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Fox Sports
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Chip Ganassi Relishes Alex Palou's Incredible Season: 'You're Seeing History Made'
MONTEREY, Calif. — Even Chip Ganassi, with his trademark line of "I Like Winners," couldn't have predicted such a dominating season like the one Alex Palou has put together in 2025. Fourteen races into the year, Palou has eight victories. In two other races, he has finished second. He has won five poles and led the most laps in five races this year. Oh, and one of those victories was the Indianapolis 500. "This guy is in a league of his own," Ganassi told me on Sunday after another win at Laguna Seca. "There are a lot of great drivers out there, and we've been fortunate to have a lot of them. "And this guy's right at the top." No driver has won more than 10 races in a year, and Palou still has a chance to break that record with races at Portland (road course), Milwaukee (1-mile oval) and Nashville (1.33-mile oval). Can he get to 11? "I don't know many people who would bet against that," Ganassi said. "Who knows?" What is not up for debate is the monumental season Palou has had, as he has all but clinched his fourth series title. He just needs to average a 16th-place finish over the final three races. Ganassi has had seasons where his drivers have won more than eight races. Dixon and Dario Franchitti combined for 10 wins in 2009. Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya each had seven-win seasons during the time of the split of INDYCAR into two competing series (which many would consider diluted the field). "We're really, really, really pleased and excited and happy to be watching and being a part of history," Ganassi said. When a driver wins eight times in one season, the driver will need to have some good fortune. But Palou seems to have taken advantage of every opportunity, every mistake by another front-running driver. "It's not like we're lucking into these things," Ganassi said. "He's dominating. Today [at Laguna Seca], it looked like the red tire, the soft tire, was the preferred tire and he was on the hard tire running away from the field. "The entire field was on the red softs, and he was running away from them on the hard tire." That was by design. When a driver has the fastest car and is in the zone like Palou, the team finds the strategy that plays to its strengths. Palou has not been shy about not wanting to change strategy. He doesn't want to go the conservative route, and he doesn't want to throw away points at races. A week prior to Laguna Seca, that bit him when he finished 12th using a strategy that didn't pan out at Toronto. He lost 30 points to second-place Pato O'Ward in the process. "We talk about it every week," Ganassi said. "We've got people still breathing down our neck, and we want to remember how we got here. And that was racing the way we know how to race: Go for the wins." After that race, Palou took the blame for advocating for that strategy. "Alex wants to try to claim the responsibility," said his strategist Barry Wanser. "Myself and the race engineer were like you can't claim all the responsibility for what went wrong. "Part of it's on us. But that's just the type of guy he is." The type of guy Palou is remains one who continues to learn and perform. In just his second INDYCAR season, he won the title with three victories in 2021. He won just once in 2022 before a five-win season on his way to the 2023 championship. His 2024 crown came in a year when he earned just two wins but no driver had more than three. Palou's 2025 season has included his first oval wins and not just at Indianapolis. He also won on the Iowa oval, which is just short of a mile in length. "He had a great, great race in Iowa a few weeks ago, his first short oval win," Ganassi said. "These are not easy things to do, especially for a kid coming out of Europe." What has allowed him to do it? Ganassi said the same thing that made him pretty much an instant success story in the series. "I go back to his first race with us years ago down there [Barber Motorsports Park] in Alabama, when that was the first race of the season," Ganassi said. "He came out and just did really good. He had [Will] Power and [Scott] Dixon breathing down his neck all day and it didn't seem to bother him. "The wind in his sails hasn't let up yet. This guy is on a roll. We haven't seen the best of him yet. You're seeing history made right now, and it's incredible to watch." 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 Item 1 of 3 Get more from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
INDYCAR Power Rankings: Scott Dixon Pushes For No. 1
