‘In an exclusive league’: Ganassi’s Alex Palou clinches third IndyCar title in four years
LEBANON, Tennessee – Alex Palou secured his second consecutive championship with relative ease, yet he recognized the challenges ahead to maintain his position at the pinnacle of the IndyCar Series.
The Chip Ganassi Racing star finished in a mediocre 11th place at the Music City Grand Prix, but the final laps at Nashville Superspeedway proved to be anything but straightforward. As he claimed his third title in four years, Palou found himself a lap down, caught in an intense battle for victory between Colton Herta and Pato O’Ward.
“It wasn’t ideal to be in that position without having much of an impact,” Palou admitted.
This also served as a constant reminder that despite being the best driver in the series for three of the last four seasons, the competition remains fierce and unrelenting.
“I’m not counting anyone out,” he stated. “It was Will Power going into this weekend. Now we’re talking about Colton, Scott McLaughlin, and Pato. It’s everyone. That’s what makes this series special; you can’t discount anyone.
“Next year is going to be thrilling.”
The only notable gap in Palou’s achievements remains his absence of victories on oval tracks, a gap that Herta filled with a bold maneuver against O’Ward on Sunday.
Herta’s first win on an oval propelled him to a career-high second place in points, positioning him as a strong contender to disrupt the Ganassi/Team Penske dominance, which has seen one of these outfits win the title for 12 straight seasons.
“We have a lot of ground to cover to catch up to those teams,” said Herta, 24, after his second win of the season and ninth overall. “I’ve felt there have been several instances where we could have won (on an oval) but were thwarted by various circumstances. Thankfully, today everything clicked.”
This year, Herta achieved career highs in podium finishes (six) and average race position (7.4), and consistently ranked in the top five for most of the season.
“There were numerous opportunities we had this year to clinch the championship,” Herta reflected. “We’ll analyze that during the off-season. It stings a bit to win the last race when (Palou) didn’t perform particularly well, as we could have gained significant points in that championship chase. That’s a focal point we’ll review during the off-season; how to minimize our lows and improve them for next time.”
O’Ward shares a similar sentiment and is also a formidable contender for Palou’s title in 2025. The Arrow McLaren driver matched the series lead with three race wins but faced setbacks with three races he didn’t finish due to mechanical issues.
“We need to step up our game to challenge (Palou) and Ganassi,” O’Ward acknowledged. “They’ve raised the bar with their consistency. Our team has plenty of work ahead to be part of that conversation.”
“We’re determined to fight hard next year because we fell short again this season. I want to change that narrative and give them a genuine contest.”
At 25, O’Ward understands he must elevate his performance to rival a driver of Palou’s caliber, who is likely to remain a formidable opponent throughout his IndyCar career.
At just 27 years old, Palou has become the second-youngest three-time champion in the series’ history, trailing only Sam Hornish Jr. by a few months.
As the first Spanish champion in IndyCar, he is also the first to win back-to-back championships since Dario Franchitti achieved this feat in 2009-2011.
Palou is now the 12th driver to amass at least three IndyCar championships, joining legendary figures like A.J. Foyt (seven titles), Scott Dixon (six), Dario Franchitti (four), Mario Andretti (three), Rick Mears (three), and Bobby Rahal (three).
“He’s in a unique and elite group at this point,” Chip Ganassi remarked, whose team has employed Palou, Dixon, and Franchitti. “His name rightfully deserves to be in the discussion among the greatest drivers ever.”
Palou’s accomplishments now outnumber those of Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power, whose slim hopes of securing the title ended on Lap 13 of 206 when Power’s lap belt malfunctioned, causing him to lose five laps as a crew member attended to the issue while under green flag.
“That was quite unusual,” Power remarked after finishing 24th and dropping to fourth in the standings. “I can’t explain what went wrong. We’ll need to consult the manufacturer regarding this strange failure. It’s disappointing, but big kudos to Alex. He’s a tough competitor.”
