IndyCar’s Alex Palou ‘On Amazing Cloud of Happiness,’ Winning for Third Time in Five Races

IndyCar’s Palou Wins for Third Time in Five Races Travis Hinkle It was a small, U-shaped piece of carbon fiber, a piece not much bigger than a man’s fist, that fell from someone’s race car on Lap 57 of Sunday’s iconic 90-lap NTT IndyCar Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. That brought out the pivotal caution period and triggered a flurry of activity on pit road that saw second-place-running Alex Palou pounce on the opportunity to beat polesitter and race dominator Felix Rosenqvist back onto the track. Palou was on cruise control after that, fending off Meyer Shank Racing’s Rosenqvist to claim his first victory on the 11-turn, 1.

968-mile temporary Southern California street course but his third out of five series events in hand. Scott Dixon, Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) teammate and two-time Long Beach winner (2015, 2024), was third for the third time here, recording his first podium finish of the season. “It’s huge,” Palou said of his 22nd overall victory in 103 starts (which ties him with Emerson Fittipaldi and Tony Bettenhausen on the all-time list) and CGR its 148th.

“It was that yellow. It was that pit stop. ” Chris Owens Earlier in the weekend, Alexander Rossi—a back-to-back winner from the pole in 2018-19—had said that one thing surprised him so far this year: that Palou had only two victories.

Palou asked if Rossi was serious when he said that. Told absolutely yes, Palou downplayed that and said Rossi “has still got 14 more chances. The guy goes into every week being able to win.