhold a necessary yellow. For those in the “No one should have their race ruined by a yellow crowd, I say, “breaks of the game.” Should a baseball umpire not call ball four on a high and wide pitch because it will spoil a pitcher’s no hitter?

Yes, Palou was the fastest car Sunday, but things happen, and the fastest car sometimes loses out because of circumstances. Ericsson’s car was in a vulnerable position and created a potential for a collision. One day, race control will get bitten by this dangerous practice of waiting to display a caution flag. I hope we don’t have to wait until something bad happens to see a change in procedures.

Ilott’s Great Drive

Callum Ilott gave Prema its best finish of the year, finishing sixth after starting 24th. He made several passes and used great pit strategy to advance. PREMA has done a very respectable job in their first IndyCar season, winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500 and now has two top 10 finishes for the season. Rookie Robert Shwartzman is just four points behind Louis Foster for Rookie of the Year.

Rookie Race

Louis Foster now leads Shwartzman by four points for Rookie honors with three races left. The pair entered yesterday’s race tied in points. Each has won a pole, Shwartzman has two top 10 finishes, while Foster’s best finish is 11th.

The rooie title will come down to the season finale at Nashville.

Qualification Results

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It is fitting that the top two drivers in the championship will start tomorrow’s race in the front row. A welcome back to the Fast Six to Will Power and Josef Newgarden. Four of the top six have won at Laguna Seca.

A 30 minute session, which will serve as the pre race warm up, will take place at 7 pm Eastern this evening. It will be shown on FS2.

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Quick Thoughts- Farm to Fresh 275

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It’s Iowa, so Josef Newgarden was inevitable, until he wasn’t. For the second day in a row Team Penske snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. When Newgarden passed Alex Palou for the lead on lap 65, it looked as if he would rule the rest of the day. But two untimely green flag pit stops were for naught as a caution soon followed, miring him deep in the order, He fought back to the lead the first time, but the next time, there were too few laps left for Newgarden to advance.

Alex Palou dominated the Fram to Fresh 276 today in another good race which surpassed expectations heading into the weekend. 229 of the 382 passes were for position. The race saw an on track pass for the lead, and many good battles for positions. When Newgarden fought back t the lead on lap 241, he pushed Palou out of the groove to get by. Palou said there was some contact.

For Palou, today is his seventh win of the season and his first on a short oval. He was on a street course, a superspeedway, a road course, and a short oval. Palou still has a chance to match A. J, Foyt’s 10 wins in 1964.

Race Notes

Team Penske’s day in the sun on Saturday turned to dusk on Sunday. Scott McLaughlin was the victim of a first lap accident and finished last. Will Power retired with an engine issue after 21 laps.

It looked like Newgarden would save the day, but the yellows fell the wrong way, and he ended the day 10th.

Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon was second, and Marcus Armstrong finished third for an all Honda podium. Armstrong’s Meyer Shank Racing team is affiliated with Chip Ganassi Racing.

David Malukas finished fourth after starting third. He had several battles for the lead and stayed up front all day.

Jacob Abel and Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne teammates who shared row 13 at the start, finished 11th and 12th. It was Abel’s best drive of the season.

Christian Lundgaard salvaged what had been a dismal weekend by coming home sixth today after starting 22nd.

Final Thoughts

We headed into this weekend at Iowa unsure of what the on track product would like after last year. The racing was great and came close to the classic old Iowa races.

It is a bittersweet feeling with the future of the IndyCar weekend here in doubt. If this should be the end, I am happy that it ended with two great races.

I will elaborate more on this point tomorrow.

Thanks for following along this weekend. My next road trip is to Portland in August, but I will still post about Toronto next weekend and Laguna Seca the following week.

Results

Iowa Qualifying: Poles for Newgarden, Palou

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Team Penske regained a little bit of their luster as Josef Newgarden took pole for this afternoon’s race 1 at Iowa Speedway. Alex Palou nipped Felix Rosenqvist on the last qualifying lap of the day for the pole for race 2.

All was not perfect for Team Penske, however, as Scott McLaughlin crashed on his first qualifying lap. He will start 27th today and tomorrow.

Some drivers not normally in the qualifying conversations had strong runs this afternoon. Conor Daly starts second today and seventh tomorrow. The Foyt drivers, Santino Ferrucci and David Malukas, share row five this afternoon. Malukas rolls off third Sunday.

Felix Rosenqvist held the pole for race 2 until Palou turned the fastest lap of the day on his second lap. Palou’s speed of 184.014 mph was faster than Newgarden’s first lap by 0.015 mph, 0.014 of a second.

Race 1 starts at 4:20 pm Central, FOX coming on air at 4pm (5 pm Eastern.)

Interesting stat- Palou starts fourth today, and Newgarden starts fourth tomorrow.

Results

Race 1

Race 2