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Fox Sports
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
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. recommended
Fox News
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Thermal Club: The great unknown awaits INDYCAR drivers in the Coachella desert
THERMAL, Calif. — The glaring difference between the first INDYCAR points race at The Thermal Club and other races is the fans. Or rather the absence of them. There won't be as many spectators as drivers are used to seeing. Only 5,000 will potentially attend the event on Sunday at the private motorsports club. It's like an exclusive golf club with luxury homes. But it's more extravagant, with garages full of exotic sports cars and a racetrack for members to drive their cherished toys. The vibe could be eerie since the race will take place in a huge venue, only to be enjoyed by the few who can afford it. And there's the epic media buy from the ownership to lure INDYCAR to run there that will ultimately showcase the 426-acre facility on television. But the drivers have more important things to focus on. They have to concentrate on navigating the 17-turn, 3.067-mile course. This is a much more complex task than a year ago when the exhibition, All-Star format at Thermal didn't feature a run of more than 10 laps without drivers making adjustments. Now, they must try to strategize a 65-lap race where they have both the primary and option, softer tires. They didn't have the alternates a year ago. And they also have the hybrid engine that was introduced last season. Even the primary tire is new. In fact, it is so new, it wasn't used when a few teams tested it here two months ago. Pit stops? The drivers think three during the race. But maybe two and that's if the softer tires really last (drivers must use each type of tire for at least two laps during the race). Or maybe even four if tire wear during a run (likely 15 to 18 laps) costs a driver three to four seconds a lap — enough to make up the time of an extra pit stop. "I like unknowns," said Penske driver Josef Newgarden. "This is probably the biggest unknown of the year. We didn't have a full race last year, there were no pit stops, there was no full fuel big tire drop off." Drivers from Andretti, Dale Coyne and Prema tested at the track in January. "When we were here for the test, it was more just to try and get a better base setup for us because we were struggling quite a bit here last year," Andretti driver Marcus Ericsson said. "I think we've got that. We talked about doing some long runs toward the end of the day, but then it cooled off a lot so it wasn't super representative." Colton Herta said after practice that the feel of the car wasn't the same as the test two months ago. "It's pretty different," said Herta, who was fourth on the speed chart. "When we were here, it was 30 degrees cooler with a different tire. "It would be nice if it was a little closer to what we had this weekend, but there's still general things. And the general balance is somewhat similar." Ericsson said the primary tire that Firestone brought for the race weekend will wear more quickly than the one they tested in January (the one used last year). Firestone is going with a new compound to help handle the weight difference of the hybrid engine system. Here's another change from the inaugural event a year ago. This track did not have a full pit lane as far as the equipment needed for the teams, so the original pit lane had to be extended to accommodate the pit box needs of INDYCAR teams. That has made it a relatively long pit road, which could determine whether a team does an extra pit stop knowing it will take more time to drive down pit road. "It will be an interesting race," said Alex Palou, who won the exhibition event last year and was fastest in practice. "It's not easy [to pass] but it will become easy when the tire deg[radation] kicks in." All these questions and everyone is wondering about tires. "Hopefully we get it right," Newgarden said about the tire. "Because people that don't are going to be suffering." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Fox Sports
22-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Thermal Club: The great unknown awaits INDYCAR drivers in the Coachella desert
THERMAL, Calif. — The glaring difference between the first INDYCAR points race at The Thermal Club and other races is the fans. Or rather the absence of them. There won't be as many spectators as drivers are used to seeing. Only 5,000 will potentially attend the event on Sunday at the private motorsports club. It's like an exclusive golf club with luxury homes. But it's more extravagant, with garages full of exotic sports cars and a racetrack for members to drive their cherished toys. The vibe could be eerie since the race will take place in a huge venue, only to be enjoyed by the few who can afford it. And there's the epic media buy from the ownership to lure INDYCAR to run there that will ultimately showcase the 426-acre facility on television. But the drivers have more important things to focus on. They have to concentrate on navigating the 17-turn, 3.067-mile course. This is a much more complex task than a year ago when the exhibition, All-Star format at Thermal didn't feature a run of more than 10 laps without drivers making adjustments. Now, they must try to strategize a 65-lap race where they have both the primary and option, softer tires. They didn't have the alternates a year ago. And they also have the hybrid engine that was introduced last season. Even the primary tire is new. In fact, it is so new, it wasn't used when a few teams tested it here two months ago. Pit stops? The drivers think three during the race. But maybe two and that's if the softer tires really last (drivers must use each type of tire for at least two laps during the race). Or maybe even four if tire wear during a run (likely 15 to 18 laps) costs a driver three to four seconds a lap — enough to make up the time of an extra pit stop. "I like unknowns," said Penske driver Josef Newgarden. "This is probably the biggest unknown of the year. We didn't have a full race last year, there were no pit stops, there was no full fuel big tire drop off." Drivers from Andretti, Dale Coyne and Prema tested at the track in January. "When we were here for the test, it was more just to try and get a better base setup for us because we were struggling quite a bit here last year," Andretti driver Marcus Ericsson said. "I think we've got that. We talked about doing some long runs toward the end of the day, but then it cooled off a lot so it wasn't super representative." Colton Herta said after practice that the feel of the car wasn't the same as the test two months ago. "It's pretty different," said Herta, who was fourth on the speed chart. "When we were here, it was 30 degrees cooler with a different tire. "It would be nice if it was a little closer to what we had this weekend, but there's still general things. And the general balance is somewhat similar." Ericsson said the primary tire that Firestone brought for the race weekend will wear more quickly than the one they tested in January (the one used last year). Firestone is going with a new compound to help handle the weight difference of the hybrid engine system. Here's another change from the inaugural event a year ago. This track did not have a full pit lane as far as the equipment needed for the teams, so the original pit lane had to be extended to accommodate the pit box needs of INDYCAR teams. That has made it a relatively long pit road, which could determine whether a team does an extra pit stop knowing it will take more time to drive down pit road. "It will be an interesting race," said Alex Palou, who won the exhibition event last year and was fastest in practice. "It's not easy [to pass] but it will become easy when the tire deg[radation] kicks in." All these questions and everyone is wondering about tires. "Hopefully we get it right," Newgarden said about the tire. "Because people that don't are going to be suffering." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
