Heading To Indy, Alex Palou Is Off To The Best Start Of His Career
(Photo by James Black/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
At the risk of Alex Palou overload this month, it can’t be denied that the three-time and two-time reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion is having a season for the ages.
As the series begins its three-week residency at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda has dominated the season so far, winning three of the four races. The race he didn’t win? Palou finished second.
Going into Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indy road course with a 60-point lead over Christian Lundgaard, Palou admits he’s never had a better start in his career - in any kind of racer.
“Yeah, it's amazing. It means nothing and means a ton at the same time. Means nothing for the championship yet. For sure I prefer to be in the position we are now than on anybody else's position.
“Best start of my career, like not in INDYCAR, I would say everything I've done in my life, never been as good as here. Not even go-karts.
“Couldn't be happier. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
Coming off his win at Barber Motorsports Park last weekend, Palou is a believer in momentum, especially entering the month of May at Indy.
“It's huge. It’s huge not only for myself like personally-wise to feel like wanting to go on track, but for all the team getting a small reward before the month of May.
“We know it's going to be a lot of days. We know there are going to be a lot of days that are not as good on track during the month of May. To get this win early on in the month of May, it's going to push everybody.”
Senior Manager of Racing Operations at Chip Ganassi racing, as well as team manager and race strategist for the No. 10 car, Barry Wanser, agrees that momentum is important heading to Indy.
“Everything we do is building momentum for Indy. Our two goals are to win the Indianapolis 500 and the drivers championship. Everything is about momentum. Momentum and confidence is certainly important. We certainly have it. It doesn'tguarantee anything except that we know we can do it. We just need to each week get it done.”
(Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment
Not only is Palou off to a torrid start to the season, the Spaniard is also eying an IMS three-peat, having won the Sonsio Grand Prix the previous two years.
“Yeah, honestly Indy road course we’ve been really, really strong there in the past. Hopefully we can maintain our performance there. It's always tough there. I would say it's the toughest place because for some reason everybody has a good car there. To get to the Fast 12, you need to work so hard. The margins are almost nothing, like half a 10th, 1/10th. The same to get the pole or stay up front. It's a tough one.
“Hopefully we can continue with the form that we had so far this year.
“Then the 500, it's a big one. Yeah, everybody knows here I've never won on an oval. I plan on changing that this year.
“I'm excited. It's May. I think everybody's excited. I feel like every year that I've been in INDYCAR I get more excited. I would say at the beginning I was getting excited, but I was just not over the moon. Now I'm getting like, Man, can we go to the racetrack right now.”
(Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment)
What, if anything, does the grand prix weekend mean for the 500? Palou says that depends.
“If it goes well, you want it to mean a lot, and if it goes bad, you don't want it to mean anything. It depends also how the race goes. Having a lot of speed tomorrow doesn't mean anything for the 500, or not having enough speed I don't think it's going to translate much.
“But it's true that momentum and having good results is going to impact, not only the driver, but also the overall mindset of the team. Not winning here doesn't mean -- or not having a good result doesn't mean that it's going to be a tough month, but for sure you don't have that extra boost from the Indy road course.”
Palou is a realist and understands that good fortune doesn’t last forever and his good start to the year can just as easily come to an abrupt end this weekend.
“Yeah, I know it's going to end. You know it's a wave, and you don't know how long that's going to be. Is it going to be this is the end, or is it going to be like 5 more races? You hope to be 5 more, 15 more, but you know the chances of that happening are pretty low.
“I think, at least in the 10 car and myself, we've been focusing on just trying to be the best we can every single weekend.
“I would say a part of Barber that from the beginning we had a ton of speed, we got pole, we started up front, and we led quite a lot of the race. The other weekends, we didn't feel like we were as strong, right?
“Yeah, we're starting here Indy road course with the mindset to, first of all, see what kind of speed do we have in the car, and then see if we can continue with the good results. Yeah, we know it's going to end at some point.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
Like every other driver in the series, Palou is excited the month of May at the Speedway has finally arrived.
“Feels great. It's always special to enter this track, even if it's just for testing. We're finally racing. It's finally May.
“I don't want to get too excited too early, either. It's going to be a long month, and we have like a small peak now this weekend, and we kind of have a couple of days of just testing and trying to get the car as fast as possible and ourselves comfortable before qualifying.
“It's the best time of the year, and it's super exciting to be here.”
With the run that he’s currently on, it’s likely not the last we’ll hear of Palou this month at Indy.
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.