Scott Dixon captured the victory Sunday at Mid-Ohio and continues to move up these INDYCAR power rankings with his third consecutive top-10 finish and two top-fives in the last three events. The top spot? Alex Palou still has it. The 10th spot? Rinus VeeKay has entered the chat with finishes of seventh, 10th and ninth in the last three events. There won't be a power ranking report after the next race but after the next two races, as INDYCAR runs a double-header weekend with a race Saturday and another Sunday at Iowa Speedway. Here are the rankings for this week: Dropped out: David Malukas (Last Week: 9) On the verge: David Malukas, Scott McLaughlin, Nolan Siegel Palou made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes but still finished second at Mid-Ohio. The Ganassi driver threw the win away, but the championship still seems firmly in his grasp, as no driver is within 100 points with seven races remaining. Can there be an INDYCAR season where Scott Dixon doesn't visit the winner's circle? Doesn't seem like it. The Ganassi driver's victory was his first podium finish since the season-opening race at St. Petersburg, where he placed second. Kirkwood had a good but not great weekend at Mid-Ohio. He started seventh and finished eighth. The Andretti driver remains second in the standings, 113 points behind Palou. Starting a disappointing 14th, O'Ward showed some speed in the race to finish fifth. The Arrow McLaren driver is third in the standings, 125 points behind Palou. Lundgaard worked his way back to the podium. He had three in the first four races of the season, and Mid-Ohio ended up being a great weekend for the Arrow McLaren driver. He started second and finished third. Rosenqvist, employing a two-stop strategy as did winner Dixon, finished sixth at Mid-Ohio and is sixth in the standings. Plus, the Shank driver got the cool Ozzy Osbourne scheme. Herta had the day that, for the most part, he needed in order to get some mojo back. He started fifth and finished fourth, despite a hiccup on pit road. The third-place finish at Detroit probably seemed like months ago for the Andretti driver. A solid seventh-place finish for Armstrong has him eighth in the series standings. That's four consecutive top-10s for the Meyer Shank Racing driver. It was a struggle-bus weekend for Ferrucci that possibly wiped away much of the momentum for this A.J. Foyt Racing team. He started 17th and finished 16th at Mid-Ohio, not to mention some questionable moves on the track. A ninth-place finish at Mid-Ohio was the Dale Coyne Racing driver's third consecutive top-10 finish and fifth in the last seven races. The biggest thing for this team is they didn't let back-to-back 27th-place finishes at Indy and Detroit get them down. 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 News
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Scott Dixon Should Relish 59th Career Win No Matter Circumstances
Yes, Alex Palou made a mistake. But Scott Dixon shouldn't care. He was in position to win the race Sunday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with his two-stop strategy if Palou made a mistake and was able to capitalize. For a driver to earn his 59th career victory and to now have won in 23 different seasons, including 21 consecutive times, that is a big deal. Mistake or not by his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate. "I had big dreams to be racing, but to be in this scenario, to be with this team, to get to work with the people I get to work with on a daily basis is unbelievable," said Dixon, who has driven for Ganassi since 2002 and has won six series titles. "I don't know what this is — 24 years or 23 years with the same team, is pretty sweet. "I pinch myself every day." Dixon knows this season has not gone the way he has wanted. He had watched teammate Palou win six of the first nine races, the first of which Dixon felt he should have won, had he not had radio issues and had known which lap would be the most optimal to pit. "It was nice to have that flip on Alex after what happened on St. Pete this year," said Dixon with a smile, not in a mean way but knowing that he gave one away and now got one back. Teammates are still competitors and Dixon was glad that Palou made a mistake. It wasn't like Dixon had forced Palou to go off track in Turn 9 with five laps remaining. It was just a mistake that drivers occasionally make. "I didn't know if it was him, and then obviously I see it's a black car. He's had multiple colors this year, so it's always hard to figure out. And I saw that he was kind of struggling to get going," Dixon said. "I hate to say it, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that he was rejoining the track." Even with the win, Dixon sits fourth in the standings, 148 points behind Palou. So it's not like Dixon is thinking about using this victory as a stepping stone to another championship. It was his first podium since the season opener in St. Petersburg. It was just his fourth top-five finish. "It's not always going to be your day," Dixon said. "It's not always going to be your year. I've seen plenty of those where it just doesn't work out. "We've been frustrated. It's been tough. ... We've just got to do a better job, we've got to work harder, and hopefully, we can keep working on that door, and it opens like it did today." That is what made the victory so fulfilling for Dixon and his Ganassi team. Frankly, the door has been harder for them to open. Dixon has won several races, thanks to saving fuel, and this was his first victory with the new hybrid system, where it is hard to take advantage of that skill. Meanwhile, Palou has made the strategy work all year by managing tires and having the most optimal set for the final stint. He has been so smooth and so flawless — until Sunday. "Nothing in particular happened. Just lost it a little bit, then kind of got into the marbles and went out [of the groove off-course]," Palou said. "It was a big, big mistake by my part." If Palou makes more mistakes, he can expect Dixon and others to pounce. Dixon was finally in position after starting ninth. It was not a great starting spot but it was better than where he has started for much of the season. That gave him the ability to do his thing on the two-stop strategy. "Each race I go to, I'm there to win," Dixon said. "This year has been super frustrating for us, for all of us on my car. Anytime we could have something roll our way, it just hasn't. "We've had a load of mechanicals. It's been extremely frustrating. Indy, I think, was one of the best 500 cars I've had and it was over before it even started [with a brake fire]. This is big for team morale and for everybody involved. "We know we can win. Just hopefully we can get on a roll here." 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
