Palou Adds Another Jewel To the Crown
Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
By Dennis Krause
Alex Palou has won just about everything there is to win in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Along with his four series titles in just five seasons, Palou has an Indianapolis 500 championship to his credit.
But the one race that had eluded Palou was the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Sunday, the 29-year-old Spaniard took care of that omission on his glittering list of accomplishments, adding a win in INDYCAR’s second biggest race on the schedule.
“Incredible,” said Palou of his 22nd career win, tying him with Emerson Fittipaldi and Tony Betternhausen on the all-time winners list. “Feel so, so lucky with the opportunity I had to win the 500 last year, the Long Beach GP this year, it just feels like I'm living on this amazing cloud of happiness.
“Yeah, incredible work by the team today. I think we were fighting there with the 60 (Felix Rosenqvist), trying to match him on the soft tires. I think we could have fighted a little bit, but he was a bit stronger than us today. We were just trying to figure it out, if we were going able to go one lap longer on fuel.
“This full-course yellow put everything on that pit stop. The guys did an incredible job once again.”
That full-course yellow came out at the ideal time, allowing teams to make their final stops of the race with enough fuel to run to the end.
After trailing Rosenqvist for the first 59 laps of the 90 lap race, the crew of the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda serviced Palou in 7.3 seconds, allowing him to exit the pits just ahead of Rosenqvist and take a lead he would never relinquish, finishing 3.9663 seconds ahead of the Swede.
Paul Hurley/Penske Entertainment
Without the caution, Palou wasn’t sure he could’ve passed Rosenqvist in the No. 60 SiriusXM Acura Meyer Shank Racing Honda.
“I don't know. You want to think that. I mean, I was not giving up,” Said Palou. “I think it would have been very, very tough for us to get him today. I think we were trying everything possible to just overset our pit stop, try and get one lap further.
“At the same time he was already three seconds ahead, which is what you lose on an out lap. I think it would have been close. I was happy with my car, but struggling a little bit more on the [alternate] soft tire than on the [prime] hards. On the hards I felt super confident, was able to pull a bigger gap.
“I don't know. I think it would have been really, really tough. My confidence was high, but I think my chances were low.”
Palou’s also had confidence in his pit crew.
“Yeah, I mean, the confidence again was super high because I know the crew has been doing an incredible job, especially this year and last year.
“But you never know. It only takes one second, like a small mistake, and then suddenly you go from second to seventh. The guys know as well. The pressure that they have to take that moment was pretty high.
“Incredible the work they did.
“The pit stop, that was everything. I was trying to do the best job I could on track to give us our best chances on fuel and on tires. Yeah, I think without -- well, I know without that pit stop I would probably not be here now.”
With his third win of the season, Palou has retaken the points lead in the standings and has confidence and momentum heading into the upcoming open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Sonsio Grand Prix on the speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course and the biggest race of them all — the Indianapolis 500.
“Huge,” stated Palou. “Momentum in sport and life in general is huge. The confidence that I can carry myself personally, but then all the team, I think the crew as well. After delivering that pit stop, they're super, like, tense and pressure, high-pressure moments. It's like every single stop at the 500. They're preparing for it. They're ready for it.
“Yeah, hopefully we can have a good open test, good road course, then ready for the big one.”
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.