Instant Recall: Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
INDYCAR
If three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou is still improving as a race car driver, as Chip Ganassi suggested earlier this year, how much better will he get?
That question comes in the hours after the 28-year-old Spaniard won his third race in four opportunities this season, and he finished second in the other race. Palou dominated Sunday's Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park, leading 81 of the 90 laps from the pole in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to extend his series lead to a staggering 60 points. That cushion is more than an opponent can gain in a single race.
Palou's points lead is so commanding that the Chip Ganassi Racing driver could skip this Saturday's Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and still occupy the top position. And remember, he is bidding for his third consecutive season championship and fourth in five years, so he knows how to march to a title.
Palou was so impressive Sunday that he relinquished the lead only to stop for fuel and tires. His margin of victory in the caution-free race was 16.0035 seconds over Arrow McLaren's Christian Lundgaard.
Out front so comfortably, Palou joked after the race about being 'lonely' in the late going as he finished with 63 seconds of Push to Pass. Such is life as the sport's top driver.
It has been 19 years since an INDYCAR SERIES driver started a season this well. That was Sebastien Bourdais' title run in 2006 when he won the first four races.
'It's amazing,' Palou said of his breakout. 'It means nothing, and (it) means a ton at the same time.
'(It) means nothing for (winning) the championship yet. But for sure, I prefer to be in the position we are now than (being in) anybody else's position.'
Lundgaard scored his fourth consecutive top-eight finish – he has three straight top-three finishes -- as his brilliant start in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet continued. But nearly everyone who was expected to challenge Palou's crown this season was down in the order Sunday and has a big points hole from which to climb. For example, last year's series runner-up, Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian, is already 99 points behind Palou.
The strange thing about this race is that Palou wasn't really challenged. Oh, fellow front-row starter Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske was at Palou's side on the opening lap, but Palou soon vanished in the distance, posting the fastest lap of the race on Lap 4. McLaughlin, who had won the previous two races on this 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course, finished third in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet.
Most of Sunday's drama occurred in the pits, where several top drivers had hiccups. Rinus VeeKay was among those. The No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda lost precious seconds when the right front wheel nut got loose, but VeeKay drove masterfully to give Dale Coyne's team a fourth-place finish, its best result since David Malukas finished third at World Wide Technology Raceway late in the 2023 season. This was VeeKay's second top-10 of the season, having finished ninth in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg to open the campaign. Team Penske's Will Power finished fifth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
But they were all chasing Palou, who lapped 11 of the other 26 competitors and is truly pulling away from the field.
'Yeah, best start of my career, like not (just) in INDYCAR, I would say everything I've done in my life,' Palou said. 'Never been as good as here. Not even go-karts. Yeah, couldn't be happier. Hopefully we can keep it going.'
History suggests it can. Palou is the two-time reigning champion of the Sonsio Grand Prix, an 85-lap race that will be staged at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
If it seems Palou can do no wrong, get used to it. As Ganassi suggested, Palou seems to improve with each race.
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