Alex Palou’s ‘Gros-Jumeaux’ Crash Highlights Need for Tighter Safety Oversight

Motorsport photo ’s furious pace. Palou, the reigning and four-time IndyCar Series champion, took command of those on the preferred three-stop strategy after his initial pit stop on Lap 16 of 70. At one point, he built an advantage of over 7s over pole-sitter Marcus Ericsson and led 16 laps, but that changed when Kirkwood got around his Andretti Global teammate and began to chip away the gap to Palou’s #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

The complexity of the race took shape when Palou caught the #26 Andretti Global Honda of Will Power , who was the race leader running on a two-stop strategy, with roughly 27 laps to go. Once Power dove to pit lane on Lap 46, Palou and Kirkwood pitted three laps later and managed to best him with the overcut. It then became a head-to-head battle, with Kirkwood thrashing the quickest laps of the race to that point.

With 16 laps to go, Kirkwood’s #27 Honda was on Spaniard’s rear wing, and had a look down the long 0. 950-mile backstretch going into Turn 10 before lunging for the lead with a late dive in Turn 14. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian, Will Power, Andretti Global Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian, Will Power, Andretti Global “I defended in Turn 10,” said Palou, who started second.

“They (Kirkwood) were a little bit more trimmed than us. We knew that. They were catching us a lot on the straights.