Paddock Buzz: Alex Palou Aiming for Rare Three-peat
INDYCAR
NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader Alex Palou is 2-for-2 this season, with victories March 2 in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding and March 23 at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. Two-time defending series champion Palou is aiming for the hat trick in Sunday's 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
A driver has won three consecutive INDYCAR SERIES races just three times in the last decade – Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Scott Dixon in 2020 and Palou in 2023. All three of those drivers won the Astor Challenge Cup as series champion those seasons.
Palou rued he was winless over the last nine races last season after winning two of the first eight.
'Whenever you get the chance, whenever the car feels good, whenever you have confidence in the team, you can feel that the team has the confidence and the calls that we're making are right, you need to try and get that wave and try and surf it for as long as possible,' Palou said. 'Because you know that there's going to be a moment where that wave ends a little bit, and hopefully you can get back on really soon. But we know it's not going to be forever.'
Palou, a three-time series champion, is winless in four Long Beach starts but has been close with finishes of fourth, third, fifth and third, respectively. He starts third in his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in Sunday's 90-lap race airing at 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network
'It just makes it even more interesting,' Palou said. 'I think if it was another track, it would still be super fun to try and get three in a row, but being Long Beach, which is probably our second biggest race of the year, it would make it extra special. That's the goal.'
A.J. Foyt won a series-record seven straight races in 1964 en route to his fourth series championship in five years.
Honda Advantage?
Does Honda have an advantage for Sunday's 90-lap race?
Honda-powered drivers swept the top five starting positions two years after sweeping the top-five finishing positions around the 1.968-mile, 11-turn track in 2023. Last year, Honda drivers finished 1-2-3-5.
Alexander Rossi has the rare distinction of driving for both manufacturers at Long Beach. He won two Long Beach races in 2018-19 driving a Honda for Andretti Global. He raced the last two years with Chevrolet power for Arrow McLaren and will drive Sunday's race for Ed Carpenter Racing.
'Any time there's slow-speed corners, very low in the RPM range, the architecture of that (Honda) engine is just in a better range,' Rossi said. 'And because it's an architectural thing, there's only so much that you can do with an homologated engine.
'Now that being said, there's been a huge kind of study on what we can control from software side of things and the hybrid side of things for this event, in particular, to try and close that gap. Again, there's only so much you can do without changing hard components.'
Honda placed five cars in the top seven of the March 2 season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, including winner Palou and second place Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Chevrolet drivers did lead 65 of 100 laps in St. Petersburg and had two of the top four finishers. Rossi is the second-fastest Chevrolet qualifier, starting eighth in the No. 20 ECR JavaHouse Chevrolet, with Scott McLaughlin rolling off sixth as the top Chevy in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet. There are seven Chevrolet-powered cars starting in the top 13.
Long Beach Grandstands Sold Out
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach officials announced Saturday all grandstand seating around the 1.968-mile street circuit is sold out. Fans can still purchase tickets for the general admission areas to watch the 90-lap event in person.
2022 Long Beach winner Josef Newgarden has noticed the fan interest seems larger this weekend compared to years past. Newgarden started competing at Long Beach in 2011 in INDY NXT by Firestone.
'We say that every year, and I think in a lot of ways the last three years they've just increased the capacity and size,' Newgarden said. 'It was no different this time around. It just felt bigger than last year. I don't know how we can keep saying that year after year.
'It looked like race day today. It was super cool. I think that's the great thing about motorsports right now. There's an excitement. There's a cool factor to it. If you just want to talk about trends, I think motorsports is a trend right now, especially with young people, and it's really fun to see that. You're just seeing this resurgence.
'It has been unique to see over the last two years the amount of kids that I see at the racetrack that are bringing their parents. It's not the other way around. I meet parents that are my age and they're going, 'I know nothing about this, but my 6-year-old loves it and loves you and loves INDYCAR.' It used to be the other way around. It was, 'Hey, I used to love INDYCAR back in the '80s, and now I'm here and I'm trying to bring my kids.'
'It's very, very cool to be a part of. I think we can continue that and grow it, and we're in a really good position to do it. So, it's just a fun time to be a part of motorsports.'
Herta Ready for Long Beach Limelight
Colton Herta starts Sunday's 90-lap race in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Global in the same place he finished last season at Long Beach – second.