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Will Power Confronts Alex Palou after Mid-Ohio Practice
"You just [expletive] my whole session." Will Power yelled at Alex Palou after practice Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio, but it appears to be over the frustration that has mounted throughout the weekend while drivers tried to get a good, clean lap in practice. As drivers manage their tires on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, backing off and going slower on a lap is not rare. Power and Colton Herta talked about it yesterday when asked about what was the most difficult part of the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. "[The biggest challenge] is probably people backing off, simply," Power said Friday afternoon. "It's incredible." Colton Herta, sitting next to him, added that if it happens early in the lap, then it ruins the entire lap. "You just don't really get laps," Herta said. "So you're kind of guessing the last half of the track, where to put it and how much speed to roll when you get the [softer tire] reds on." "It definitely disrupts the flow of your work progress for sure," Herta added. That's what it appeared Power was mad about when he confronted Palou after practice. Power is known as one of the more emotional drivers, often laying it out there but also getting over things relatively quickly. It has been a vexing season for Power. The Team Penske driver is seventh in the standings and only has one podium finish (the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May). Palou is having an incredible season, as the Ganassi driver has six wins and a 93-point lead in the standings. recommended Get more from NTT INDYCAR SERIES Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
INDYCAR Midseason Report: The Good, Bad & Ugly For Teams, Drivers
With nine races down and eight races remaining this INDYCAR season, it's time to take a look at how teams have fared so far. It is just past the midway point of the campaign, but the season started nearly four months ago and the final eight races will run over a span of nine weeks — including a doubleheader weekend at Iowa. So what has each team done, and what do they need to do over the last couple of months? Let's take a look as the series heads to Mid-Ohio on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX). The teams are in order of their top driver in the standings: First in the standings: Alex Palou Fifth: Scott Dixon 16th: Kyffin Simpson Midseason Report: Obviously there's no arguing Palou's success and domination. Even after winning back-to-back titles, this was hard to predict. The Indianapolis 500 victory certainly would rank as the highlight for an organization that had won that race only once in the last 12 years. Both Dixon and Simpson are higher in points than they were at the end of 2024, but both certainly wish they had better results. Ganassi scaled from five cars to three with the 2025 season and the new charter system, but that focus on three cars has seemed to only really help one. Looking Ahead: Dixon needs a win, and that could be harder to come by as the hybrid has neutralized some of the advantage he had in managing fuel mileage. Simpson needs to continue improving. Palou just needs to keep the points lead, and unless another driver goes on a mega run, he should be able to do just that. Second: Kyle Kirkwood10th: Colton Herta 21st: Marcus Ericsson Midseason Report: Kirkwood (three victories) is having a breakout season. Some people saw this coming, as he continued to gain experience in INDYCAR after a successful career racing up the open-wheel ladder. Herta has shown glimpses of greatness but not enough. Ericsson's results don't necessarily tell his story but obviously he hasn't had the season he would have wanted. The penalties from Indy to Kirkwood and Ericsson certainly didn't help. Looking Ahead: Kirkwood needs to continue to carry his momentum and hopefully bring Herta and Ericsson along with him. Too many things go wrong for this organization and so as they look ahead, they can't look too far that they keep tripping over themselves. Third: Pato O'WardSixth: Christian Lundgaard 20th: Nolan Siegel Midseason Report: O'Ward is sitting third in the standings, two spots higher than where he finished last year. Lundgaard is sixth, four spots ahead of the driver he replaced (Alexander Rossi) last year. And Siegel is 20th in a car that finished 18th in the entrant standings. So this team has shown improvement. O'Ward and Lundgaard have combined for seven podiums. Ganassi has a total of eight this year, followed by McLaren (seven) and Andretti (four). That's a more-than-respectable number but one that needs to continue if they want to consistently challenge for wins. Looking Ahead: Lundgaard is certainly making a push to be the top driver, showing more speed at times, while O'Ward has been more consistent. If Lundgaard can be more consistent (i.e., no spinouts as he had at