Latest news with #Ganassi
Fox Sports
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Getting Alex Palou to talk possible INDYCAR records is as tough as beating him
Alex Palou has won the Indianapolis 500 and appears well on his way to winning a fourth INDYCAR title in the last five years. What more does he have to accomplish? "Another championship and another 500 and so on and so on and so on," Palou said. "There's a lot. There's many races that we need to win." Yeah, and how many is that? Palou swears he isn't looking at trying to reach 10 victories (or a record 11th) in one season after winning five of the first six races this year with 11 more to go. At the Detroit Grand Prix this Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX), Palou seeks to become the first driver since 2000 to win the Indy 500 and the following race. "I don't think that way," Palou said. "I think more of I would love to win Detroit [this weekend] now after the 500. It's pretty tough, and we've not seen that happen very often, that after the 500 to win the next race. That's the goal." Palou does have "just" 16 victories in the series, which ranks him tied for 31st (with Dan Wheldon) on the all-time list — he would need to win 15 more to get to the top-10 all-time and 26 more to get to fifth. A.J. Foyt has the record with 67 victories. A fourth title would tie him for third on the list behind seven-time champ A.J. Foyt and six-time champ Scott Dixon. Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdai and Dario Franchitti each have four. Only three drivers have won three consecutive titles (Palou has won two in a row), and Bourdais' four consecutive Champ Car titles is the INDYCAR record. Palou's boss, car owner Chip Ganassi, dismissed talk of trying to reach those benchmarks. "You know what I need to talk about? Detroit," Ganassi said. "We just try to do the best job every day that we can. And if you do that, the long term takes care of itself. "When you want to talk about start talking about comparisons and history ... all that stuff, that's for you guys, not me." But chasing records can be a storyline and a sign of accomplishment, and Ganassi knows that. "Records are only important if you're close to breaking one," Ganassi said. The most immediate record Palou could achieve would be wins in a season, which is 10 (Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970). The more modern era record is eight (Michael Andretti in 1991, Al Unser Jr. in 1994 and Bourdais in 2007). "I don't have a number," Palou said about wins for this year. "Winning five is already the most that I've won in an INDYCAR season. So it's pretty cool." The 28-year-old Palou could have more than a decade left in INDYCAR, and if he continues this tear, he could potentially break many records. "In my mind, I don't have a list of stuff that I want to accomplish," Palou said. "I have accomplished a lot more than I've ever thought and a lot more than I could have put on any list. "It's more about every day trying to beat the competition at every single race that we can and trying to do the best that we have." Not only will Palou likely not continue this tear — he'll admit that himself — but there is also a new car coming. INDYCAR would like to have the new car ready for the 2027 season. "Any time a new car comes along, it jumbles the field," Ganassi said. But, as Ganassi said, the focus isn't on 2027 or beyond. It's on Detroit. But it's been hard for Palou to focus on Detroit during an intense media tour in New York City. "I don't feel as prepared as I should," Palou said Wednesday at the Empire State Building. "But on the flight [Thursday] to Detroit, I should have a couple of hours that should be OK to be at least ready for a track walk [that night] and just to have an idea of what the schedule is going to be for the weekend." If he does win Detroit or earns a few more wins heading into August, the record for wins in a season could become a focus. "Records are made to be broken and if somebody hasn't done it in the modern era, why shouldn't it be us to do it?" Ganassi said. 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
Fox News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
Indy 500 winner Alex Palou pumps brakes on possible F1 move
