Spanish driver Alex Palou has cemented his name in the annals of motorsport history, claiming his maiden oval victory in none other than the prestigious 109th Indianapolis 500. The three-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion triumphed on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in a dramatic finish to one of the sport’s most iconic events.
Palou’s landmark win came under caution, after rookie Nolan Siegel crashed his No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in Turn 2 on the race’s final lap. The race had already endured a delayed start by 43 minutes due to light showers, but by its end, the Spaniard was celebrating not only his first oval success but also his place among the sport’s immortals.
“Best milk I’ve ever tasted,” Palou remarked on the Victory Podium, after taking the traditional celebratory swig. “It tastes so good. What an amazing feeling.”
Palou seized the lead on Lap 187, overtaking Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson in the No. 28 Allegra Honda. From there, he never looked back.
“I cannot believe it,” Palou said. “It’s amazing to win. There were some moments that I felt really good in the race, but at the end I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pass Marcus or not, but I made it happen. First oval win. What a better place?”
Driving the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Palou extended his championship lead with his fifth win in six races this season. The Spaniard now holds a 115-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward. But beyond the points, it was the symbolism of his name joining the Borg-Warner Trophy that marked a defining career moment – the first Spaniard ever to do so.
“It’s going to make Alex Palou’s career, it’s going to make his life, and it certainly has made mine,” said team owner Chip Ganassi, following his team’s sixth win in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – their first since Ericsson’s 2022 victory.
Ericsson once again fell heartbreakingly short, finishing second at the Indy 500 for the second time in three years, having also lost out narrowly to Josef Newgarden in 2023. Newgarden’s own bid for a historic third straight victory ended with mechanical woes, relegating him to 25th after 135 laps.
In an emotional result, David Malukas secured a career-best third place in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. The young Chicago native had missed last year’s race due to injury.
“I’m not going to lie: I was crying coming into the pits (after the race),” Malukas admitted. “Man, we were just so close to getting it. Lappers came in, and he (Palou) was able to get a run. We were leading, so he had a good tow, and he timed that perfectly. It’s bittersweet because we didn’t get it.”
Pato O’Ward finished fourth – his fourth top-four Indy 500 result in the last five years, still without a podium. Felix Rosenqvist completed the top five for Meyer Shank Racing.
It was a disappointing day for rookie pole sitter Robert Shwartzman, who crashed out on Lap 87 after a pit lane error, ultimately classified 29th. The early stages of the race, run in unusually cool conditions, were riddled with incidents – including exits for Scott McLaughlin, Marco Andretti, and NASCAR’s Kyle Larson, who had planned to complete both the Indy 500 and Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Once settled, however, the race became a test of nerves, strategy, and fuel conservation. Palou’s final pit stop on Lap 168 meant he would be pushing the limits of fuel range. Malukas briefly took the lead before making his last stop, handing control to Ericsson, but Palou’s clever positioning and daring overtaking under traffic allowed him to regain the advantage.
“We had those lappers ahead of us that were making it difficult,” said a gutted Ericsson. “He got a run on me. I didn’t know if he was going to go for it or not. That’s the thing that I’m thinking about constantly now – I should have covered that inside, of course.”
Ericsson fought to the end but couldn’t close the gap. “That was painful,” he admitted. “To miss out, so close again. Second time second place here, and this is a winner-takes-all kind of place. It’s really painful. We kept fighting. Congrats to Alex and Chip Ganassi Racing.”
With the Indy 500 now in the books, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES shifts its attention to the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, set for Sunday, 1 June, on the streets of downtown Detroit.
SOURCE: INDYCAR
IMAGE CREDIT: Penske Entertainment: Travis Hinkle
