Alex Palou Finally Claims Victory at Long Beach Grand Prix
Alex Palou entered the Long Beach Grand Prix with an impressive record of 21 INDYCAR race wins and four series titles. However, one notable achievement he had yet to secure was a victory at Long Beach, which is considered the second-largest race on the INDYCAR calendar. That changed on Sunday when Palou, driving the No. 10 car for Chip Ganassi Racing, claimed his 22nd career victory. He crossed the finish line nearly four seconds ahead of second-place finisher Felix Rosenqvist.
“Every win is so special,” Palou said in his postrace news conference. “Obviously, the Indy 500 is always going to stay up top. This probably ranks top-three. It’s super, super cool. But we’ve been so lucky to have so much success.”
Palou Doing Palou Things
Palou started the race in third place and quickly moved up to second by passing Pato O’Ward. He then took advantage of a faster pit stop than pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist during the race’s only caution period to take the lead. Once in front, Palou maintained his composure and made no mistakes, showcasing the blueprint for a Palou win. This marked his third victory in five races this year and his 11th win in the last 22 events. The win also propelled Palou into the series points lead, holding a 17-point advantage over Kyle Kirkwood.
“People think that we are not surprised of being here,” Palou said. “We don’t take it for granted.”
Rosenqvist Needed Disappointing Second
Felix Rosenqvist, who had not recorded a top-10 finish all year, saw a potential win slip away but still managed to secure a second-place finish. “I had such a poor start to the year, so I was always going to take a podium,” Rosenqvist said in his postrace news conference. “It’s very rare that you have a race like that, pace like that. I don’t honestly think I’ve ever had that. It’s a little bit disappointing when you cannot wrap it up.”
Rosenqvist believed he had a good chance of holding off Palou over the final 32 laps if he hadn’t experienced a slow pit stop.
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Kirkwood Repeat Denied
Kyle Kirkwood was denied the opportunity to repeat his Long Beach victory and earn a third win overall. The Andretti Global driver, who had entered the race as the series points leader, started in fourth place and finished fourth. “It was just so hard to pass on this track,” Kirkwood told a team representative after the race. “I’m not sure why it was like that this year. You just get close, and then you don’t have enough traction to make a move. … I can’t be too upset with the top-four.”
Wonky Start Just Long Beach
The race began with a chaotic start, as the cars in the front few rows did not remain double-file and instead became strung out quickly as the green flag waved. While it appeared disjointed, Scott Dixon, who started sixth and finished third, described it as normal for Long Beach. “It was very Long Beach-esque,” the six-time series champion said in his postrace news conference. “It just always is. It’s hard, especially [if you’re] fourth through eighth or 10th, if you catch the front two rows at the wrong spot, you have to brake and everybody behind you is accelerating.”
What’s Next
There are two weekends off before the next race as the Month of May kicks off with the May 9 event on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. However, the drivers will be back on track sooner as they all will be testing April 28-29 for the Indianapolis 500. This test is crucial as they prepare for the biggest race of the year. You know who won that race a year ago? Yeah, Alex Palou.