Print Close By Ryan Gaydos Published May 28, 2025 Alex Palou is on top of the open-wheel racing world as he won Sunday's Indianapolis 500 for the first time in his career and notched his fifth win in six IndyCar races this season. Palou appeared to be cemented in his IndyCar seat for the foreseeable future as he made clear that joining Formula 1 wasn't in the cards. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON "(F1) is not calling me anymore. I still follow it. It's a huge series. It's amazing. I'm a big fan, but I don't think they're having as much fun as I'm having here," Palou told the Indy Star. "I don't see people celebrating with their wives and their kids as much as we do. I don't see them hanging in the bus lot or having dinner with their mechanics. I only enjoy driving and having fun and being with my people, so I think (F1) is the total opposite." Palou dipped his toe in the F1 waters in 2022 when he signed with McLaren's Testing of Previous Cars program. He was then named a reserve driver for the 2023 season but never raced in an official event. CONOR DALY ADMITS TO PERFORMING GROSS ACT WHILE WAITING FOR INDY 500 TO BEGIN He participated in four races in Formula 2 in 2017 and drove full time in Formula 3 in 2018, finishing in seventh in the drivers' championship. Palou joined IndyCar in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing. He moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. He's won the IndyCar championship three times and is in line for a fourth. After the Indy 500 win, Ganassi called him the "best driver." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "I think he's one of the greats. It's that simple," Ganassi said. "Certainly we've had some great drivers on our team, and he's right there, at worst, shoulder-to-shoulder with all the rest of them." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Print Close URL
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Epoch Times
Spain's Alex Palou Wins Indy 500
INDIANAPOLIS—Alex Palou took the ceremonial swig of milk in victory lane at the Indianapolis 500. He allowed his wife to have a sip, she in turn gave a sip to their baby, and team owner Chip Ganassi ended up with the bottle and took a drink, as well. 'I have to tell you, it was the best milk I ever had,' Palou said. The first Spaniard to win 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' then took a victory lap with his entourage around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the back of a pickup truck. At one point, Palou climbed onto its roof and raised his arms in triumph, the winning wreath draped around his neck. He briefly lost his balance and Ganassi instinctively reached out to grab his star driver. No need. Palou rarely makes a wrong move. Palou came to the speedway as the two-time defending IndyCar champion—he has three titles in four years—and had opened this year with victories in four of the first five races. It's the kind of start not seen since 1964, when A.J. Foyt won the first seven races of the season, including the Indy 500. Related Stories 5/24/2025 5/18/2025 But it was win No. 6 that Palou had circled on his calendar. Without an Indy 500 win, he said, his career would be incomplete. 'Like he said last week, if he was to go through his whole career and not win here at Indianapolis, it wouldn't be a complete career,' Ganassi said. 'I don't want to say his career is complete now—he's got a lot in him yet. Look at the last five, six races we've had. It's just incredible. He's on a roll.' Such a roll that IndyCar officials were trying to hustle along the postrace commitments for Palou to get him downtown to watch the Indiana Pacers play the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Palou on Saturday wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey in the Indy 500 parade. 'That's going to help some people in Indiana to know me,' Palou said. Palou was in fuel-saving mode over the closing laps, following former Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson. Palou got tired of staying put with 16 laps remaining and charged ahead—a move Ericsson said 'will keep me up at night. What I did and what I didn't do.' Palou was never challenged from there, taking the checkered flag as a crash brought out a caution. He stopped the car just beyond the Yard of Bricks, climbing out of it and nearly losing his balance as he raised his arms in triumph. Palou jumped down and took off in a run down the front stretch, pulling off his gloves and tossing them behind him, and ultimately was engulfed by his father, Ramon, and his team in a jubilant celebration. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti both hugged him, a pair of former Ganassi Indy 500 winners welcoming him into their exclusive club. He wasn't sure what the win will do for him Spain, which celebrates Formula 1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., but Palou said for the first time he can recall he saw throngs of fans with Spanish flags chanting his name at an IndyCar race. 'It makes it extra special that I'm the first Spanish driver to win it,' Palou said. 'But honestly, if I was the 50th Spanish driver to win, I would be as happy as I am now.' Meanwhile, Ericsson climbed from his car in pit lane and pressed his hands to his face, the disappointment of coming oh-so-close to a second Indianapolis 500 victory etched across his face. David Maluks was third for A.J. Foyt Racing. 