Road America) and if they can match strategy with a tick more speed, this team would be more of a threat each week. Adding former Penske executive Kyle Moyer as the competition director and Siegel strategist will be a plus, but whether he can have an impact in 2025 remains to be seen. Fourth: Felix Rosenqvist 11th: Marcus Armstrong Midseason Report: Both of these drivers are higher in points now than where they finished in 2024. Last year, Rosenqvist was 12th and Armstrong was 14th, driving for Ganassi. Armstrong is still under contract with Ganassi, and the Ganassi alliance seems to be producing results for this organization. If either of these drivers does win, it wouldn't be much of a surprise. Looking Ahead: There are some weeks when this organization appears to be among the circuit's elite and there are some weeks when it is middle of the pack. Continuing to use the Ganassi relationship and then fitting that info to its drivers' wheelhouses will continue to be key. Seventh: Will Power Eighth: Scott McLaughlin 17th: Josef Newgarden Midseason Report: You don't need to be a racing expert to know how this one looks. Penske drivers are expected to fight for wins, not to be top 10 in points. They have had their share of bad luck. Some have been self-induced and some have been no fault of their own. Power remains the key to the INDYCAR silly season, and he still seeks a deal for 2026. Looking Ahead: There's nowhere to go but up for these drivers when considering the overall speed that they have had this year. Qualifying needs to improve. Quality control needs to improve. And the drivers need to improve. Look, mistakes happen. But so do days with few or non-debilitating mistakes. Penske could use more of those. Ninth: Santino Ferrucci 12th: David Malukas Midseason Report: Ferrucci has rattled off four consecutive top-five finishes, and after a slow start, it appears that he has found his form from a year ago. Malukas, at 12th in the standings, is eight spots better than where Sting Ray Robb finished last year. Looking Ahead: If these drivers slump, they will be looked at as more pretenders, taking advantage of mistakes and bad luck of other drivers. But why should that be the case? Ferrucci lost his strategist to Malukas prior to the season and now seems back in sync when it comes to race flow. Malukas can't let the rumors of him potentially replacing Will Power at Penske get to him. 13th: Alexander Rossi 15th: Christian Rasmussen Midseason Report: This organization is about where you'd think it would be. Alexander Rossi is 13th in the standings, the same spot where the driver he replaced (Rinus VeeKay) finished in the standings last year. Christian Rasmussen is 15th in the standings (he was 22nd last year, despite not running three races as he primarily did the road and street courses). Rasmussen's third-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) was a boost. Looking Ahead: For this organization to keep its pace while it seems the entire strength of the garage is improved does say something for this organization. They need to look for the baby steps that will provide incremental improvement. They can't have weekends where they rolled off the truck and were totally off, as Alexander Rossi seemed to be at Road America. But when they do have those weekends, they need to be able to find what they're lacking, as Rossi's team seemed to do as well at Road America. 14th: Rinus VeeKay 27th: Jacob Abel Midseason Report: VeeKay has given this organization a boost with some solid finishes and solid speed. Abel, who failed to qualify for the Indy 500, is certainly having some rookie blues. Looking Ahead: The key to this organization's success will be the continued development of Abel. To make progress, they need two drivers with the confidence to give the team more direction. 18th: Graham Rahal 23rd: Louis Foster25th: Devlin DeFrancesco Midseason Report: This team has had moments of greatness when looking at qualifying at the Indianapolis Grand Prix (all in the top five) and Foster winning the pole at Road America. While the results haven't been there as much as they would like, it does seem that the team has a little bit more speed this year. Looking Ahead: With two new drivers (Foster and DeFrancesco), it would be expected to have some growing pains. And with Rahal about where he was last year in the standings, this team needs to just worry about getting better every week. 19th: Conor Daly24th: Sting Ray Robb Midseason Report: Daly, at 18th in the standings, is about where Romain Grosjean (17th) was at the end of last year. Robb, who was 20th at A.J. Foyt Racing last year, has shown promise at times but also not enough times. Looking Ahead: This organization is expected to have some good weeks and bad weeks. The key is capitalizing on the days when they are solid. Daly appeared to have a potential race-winning car on some of the ovals. 22nd: Robert Shwartzman26th: Callum Ilott Midseason Report: Despite success at various racing levels in Europe, this wasn't expected to be an organization that would come out and challenge to win races right away. Shwartzman winning the Indy 500 pole was huge. Looking Ahead: Both these drivers would love better results. But as a new organization, finding the right pieces to the puzzle and finishing the year with driver and team engineers in sync — and fewer instances of missing practice time for mechanical issues — should be the biggest goal. 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.
