Trade IndyCar title for Indy 500 win? Alex Palou has an interesting answer

As a passionate fan of IndyCar racing, I find myself constantly amazed by the sheer talent and determination displayed by these drivers. Among them all, Alex Palou stands out as one of the brightest stars. Despite being just 27 years old, he has already etched his name in the history books with three championships in four years at Chip Ganassi Racing.

In just three seasons, Alex Palou has made a remarkable impact on IndyCar racing, positioning himself alongside the sport’s all-time legends. He clinched his third championship in four years with Chip Ganassi Racing, making him the first driver since Dario Franchitti (from 2009 to 2011) to secure back-to-back titles.

In the group of current drivers, Scott Dixon holds more championships than Palou does, but it is Palou who has claimed three of those titles while driving alongside Dixon. Notably, in 2023, Palou was the sole driver standing between Dixon and a chance to tie the record for seven championship wins.

At the age of 27, Palou can proudly claim that he’s tied with or surpassed the achievement in American open-wheel racing titles of just five other drivers.

But what he still cannot claim is that he is an Indy 500 champion.

2020 saw Palou vying for the top spot at the Indy 500, driving a Honda for Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. However, unfortunately, he collided during the competition itself.

2021 saw him collide during a qualifying run that didn’t carry significant risk, as he had already secured his position for the next round. In the actual race, he took the lead on several laps and engaged in fierce competition with Helio Castroneves, a three-time victor at the time, in the final rounds. However, it was Castroneves who emerged triumphant, equaling the record with his fourth win.

2022 saw Palou lining up on the front row with a promising start, leading a significant portion of the initial race phases. However, an unfortunate timing of a yellow flag incident dropped him down to 30th position. Despite his best efforts, he managed to work his way back up and ended the race in ninth place.

In 2023, he clinched the pole position, achieving a four-lap average speed record of 234.217 miles per hour on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s four-corner, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval. However, following his initial lead, an incident in the pits caused by Rinus VeeKay’s spin set him back to the 30th position. Despite a valiant effort, he managed to recover and ended up finishing in fourth place.

2024 saw Palou achieve a career-best number of net positions gained during a race, despite qualifying 14th due to a drop in speed across the Chip Ganassi Racing team. Remarkably, he led laps towards the end, an achievement not seen since his second-place finish in 2021, and ended up finishing fifth.

Is it possible to rephrase this statement in a more natural and easily understandable way: Every year, he’s a strong contender for the victory, but after five tries, he hasn’t celebrated with the traditional milk yet. Could Palou trade one of his IndyCar titles for an Indy 500 triumph?

He gave a pretty clear answer to that question.

Palou emphasized this during his conversation with Beyond the Flag: “Absolutely not, not at all,” he said. “I deeply desire to win the Indy 500, but I’m patient and believe it will happen in due time. I wouldn’t trade one championship for the opportunity to race in the Indy 500.

Regardless of switching all 11 of his IndyCar victories to second place finishes and promoting those who originally finished second to first, the championship rankings would still show Palou as a three-time champion.

What matters most to Palou is maintaining consistency throughout an entire season, even if it means not winning the Indy 500. He’s unwilling to sacrifice this long-term consistency for a single victory.

He went on to say, “The Indianapolis 500 is our premier race; it’s truly awe-inspiring. Winning it is incredibly challenging. However, it lasts just one week, one day, and 200 laps. To claim a championship, you need to compete in 17 races, with the 500 being one of them, so no, I wouldn’t trade one for the other.

The 2025 IndyCar series is planned to start from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on March 2nd (Sunday), and conclude with the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on August 31st (Sunday). The historic 109th Indy 500 race will be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 25th (Sunday). All 17 races of the season will be broadcast live on Fox.

2024-09-20 18:32