'It's pretty painful,' Ericsson said of his second career Indy 500 runner-up finish. 'I need to look at it again. You replay it in your head a million times after the finish, wondering what I could have done differently. Second means nothing in this race.' Josef Newgarden's bid to win three consecutive Indy 500s ended with a fuel pump issue. He was trying to become the first driver to come from the back row to win because he and Team Penske teammate Will Power were dropped to the back of the field for failing inspection before the final rounds of qualifying. Power wound up 19th, the highest-finishing Penske driver on a miserable day for the organization owned by Roger Penske. He earlier this week fired his top three IndyCar executives for a second technical infraction in just over a year, and has had to defend the optics of his teams failing inspections when he also owns IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500. Penske has won the Indy 500 a record 20 times. It was the sixth Indy 500 win for Ganassi, who has been on a dominating wave since hiring Palou before the 2021 season. Palou won the championship in his first year with the team, added two more titles, and now seems on pace for a fourth one. 'I'll tell you what, that kid's a good driver. I think he's off to a good start,' Ganassi said. 'We're gonna have a good season. It might be OK. Yeah, might be okay. Might be looking at a championship.' Ganassi also vowed that winning the Indy 500 win 'is going to make Alex Palou's career. It is going to make his life.' Palou started the race tied with Pato O'Ward as the co-favorites, listed at +500 by BetMGM Sportsbook. O'Ward finished fourth—the fifth time in six career starts the Mexican has finished sixth or higher. Kyle Larson won't complete 'the double' after crashing out of the Indianapolis 500 before he headed to North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. By Jenna Fryer
San Francisco Chronicle
5 days ago
- Automotive
- San Francisco Chronicle
Chip Ganassi calls Alex Palou 'the best driver' after his historic Indy 500 win
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There's a long list of racing greats who have passed through Chip Ganassi Racing over its 35 years in existence — but not so lengthy that Ganassi can't rattle them off the top of his head. Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya gave Ganassi four consecutive championships. Scott Dixon teamed with Dario Franchitti to restart another four-year title streak. Marcus Ericsson won Ganassi his fifth Indianapolis 500 victory in 2022, ending a 10-year losing streak in 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' for Ganassi. Now he has Alex Palou on his roster, and as he leaned to kiss the first Spaniard to ever win the Indy 500, Ganassi had a message for him. 'You're the best driver,' the team owner said. 'Unbelievable, man. Unbelievable.' It was the expected ending of a bizarre, crash-filled Indy 500 in which Palou won for the fifth time in six races this season but in the one event Palou was adamant he needed to win to ever have a complete racing resume. He's already the two-time defending IndyCar champion and has won three titles in the last four years, all with Ganassi. 'I think he's one of the greats. It's that simple," Ganassi said. 'Certainly we've had some great drivers on our team, and he's right there, at worst, shoulder-to-shoulder with all the rest of them.' There have only been two drivers to win five of the first six races of a season in the modern era — Al Unser Sr. and A.J. Foyt, with Foyt winning the first seven and that included the Indy 500. Now Palou is on a similar dominating pace and with 11 races remaining in the IndyCar season, he takes a 115-point lead over Pato O'Ward in the championship standings to this weekend's race in Detroit. Palou says the results are not solely driver based and acknowledged the work of his No. 10 Ganassi team. 'I think I get a lot of credit because you see that I'm the only one driving the car. But there's a huge team behind that is making me look very good on track,' Palou said. "Whenever we've had the chance to win, we've been able to execute. And that's taking into account not only the setup, but the strategies, the pit stops. 'I've been telling you guys that I know that this is not normal,' he added. 'But I'm glad that it didn't end (at Indy) and that we got the wave until the 500 at least.' How did he win the 500? Palou won Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by losing it to Helio Castroneves in 2021. Palou finished second as Castroneves won for a record-tying fourth time, and Palou begged Castroneves to tell him what he'd done wrong. Castroneves wasn't interested in sharing his secrets. So Palou studied the film, tried to understand how Castroneves used the traffic to keep Palou behind him, and steadily improved his craft on ovals. His Indy 500 win marked the first victory for Palou on an oval. 