By Roy J. Akers- www.skyviewsports.net
All Pole results– Top 14 >>>>
The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix qualifying session results went like much of the season so far, another pole for Alex Palou. Familliar faces are in the Top Ten including Pato O’Ward, Colton Herta and Scott Dixon, who qualified 4th. Penske’s Josef Newgarden is Q10. Palou is used to capturing the pole in Alabama, but it almost did not happen. Your thoughts on another P1 award here at Barber? “Yeah, it was great. It was really close. We didn’t know if it was going to be wet or dry, so we were all I think panicking a little bit. You didn’t want to get caught at the worst moment. Yeah, car has been really good all weekend honestly. Especially at the Fast Six, I got the balance I wanted, the balance we’re looking for.”
The Race- First 30
Alex Palou leads the field to green for the first time this season, and drivers are pushing their machines to the limit. Alexander Rossi is making gains through the field and is burning up his push to pass to do it. Josef Newgarden loses 7 spots to 15th. Scott Dixon moves from 8th to 27th since the dropping of the green flag. Dixon and Marcus Ericsson are gambling on a two-pit stop race instead of three. Drivers start pitting to shed their red soft tires by lap 15. Two-time Alabama Scott McLaughlin is running second behind Palou and pits on lap 18. Palou pits on lap 22 and Marcus Armstrong takes the lead, and Palou quickly moves through the field to take second. Palou takes over the lead just laps later. The soft reds the drivers ran were on used sets and drivers MUST use a new set for at least two laps of the race.
Mid Race 31-60
With Palou still with the lead and Colton Herta and McLaughlin 2 and three, there have been only two race leaders and 61 passes by the entire field. Palou is picking up .003 of a second each lap over Herta and pulling away. By lap 39, most of the field is putting on their new set of red tire stickers. Palou’s teammate Kyffin Simpson, has blocked the leader and finally gives way. Christian Lundgaard uses a textbook move to go around McLaughlin on lap 43 that worked like an NBA crossover, putting him in 8th. Palou pits on lap 48 and only slips to fourth, hitting the red sticker requirement. Palou once again finds the lead with Lundgaard taking over second and nearly six seconds behind. Louis Foster, the rookie, drives off the track into the grass but quickly gets back racing, avoiding a caution. Palou leads through lap 60 over Lundgaard by over 6 seconds. McLaughlin is third.
Final 30 Laps
Palou leads the field through lap 65 where he pits for the third time in the race and falls to fourth as Lundgaard takes the lead for a scant few laps and Palou again is the leader by nearly seven seconds. As the laps whittle down to 12 left, Palou by seven seconds over Lundgaard, and McLaughlin. Rinus Veekay is fourth, and Will Power 5th. Palou’s lead is growing and 13 seconds separates him from the second-place Lundgaard. Palou wins going away by nearly 17 seconds. Rinus Veekay makes a serious charge at McLaughlin but holds off the impending 2026 free agent.
Checkered Flags
Alex Palou won for the third time in four races this season, and led all laps except where he pitted and quickly cycled back to the lead. Palou’s win by over 16 seconds has given him a huge points lead this season. His worst finish… is second. Palou on the focus of the Month of Indy. How much does this win help with your momentum
going into the month of May, Indianapolis? ALEX PALOU: Huge. It’s May already. 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.
Podium 2 and 3
Christian Lundgaard continues his assault as the most improved driver in Indy Car. Any other season, you’d be the story of the season so far. Alex is on fire. How do you put that in
perspective?
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just about putting that aside and focusing on yourself. The 10 car is doing a great job. We’ve seen that in years in the past. I would say we’re trying to raise our own bar, and we’re doing so. We’re performing better and better. On top of that, I had a team change. Getting to know a bunch of new people, getting to work with a bunch of new people. It’s a
different car to drive. I’m very pleased with the job that I’ve done so far, the work that we’ve done. I mean, I don’t think I could have dreamed of three podiums in four races, four first races.”
Scott McLaughlin is the 2023-24 winner of this race but he was no match for Palou today. Scott, you said something on pit lane that as long as you keep executing, eventually you’ll catch up with Alex. How frustrating is it to know you’re out there doing as good as you can, and he’s just doing that
much better?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s not frustrating. At the end of the day you can only do as much as you can. I mean, I’m driving the thing as fast as I can. Christian is doing the same thing. Alex is doing the best job he can. That turns out to be a really good job and solid. We all know it was going to be that way.
Tale of the Tape
Factoids that may interest only me
Scott Dixon has 9 podiums in 14 races and has only finished outside the Top-10 once.
Newgarden has not finished in the Top 10 in four years after dominating the event early in his career.
Palou has led over 1000 laps in his Indy career, and most have come on road courses.
Final Leaderboard- Top 14- All drivers here
Moving on to Sonsio
The Points Battle
Roy J. Akers covers NTT and NXT Indy Car for www.skyviewsports.net
