Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
INDIANAPOLIS — Alex Palou sat in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pagoda after last season and mentioned the one thing that was crazy about his career.
“Absolutely, it’s been crazy that we haven’t won on an oval yet,” he said.
He had to wait eight months to race again on an oval. And you know what’s crazy? His first oval win came on the sport’s biggest stage Sunday as he captured the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Alex Palou readies to kiss the bricks following his first career Indy 500 victory. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
He doused that previous 0-for-26 record on ovals with a swig of milk and the swagger of the three-time series champion that he is.
“It just makes it extra special,” Palou said. “I would have been as happy as I am right now [with a previous oval win]. … I’ve only won one oval race and it’s been at the speedway.”
The 28-year-old Chip Ganassi Racing driver continued his incredible winning ways as he has won five of the first six races.
His year of INDYCAR dominance should have ended Sunday. While Palou had earned strong finishes on ovals over the last couple of years, several other drivers seemed more proficient at Indy and wheeled cars just as strong as Palou in practice in the weeks leading up to the race.
But this time, Palou made the pass over a driver who should have remained ahead. Marcus Ericsson, a former Formula 1 driver who won the 2022 Indianapolis 500 while driving as a teammate to Palou at Ganassi, got caught up in lapped traffic for just a moment, opening the door for Palou to pounce.
The one thing a driver can’t do with Palou on road courses is leave that door open a crack. And now apparently ovals.
Moments after the race, Ericsson said he already started playing the race-deciding pass back in his head.
“When he overtakes me, he kind of had a run, but not a super run, and I sort of opened the door,” Ericsson said. “It’s just one of those things that you play it in your head a million times already after the finish line what you could have done differently there.
“It was tough with those lapped cars how to play it, but I had the best seat in the house there to lead the last 15 laps. … It’s pretty painful.”
Marcus Ericsson expresses his disappointment after coming up short against Alex Palou on Sunday.
Palou said at that point, with 14 laps left in the race, he felt he had to make the pass as soon as possible. He felt Ericsson had the better tires and more fuel.
That’s not a good combination to have to overcome. But with lessons learned from that 2021 finish where Helio Castroneves passed him late for the win, Palou knew he had to make the move Ericsson when he had the chance.
The move proved successful — as most of Palou’s moves this year — and he held on for the win by 0.682 seconds.
“I was just trying to save some fuel so we could go hard at the end trying to stay in the lead,” Palou said. “I knew that was getting towards late to pass him for the amount of laps that I had on the tires. I’m glad we made it work.”
Those who watch Palou just admire the precision and the mistake-free runs he tends to have when other drivers hiccup.
“I’m amazed at this guy’s luck,” said Pato O’Ward, who finished fourth, in addition to congratulating Palou. “He just got by Ericsson — found the lappers and just pedaled it there.
“I’m surprised Ericsson screwed up. He just gave him the win there.”
Alex Palou enjoys victory with his family following the Indy 500. (Photo by Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)
Don’t take that as an insult to Palou. It normally takes a little luck to win at Indianapolis. But sometimes you have to lose one in order to win one, and Palou said that 2021 defeat certainly played a role in the 2025 victory.
“You need to have the traffic at the right time, and you need to be able to read it, but everything was falling to my way and then I had to overtake Marcus,” Palou said. “I don’t know if he thought he was safe or if he was not thinking that traffic was playing a big role on the race or not. I’m glad that the 2021 class paid off.”
This wasn’t a win just based on a 2021 class. Palou has refined his craft to precision driving that has stunned the competition on road courses. That precision has apparently transferred to ovals as well.
“The thing with him, he is just very, very polished as a driver, especially here at Indy,” said Felix Rosenqvist, who finished fifth. “He just kind of took his time. He never really stood out and just kind of kept working at it.
“He peaked on race day. … Congrats to him. That’s a hell of a run.”
Palou now has 15 career road-course wins and one oval win — although his owner, Chip Ganassi, noted that the 2.5-mile rectangular-shaped track races isn’t a typical oval.
“I didn’t put much into that [no oval win stat],” Ganassi said. “This race is won more like a road race as opposed to a short oval, I think, in terms of the strategy and how you plan out this race and map it out, because it’s a longer track.”
In addition to earning his first win on an oval and his first Indianapolis 500 victory, Palou also became the first Spaniard to win the Indy 500. His victory marked the sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“This race means so much for me, for my family, for the INDYCAR community, our fans, and I would say motorsports in general,” Palou said.
“To be an Indy 500 champion, it’s amazing.”
Alex Palou celebrates with his Chip Ganassi Racing team. (Photo by Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images)
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.
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