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Fox Sports
12-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
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. recommended
Fox Sports
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Favorites and Sleepers: Long Beach
INDYCAR Note: Eric Smith of takes a fun look before each NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at drivers who enter the weekend with an inside line to victory lane and drivers who could surprise with a strong result. Chip Ganassi Racing finished 1-2 with Alex Palou and Scott Dixon in the March 2 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Palou then made it 2-for-2 with a victory March 23 at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. The organization also put two cars on the podium in last year's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. However, don't crown CGR as this year's Long Beach victors yet. Andretti Global figures to be in the mix for victory in Sunday's 50th anniversary of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach airing at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. Andretti Global drivers produced two drivers in the top six of the finishing order in the season opener at St. Petersburg, too. The Andretti Global team also has won four of the last six years at Long Beach and was the runner-up finisher the last three years. Who else can be in the mix for Sunday's 90-lap race? Favorites Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet) Newgarden is a former Long Beach winner (2022) who has four podium finishes on the Long Beach street circuit in his last seven tries, including a top-10 result on nine consecutive occasions. He finished fourth last year and charged from 10th to third in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Over Dixon's last 15 street course starts, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has four wins and nine top-six results, including a victory here last year and runner-up in this year's St. Petersburg season opener. Dixon had a series-leading third-place average finish in four street course starts last season. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Palou has one finish worse than eighth in his last 16 street course starts. He has eight podium finishes and 13 top-six results on these tracks during that span, including a victory in St. Petersburg on March 2. In four Long Beach starts, Palou has finished fourth, third, fifth and third, respectively. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) Herta stormed from a 14th-place starting position to reach victory lane in the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. He led a race-high 43 of 85 laps that afternoon. A year later, Herta qualified on pole and dominated the early portions of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach before making a costly error coming to his second pit stop. The last two years Herta finished fourth and second, respectively. A slow pit stop ruined a potentially good day last month in St. Petersburg, but Herta finished on the podium in three of his four street course starts last season, including a Toronto win last July. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda) The No. 27 Andretti Global Honda has won three of the last six Long Beach races. American drivers have won five of the last six, too. Florida native Kirkwood contributed to both with his maiden NTT P1 Award and first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in 2023. He earned his second career victory on the streets of Nashville in August 2023. Kirkwood had a seventh-place average finish on street courses last year, including a runner-up in July at Toronto. He also finished fifth last month in the season opener in St. Petersburg. Sleepers Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) Lundgaard earned his first career win in 2023 on the streets of Toronto for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in a dominant performance after capturing the NTT P1 Award and had finishes of 11th in Detroit and seventh in Toronto last year. He began his Arrow McLaren driving career last month in St. Petersburg as the team's best qualifier in fifth and finisher in eighth. He led 23 of 100 laps. At The Thermal Club, Lundgaard started second and finished third. Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet) The two-time Long Beach winner would love to return to victory lane in his home Golden State. Sunday will mark Rossi's 150th career start, and he enters having finished 10th last year at Long Beach and 10th this March at St. Petersburg. He also finished sixth and fifth, respectively, in his other two street-course starts in 2024. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Bryant Honda) Three of Ericsson's four career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victories have come on street circuits. All three came at different venues (St. Petersburg, Nashville, Belle Isle). While he hasn't won at Long Beach, he's been close. Ericsson finished third in 2023 and fifth last year. He also finished runner-up at Detroit last season and sixth in this year's season opener in St. Petersburg. Sunday will mark Ericsson's 100th INDYCAR SERIES start. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) FRO had a 7.33 average finish in four street course events last season and began 2025 with a seventh-place finish on the streets of St. Petersburg. Rosenqvist has seven top-10 finishes in his last nine street course starts overall. In 2022, he had three top-10 finishes in five street races competing for Arrow McLaren. Rosenqvist earned NTT P1 Award honors at Long Beach last year, and his five Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach finishes are 10th, 13th, 11th, seventh and ninth, respectively. Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda) Armstrong had four top-11 finishes in five street-course starts in 2023. Last season, he finished 12th in Long Beach, third in Detroit and fifth at Toronto. This year, he moved to Meyer Shank Racing and qualified fourth in St. Petersburg. If he can stay out of trouble, Armstrong could surprise everyone this weekend. recommended
Fox Sports
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
INDYCAR Announces Rules Violation, Additional Penalties from The Thermal Club
INDYCAR INDYCAR has announced a penalty for the entry of No. 83 PREMA Racing from The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23. PREMA Racing was in violation of: Rule 14.1.3. All parts provided by an Approved Supplier must be used as supplied without modification unless otherwise approved by INDYCAR and stated in these Rules or in update bulletins. During an investigation into the fire involving the No. 83 in Friday's practice at The Thermal Club, INDYCAR determined the required and approved emergency pull cable, which activates the onboard fire suppression system, was not used as supplied and was replaced by the team with an unapproved product that failed to activate. According to the rulebook, the violation is considered a Non-Race Procedure Penalty (9.2.3.), which includes the issuance of a monetary fine (9.2.3.2.) and the loss of points (9.2.3.5.). The No. 83 entry has been fined $25,000 and will forfeit 10 championship entrant points associated with the race at The Thermal Club. Updated 2025 season entrant standings are available here. Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES rulebook. recommended