'Thanks to Helio, I was able to read the traffic good,' Palou said. 'I knew that because of how the strategies were shaking up at the end that we were going to have traffic. So traffic, even though you were P2, you were actually P5 or P4. So you had to take that into account. So I was just trying my best to try and read it and get on top of it.' He was seeing two and three moves ahead, something he learned from Castroneves' winning move, and it gave Palou the guts to make the final pass with 16 laps remaining. It was an incredibly early move in a race that has been decided the last several years by a series of late-lap passes. 'I think I'm here because of 2021 for sure,' said Palou. What comes next? Palou is still being sued for nearly $30 million by McLaren Racing in a breach of contract suit after he changed his mind in late 2023 to leave Ganassi for McLaren ahead of the 2024 season. The two teams had been engaged in a tug-of-war over Palou since he had signed contracts with both teams and McLaren wants every dollar back it spent on developing him as its Formula 1 driver and damages accrued when Palou did not join the IndyCar team. But he lives his life as if this lawsuit isn't hanging over his head — or even bothers him just a bit. It's tricky, though, because Palou is so hot right now many are beginning to openly ask why he isn't in F1. There's theoretically at least one seat open next year with the new Cadillac F1 team owned by Dan Towriss, who also owns the Andretti Global IndyCar team and watched Palou beat his driver Ericsson to win the Indy 500. Palou doesn't believe a spot remains open to him in F1 after the McLaren mess, but more important, is content where he is with Ganassi. 'I would understand (if teams don't want me), but I am super happy where I am,' Palou said. 'I mean you can see that. I've not had any conversations with anybody and I am not knocking on doors. I promise 100% I have had no conversation and no one with my (management) team has had any conversations with anybody.' The Spanish effect Palou is unsure if his Indy 500 win will gain him any attention in Spain, where he became the first Spaniard to win the race. The country celebrates soccer and F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., while Palou, from Barcelona, remains under the radar. He said he noticed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway more Spanish fans and flags than he's seen at any other IndyCar race in his six seasons racing in the United States. 'I don't know what it's going to be for Spain. Hopefully they are celebrating as much as I am,' he said. 'Hopefully that gets more fans, more people. There was a lot of Spanish flags here, which I did never see before.' His focus is instead on building his fanbase in the United States and in Indiana, where he resides during the season and has embraced the community. Palou wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey in the Indy 500 parade, and had it on again Sunday night when he showed up in the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pacers and the New York Knicks. 'That's going to help some people in Indiana to know me,' he said of the standing ovation he received at the game. ___
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Chip Ganassi calls Alex Palou 'the best driver' after his historic Indy 500 win
Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There's a long list of racing greats who have passed through Chip Ganassi Racing over its 35 years in existence — but not so lengthy that Ganassi can't rattle them off the top of his head. Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya gave Ganassi four consecutive championships. Scott Dixon teamed with Dario Franchitti to restart another four-year title streak. Marcus Ericsson won Ganassi his fifth Indianapolis 500 victory in 2022, ending a 10-year losing streak in 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' for Ganassi. Now he has Alex Palou on his roster, and as he leaned to kiss the first Spaniard to ever win the Indy 500, Ganassi had a message for him. 'You're the best driver,' the team owner said. 'Unbelievable, man. Unbelievable.' It was the expected ending of a bizarre, crash-filled Indy 500 in which Palou won for the fifth time in six races this season but in the one event Palou was adamant he needed to win to ever have a complete racing resume. He's already the two-time defending IndyCar champion and has won three titles in the last four years, all with Ganassi. 'I think he's one of the greats. It's that simple," Ganassi said. 