Palou’s Championship Is One for the History Books
(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
Alex Palou isn’t the first driver to win three consecutive titles or four championships in five seasons, but he now joins some of the all-time greats in INDYCAR racing’s record book.
With his third-place finish in Sunday’s BITNILE.com Grand Prix at Portland International Raceway, the driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda clinched his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and third straight series title, joining Ted Horn (1946-48), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) and Dario Franchitti (2009-11) as the only drivers to achieve a three-peat. Palou's fourth Astor Challenge Cup in the last five seasons tied him with Mario Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti for third on the all-time championship list, behind only A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six).
“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” Palou said. “I couldn’t be happier right now. This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR. I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR. I cannot wait for more.”
With eight wins in 15 races this season, Palou still has an opportunity to tie the all-time mark of 10 wins set by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and equaled by Al Unser, Sr. in 1970. Even if Palou doesn’t win the final two races of the season, it’s still been a remarkable year.
“It's the best,” Palou said. “The way I've been feeling this year, incredible. Like every single weekend it's been getting better and better. Like, we've won so many races. We won the 500. The feeling you get after winning that race, an explosion of amazing feelings. People keep reminding you about that every single day when you wake up, which makes it feel even more special.
“Today to win my fourth INDYCAR championship, and to bring one more to Chip Ganassi Racing, to be able to clinch it early, it feels amazing.
“It's the best. It just keeps getting better. It's not that you can compare this one to 2021 or last year. This is by far the happiest and the best I've ever felt in my life.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
For team owner Chip Ganassi, it was a 17th series championship, tying him with Roger Penske for the most titles in history.
“Well, obviously it means everything,” commented Ganassi. “I mean, it's what we strive to do. When you have a group of people like we do, and you plug in the right driver at the right time with the right engine, the right tires, the right chassis, the right engineering, this is the result of that.
“It means an awful lot to me. It means an awful lot to a lot of people in Indianapolis at our headquarters. It means a lot to my family and to Alex's family I'm sure, and 150 other families that rest on our shoulders week in and week out.”
What should scare the INDYCAR paddock is that Ganassi feels the 28-year-old Palou hasn’t hit his peak yet.
“I've never seen a guy work so quietly and diligently at his craft as this guy. I said in the beginning of the year that we're just scratching the surface of his talent. I still think he's got more in his gas tank, his tank, for this season, and he's got more in his tank for coming seasons.
“You saw his desire in what he spoke about prior to the Indianapolis 500, going into that race, what the goals were, what the goals were when we left that place. Even though we had the win, he didn't lose sight of the big picture, for the championship.”
(Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment)
With four titles already, there isn’t much for Palou to prove. But, the Spaniard says it’s his love for the sport that keeps him constantly trying to improve.
“I love the sport. I love working with my team, my mechanics, my engineers, everybody that is involved in racing to go through race weekends and try and be better than everybody else. We keep on trying to improve, whether it's the car, driving, whatever we can, try and just be a little bit better than we were before.
"That's what drives us. It's not really the championships and numbers. Obviously that's a big part and we love that. It's kind of a reward that you get. But what we love is coming to every single weekend at the track and competing.”
There are two races left in the 2025 season, both on oval tracks. The next race is the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 24 at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.