'Historically with Andretti, four wins going back to 2018, so we do have really good race cars here,' he said. 'And from where we're sitting right now, we kind of expect that to stay the same.'
California native Herta is joined on the front row by teammate and 2023 winner, Kyle Kirkwood. Herta has extra motivation to secure his second Long Beach victory Sunday due to the nature of his maiden win in 2021.
He stormed from a 14th-place starting position to reach victory after leading a race-high 43 of 85 laps that afternoon. However, he questions whether that win comes with a caveat.
Due to COVID-19 safety measures, the 2021 Long Beach Grand Prix was moved to the season finale. That's only the second time in 49 years this race was held outside of March or April, joining the inaugural event in 1975.
'I've made a habit of winning the last race of the championship,' Herta said. 'I think it's like four times in seven years. So, I do a good job of making it a pretty unimportant race to win, but it's a win, nonetheless.'
Palou took the first of his three championships that afternoon in 2021, overshadowing Herta's victory.
'I think you don't get all the limelight when you have a champion, Alex Palou again,' Herta said. 'Overall, I think it was a great day, but even on my wins, I'm still having to chase that guy.'
Rossi Making 150th Career Start
Rossi becomes Sunday the 56th driver to make 150 career NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts.
'It goes fast,' he said. 'I wouldn't have thought that I was there yet. It's a number in my mind. It's cool. Obviously, you have to be grateful for having that amount of opportunity and to have that career longevity.'
Rossi, who moved to Ed Carpenter Racing this season, strives to earn his third Long Beach victory. Only Al Unser Jr. (six wins), Paul Tracy (four), Mario Andretti (three) and Sebastien Bourdais (three) have more trips to an INDYCAR SERIES victory lane in Long Beach.
Rossi stomped the field, leading 71 of 85 laps, in his 2018 victory and led 80 of 85 laps in a repeat victory a year later. He accomplished both with Andretti Global.
'I think what a lot of people see is my passion for this championship and this sport has grown over my time here,' he said. 'I think I love it just as much as a Tony Kanaan, who has been here for two and a half decades. I think that carries a lot of weight.
'I will do everything in my power to continually help grow and promote this championship. For me, that's something that comes easily just because I do love it and care for it.'
100 Career Starts for Ericsson
Marcus Ericsson made 97 Formula One starts across five seasons with Sauber from 2015-18. The 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach marks his 100th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES start.
'That's pretty crazy,' he said. 'When you think about it, 100 races are a lot of races. And yet it doesn't feel like that long ago when I came over. It's been a blast for me. I really love being in INDYCAR and just the way the racing is and everything. I've really, enjoyed it here.'
Having more starts in the INDYCAR SERIES than F1 speaks to the longevity Ericsson has earned.
Ericsson has four career victories, none bigger than the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2022.
'To be honest, when I was in F1, I was very focused on staying there,' he said. 'Then when that ended, I was very focused on getting here to INDYCAR. There was no doubt about that. And then when I got here, it was all about trying to establish myself here, and I'm very happy to have been able to do that.
'I live here now with my wife and Indianapolis as home, so now it feels very normal and very natural. It's crazy to think that it's my seventh season now.'
Odds and Ends Andretti Global has produced four of the last six Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race winners and the runner-up finisher in three consecutive years. It has all three drivers starting in the top five Sunday, with Kirkwood on pole, Herta second and Ericsson fifth. CGR has produced the third-place finisher in six of the last seven races at Long Beach. Palou starts third. Thirteen drivers won both the Indianapolis 500 and Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach: Mario Andretti, Al Unser Jr., Danny Sullivan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Takuma Sato, Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, Rossi and Newgarden. There will be a special flyover after the national anthem Sunday consisting of helicopters from L.A. County Fire, L.A. City Fire, Cal Fire, L.A. County Sheriff, the L.A. Police Department and the Long Beach Police Department. Also on Sunday, 27 first responders from various departments will ride in the back of pickup trucks along with NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers in the pre-race parade lap. Sunday's honorary starter will be Captain Erik Scott with L.A. City Fire, and there will be a special recognition for Department Chief Anthony James with Pasadena Fire. Chip Ganassi Racing launched its 2025 trading cards for purchase at com/cgrcards. This year's version will honor important wins and milestones through CGR's history. All proceeds from card sales will benefit select charities throughout the year. April proceeds will support the American Red Cross for its disaster relief efforts across the country.
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