Fox News
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Alex Palou wins St. Pete but INDYCAR champ favorite status must wait
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Don't engrave Alex Palou's name on the 2025 INDYCAR championship trophy just yet. Yes, he led 26 laps on his way to the victory Sunday afternoon in the season-opening INDYCAR Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Yes, he crossed the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead of teammate Scott Dixon and 6.2 seconds ahead of Josef Newgarden. And, yes, he already has three championship trophies, including the 2023 and 2024 rings. "He makes it look easy, doesn't he?" team owner Chip Ganassi said. "Makes it look easy. Doesn't sweat." So in a world where overreacting to sports results is a favorite pastime, don't be ready to anoint the Spaniard as the 2025 champion. His competition certainly (and expectedly) isn't. "It's Round 1," said third-place finisher Josef Newgarden. "Let's see how it goes." Newgarden felt he could have won but they had fueling issues. "We just had fuel miscues two times," said Newgarden, who was running out of fuel on the final lap. Palou teammate Dixon knew what he needed to beat Palou on Sunday after Dixon could not hear his crew tell him when it wanted him to pit — and he pitted a lap later than the crew wanted. "Get a radio that works," the six-time series champion Dixon said on how to beat Palou. "That would be good." Palou knows it's only Race 1 and everything went well for him Sunday. But that isn't a coincidence. His previous road/street course results are second, fourth, second, first and fourth. "We've always struggled here for some reason, and we got it now to feel like what I need and what we need as drivers to push and to extract 100 percent," Palou said. "That being said, I don't think that translates to other racetracks because in the past we've been struggling here but not at other places. I don't think that what we learned here we can take to [the next street course at] Long Beach." And even though he felt better than in the past, Newgarden noted that he finished third even with the errors. "To have miscues like that and to still finish third, I think is a great day in a lot of ways," Newgarden said. "Really pleased to come out of here with points. Obviously there's a lot more than could have been." While he said he was really pleased, Newgarden's mannerisms showed he was bitterly disappointed. And Dixon didn't mince words. "I'm pretty pissed off," Dixon said. "We had a good race going and we didn't get it done. It doesn't feel good." That's typical racing. There is a winner and the rest of the field feel like losers, especially the ones who believe their lack of winning could have been prevented. And that's where the Palou team thrives. Sure everyone makes mistakes, but Ganassi noted that Palou's timing stand where race decisions and strategy are made "has all-stars on it. In terms of strategy, calling the race, communication — there's nobody better than the 10 car guys." Ganassi said his Dixon and Kyffin Simpson teams have work to do to catch up to Palou. "I don't know that one race winner makes you [the favorite]," Ganassi said. "We're certainly the season favorite until next week or until the next race. What I'm most happy about is each offseason, every team does work on their cars. "You don't sit flatfooted all winter. You're working on your cars trying to make them better. I think our cars are better than they were a year ago — at least here in St. Pete." 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
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Inside Line: Thermal Predictions (Besides Alex Palou)
INDYCAR Today's question: Alex Palou is the obvious favorite to win The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix this Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), as he won the exhibition race from the pole last year at the Southern California road course and opened this season with a win March 2 at St. Petersburg. So, who do you think is the favorite other than Palou to take the checkered flag at Thermal? Curt Cavin: If not Alex Palou, this feels like a Scott Dixon event given the role tire management and pit strategy figure to play. Plus, this is effectively a new event given that last year's non-points outing was not much more than a series of 10-lap sprints. Dixon is surely still smarting over what happened in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, when a lack of radio communication with his Chip Ganassi Racing crew allowed Palou to undercut him on the final pit stop for the lead and the win. Dixon also hasn't forgotten that this trip to Southern California was one of his worst outings last year, so count on him to be on point this weekend. Eric Smith: I think Colton Herta can knock Palou off the perch this weekend. Herta has a knack for these types of circuits. Five of his nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins have come on natural road courses. Three of those nine wins have come in California, with two at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. That's noteworthy because, by all accounts, The Thermal Club racing surface is a cheese grater on the Firestone Firehawk tires, similar to Laguna Seca before the 2023 repave. Herta stomped the field in his 2019 and 2021 Laguna Seca victories and is a master at managing tire wear, which could translate to victory this weekend. Herta finished fourth in last year's exhibition race at The Thermal Club and produced finishes of eighth, seventh, sixth, second, fourth and fourth, respectively, on natural road courses last season. Andretti Global was also one a few teams to test at The Thermal Club in January. Paul Kelly: The abrasive surface at Thermal will put the Firestone tires and team strategists to the test, and I think Curt is on to something with his choice of Scott Dixon. The Iceman can adapt to and execute tactical changes in the cockpit arguably more deftly than any driver in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. But I think the unique tire wear rates at this desert track could lead to a real wild card winner, so why not Felix Rosenqvist? FRO started second and finished third at the exhibition race last year in his Meyer Shank Racing Honda, and he qualified third and finished seventh earlier this month in the season opener at St. Petersburg. Rosenqvist gets series win No. 2 this Sunday, nearly five years after his first in July 2020 at Road America. recommended
