Palou Finishes Quietly, But Savors Third IndyCar Title

LEBANON, Tenn. – Sunday’s NTT IndyCar Series finale for Alex Palou wasn’t one of his flashier days on track, but it didn’t need to be to give him his third Astor Cup trophy in four years.

Palou wrapped up his third championship in American open-wheel racing at Nashville Superspeedway with a relatively nondescript, 24th-to-11th run over the course of the 206-lap Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at the 1.333-mile concrete oval.

It was just his fourth finish outside the top 10 in the 17-race season and his third off the lead lap, but given the early issues his title rival Will Power encountered, the lackluster effort by Palou’s standards was still more than enough.

After entering the final IndyCar Series race of the year with a 33-point advantage, Palou needed ninth or better to clinch even if Power won. Once Power dropped five laps down early, due to a disconnected seatbelt that forced a green-flag pit stop and buried him in the running order, that scenario evaporated.

From that point on, all Palou had to do was finish, which he did with ease to become the first back-to-back Indy car champion since Dario Franchitti won three straight titles from 2009-’11.

While Palou suspected something might be wrong with Power’s car when the latter ducked down pit lane so soon after the start, he admitted later that his focus was on his own race all the way through.

“At the beginning I had to go for it. I had to take some chances on the start [and try] to make up some room. Just starting so far back, we needed to gain [positions],” Palou explained. “Everything was working right. [I got] up to 15th or 16th or something like that quickly, which was already a good step. Then I saw the 12 [Power] go into pit lane. At first, I was like, ‘Oh, what strategy are they going to pull off?’

“Unfortunately, that's not the way you want your biggest competitor to go down [in] the season finale. At the same time, that’s what happened to us two weeks ago, so … it's racing. It's motorsport,” Palou added. “That’s what makes this sport so hard. After that we were doing our own race.

“Obviously [the team was] keeping an eye on the [No.] 12 car, but I was just trying to move forward.”

Though Palou noted he’d have enjoyed racing Power on a level playing field for the title, the Spaniard admitted he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth at the same time.

“I was not going to cry. I wasn’t celebrating,” said Palou of seeing Power fall out of contention early. “That’s how it goes [sometimes]. I think he was not crying when I couldn’t start at Milwaukee. He was crying of happiness (laughter). I’m sure he was happy, but he was not celebrating that I couldn’t run.

“When it's not your day, it is what it is. You cannot do anything. Same goes for when it's your day,” Palou continued. “Like me, [this day] was my day. It was not meant to be for him; it was meant to be for me. That’s what happened.”

Palou’s championship season this year wasn’t as dominant as his title run a year ago – when he won five times, earned 10 total podium finishes, and had an average finishing position of 3.7 – but he still led the series in average finish at 6.5 and did what he had to in critical moments, including Sunday.

He becomes just the 13th driver – and fifth in the modern era (1996-present) – to win three or more titles, joining a select club that includes Foyt, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, Franchitti, Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais, and Sam Hornish Jr., among others.

There’s still one blemish on his Indy car resume, though, that he hopes to rectify in 2025 when he chases his fourth series championship in five years – a zero in the “oval victories” category.

“Imagine when we win on an oval,” Palou smiled when journalists pointed out that past wisdom was that a driver couldn’t win an IndyCar Series title without taking a checkered flag on an oval.

“But all jokes aside, I know that I need to win [an oval race]. I want to win one more than anything else at the moment. Is it going to be next year? Is it going to be in two years? I don’t know. But it will come one day,” he continued.

“We’ve been close, trying, and I’ve been feeling more comfortable [on ovals], so it will come one day.”

Palou’s first Indy car title in 2021 made him the only Spaniard in American open-wheel racing history to reach the pinnacle of the sport, and he’s easily remained the most decorated Indy car racer from his country since then.

But unlike his maiden championship celebration – when he toured his native Spain after hoisting the Astor Cup – Palou tipped he plans to soak in the crown stateside this time.

“I prefer to celebrate here, [then] spend time with the family in Spain later resting a little bit and preparing for [next] season. But I think we have more [people in Spain] following each time,” he said. “Hopefully this, as well, helps. Some people [now] watch a little bit more IndyCar, which I think they are loving [in Spain].

“But yeah, I don’t mind [celebrating in the United States]. I live in Indiana now.”

Perhaps the biggest moment, however, was that Palou’s third championship was the first since the birth of his daughter Lucia.

“They say winning is the best thing in life, which I agree, and they [also] say being a dad is the best thing in life, which I double agree. But when you do both the same year, it’s super special,” said the 27-year-old. “It’s been an amazing year of learning, obviously. Maybe [I’ve been] sleeping a little bit less. Not being able to be on the simulator as much as I used to at home, playing video games, is another thing.

“But it’s been amazing. I wouldn’t change anything that I’m living at the moment.”

Despite being the new dominant force in the current era of Indy car racing, Palou wasn’t ready to declare that he’d have a shot at catching A.J. Foyt’s all-time record of seven championships.

He does have his eyes firmly set on another mark, though, held by Franchitti – who used to drive the same No. 10 entry for Chip Ganassi Racing that Palou himself now pilots.

“I’m thinking about next year now, [trying] to tie Franchitti,” he said firmly, a confident smile gracing the features of the now-face of the NTT IndyCar Series.