'Certainly we've had some great drivers on our team, and he's right there, at worst, shoulder-to-shoulder with all the rest of them.' What a start There have only been two drivers to win five of the first six races of a season in the modern era — Al Unser Sr. and A.J. Foyt, with Foyt winning the first seven and that included the Indy 500. Now Palou is on a similar dominating pace and with 11 races remaining in the IndyCar season, he takes a 115-point lead over Pato O'Ward in the championship standings to this weekend's race in Detroit. Palou says the results are not solely driver based and acknowledged the work of his No. 10 Ganassi team. 'I think I get a lot of credit because you see that I'm the only one driving the car. But there's a huge team behind that is making me look very good on track,' Palou said. "Whenever we've had the chance to win, we've been able to execute. And that's taking into account not only the setup, but the strategies, the pit stops. 'I've been telling you guys that I know that this is not normal,' he added. 'But I'm glad that it didn't end (at Indy) and that we got the wave until the 500 at least.' How did he win the 500? Palou won Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by losing it to Helio Castroneves in 2021. Palou finished second as Castroneves won for a record-tying fourth time, and Palou begged Castroneves to tell him what he'd done wrong. Castroneves wasn't interested in sharing his secrets. So Palou studied the film, tried to understand how Castroneves used the traffic to keep Palou behind him, and steadily improved his craft on ovals. His Indy 500 win marked the first victory for Palou on an oval. 'Thanks to Helio, I was able to read the traffic good,' Palou said. 'I knew that because of how the strategies were shaking up at the end that we were going to have traffic. So traffic, even though you were P2, you were actually P5 or P4. So you had to take that into account. So I was just trying my best to try and read it and get on top of it.' He was seeing two and three moves ahead, something he learned from Castroneves' winning move, and it gave Palou the guts to make the final pass with 16 laps remaining. It was an incredibly early move in a race that has been decided the last several years by a series of late-lap passes. 'I think I'm here because of 2021 for sure,' said Palou. What comes next? Palou is still being sued for nearly $30 million by McLaren Racing in a breach of contract suit after he changed his mind in late 2023 to leave Ganassi for McLaren ahead of the 2024 season. The two teams had been engaged in a tug-of-war over Palou since he had signed contracts with both teams and McLaren wants every dollar back it spent on developing him as its Formula 1 driver and damages accrued when Palou did not join the IndyCar team. But he lives his life as if this lawsuit isn't hanging over his head — or even bothers him just a bit. It's tricky, though, because Palou is so hot right now many are beginning to openly ask why he isn't in F1. There's theoretically at least one seat open next year with the new Cadillac F1 team owned by Dan Towriss, who also owns the Andretti Global IndyCar team and watched Palou beat his driver Ericsson to win the Indy 500. Palou doesn't believe a spot remains open to him in F1 after the McLaren mess, but more important, is content where he is with Ganassi. 'I would understand (if teams don't want me), but I am super happy where I am,' Palou said. 'I mean you can see that. I've not had any conversations with anybody and I am not knocking on doors. I promise 100% I have had no conversation and no one with my (management) team has had any conversations with anybody.' The Spanish effect Palou is unsure if his Indy 500 win will gain him any attention in Spain, where he became the first Spaniard to win the race. The country celebrates soccer and F1 drivers Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., while Palou, from Barcelona, remains under the radar. He said he noticed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway more Spanish fans and flags than he's seen at any other IndyCar race in his six seasons racing in the United States. 'I don't know what it's going to be for Spain. Hopefully they are celebrating as much as I am,' he said. 'Hopefully that gets more fans, more people. There was a lot of Spanish flags here, which I did never see before.' His focus is instead on building his fanbase in the United States and in Indiana, where he resides during the season and has embraced the community. Palou wore a Tyrese Haliburton jersey in the Indy 500 parade, and had it on again Sunday night when he showed up in the second quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Pacers and the New York Knicks. 'That's going to help some people in Indiana to know me,' he said of the standing ovation he received at the game. ___ In the Pits analyzes the biggest topics in auto racing. ___ AP auto racing: recommended
