Palou exclusive: IndyCar’s oval endgame “doesn’t favor us”

If Alex Palou goes to efficiently defend his IndyCar Series championship, he’ll want to beat the gauntlet of four oval races over the final five rounds.

And while none of the 27-year-light Spaniard’s 11 profession wins like attain on ovals, he has built up a solid lumber of make on them.

Over the final 17 oval races dating reduction to the 2021 season, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has gathered seven high-fives and 14 high-10s; both marks like him ranked in the high five among appealing drivers, with the latter statistic pairs him alongside crew-mate and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon for 2nd, one less than the 15 held by Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward.

Consistency will positively be the most effective key, with Palou’s moderate cease a 7.75 on ovals the previous four seasons, a quantity better than the 11.05 carried by Workforce Penske’s Will Vitality, for the time being 2nd in the championship standings at 49 components reduction (411-362).

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Josh Tons / Motorsport Photos

Though every person gentle mathematically in the title battle gentle has Palou’s attention, positively on the high are Penske’s trio of Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Vitality. The crew like mixed to catch 10 of the 13 oval events dating reduction to 2022, with seven – along side the final two Indianapolis 500s – claimed by Newgarden.

Palou, who’s attempting to catch his third IndyCar title in four years, spent Thursday morning at CGR’s store sooner than sitting down completely with Motorsport.com, sharing the crew’s attention is exactly on the upcoming round on the 1.25-mile St. Louis oval, formerly known as Gateway, on 17 August and “it’s how now we want to take it”.

Nonetheless, he indulged when pressed over ideas on the final races this season, along side two tracks in the Milwaukee Mile and season finale at Nashville Superspeedway that he has never raced sooner than.

“There is proscribed doubt it doesn’t desire us,” Palou talked about. “I wouldn’t scream that’s made on motive; it’s extra treasure it doesn’t desire us.

“It became the identical procedure when the season began, it’s not treasure it changed. Everyone knew we would also scream that before every thing, it favored us a limited bit bit because we knew we went to some song that we had really compatible outcomes and mostly wins in the previous.

“Now, we’re going to locations the crew has not received in the previous; I even want to boom Gateway, Scott received there final year, however we had been not colossal-snappy. He did Scott Dixon things; saving gas, tires, did one kill after which he received. However on pure tempo, we had been not amazingly compatible enough to catch, so that doesn’t encourage us.

“We’re perfect having one street direction left, which is Portland. We received there final year, so we’re really compatible there and taking a survey ahead to that one. However yeah, I’d unprecedented desire if there had been perfect one or two ovals there could be a limited bit bit extra than that and yeah, it favors them [Team Penske] nonetheless it’s okay.

“It’s the sport. I like if we are able to drag this off, this is also somewhat amazing.”

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Photos

A test at Milwaukee left Palou feeling assured with his Honda-powered No. 10 entry and the one-mile oval, however failed to take half in the fresh operating at Nashville.

The combo of a scarcity of knowledge on the final two tracks, blended with Penske’s oval prowess, at the side of persevered learnings of the mid-season introduction of the brand new hybrid unit, trip away loads of wildcards on the table for Palou to beat.  

“We desire to strive to be as fast as doubtless getting in defend watch over at Gateway,” he talked about. “Strive to salvage as many components as doubtless there because then we trip to Portland reduction-to-reduction, after which Milwaukee reduction-to-reduction.

“There’s so many components in the span of three weeks.”

Palou is cautious, though, of attending to push through a repeated form of racing to final month’s double-header at Iowa Speedway, which noticed zero on-song passes for the lead and perfect 195 passes for region over the five hundred mixed laps. 

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Photos

“It became comparatively nerve-racking for all people: drivers, followers,” he talked about. “When I furthermore heard from the Gateway test this previous week wasn’t huge and what I heard from Nashville wasn’t huge, both. So, I’m not taking a survey ahead to going there and having a hotfoot where it is mostly dictated by your qualifying tempo.

“Yeah, you’ll be in a save aside of dwelling to salvage fortunate with a yellow and at this time fabricate treasure Vitality in Iowa where he goes from treasure Nineteenth to first, however there’s perfect one automobile and likewise you’ve got to pray for a yellow on the most effective time.

“Yeah, what I’m not taking a survey ahead to this final stretch shouldn’t be being allowed to hotfoot and not being in a save aside of dwelling to map moves at some stage in the hotfoot. Hopefully, I’m detestable. Hopefully, we be taught from the testing and Iowa, however I like it’s not uncomplicated.

“I do know all people is making an strive laborious; IndyCar is making an strive laborious. Everyone wants this to work, however that’s the most effective ingredient that I’m not doubtless taking a survey ahead to.

“It’s not the actual fact that I’ve never received on an oval, it’s extra the actual fact of treasure, ‘Man, I like I’m getting there however I’d like the likelihood at an oval to hotfoot.’ I like we did amazingly at Indy, we would also overtake, all people could well also overtake.

“We made some moves initiating out. I don’t keep in mind where we began, treasure 14th or 15th, and made it up to P5. That became relaxing, however Iowa became not relaxing. I became commencing entrance and I became lacking that feeling of racing and being in a save aside of dwelling to map moves or defend. It became extra of, ‘K, you may want to well presumably also presumably be 2nd, lawful defend your individual home and we will have the opportunity to be fine.’ Hopefully, Gateway shouldn’t be that procedure.”

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Photos

However what if Palou scored his first oval catch in a hotfoot that became a lot like Iowa?

“We wanted to catch,” he quipped. “I don’t care despite the actual fact that we fabricate perfect one lap, who cares? Yeah, it became the most dumb catch however yeah, I received it. Like, ‘Oh, that became the fundamental hotfoot. Oh my God, I’m able to not have faith it!’ Yeah, okay. I received, so I don’t care. I even like the trophy, the components and I even like the smiles, clearly.”

Then Palou supplied a extra considerate response…

“Now, critically, attending to that time, it wouldn’t really feel the exact identical,” he talked about. “We wouldn’t be treasure, ‘Oh my God, I became conserving off Dixon, Newgarden or Vitality’ and I accomplished up a hit or I did an overtake for the catch on the originate air of Flip 1 and Flip 2 at Gateway.

“It’s not the identical as what we noticed in Iowa; I accomplished 2nd in the 2nd hotfoot and I talked about it became not relaxing. There became perfect one particular person that will doubtless be happier than me and that became Vitality, and he became not even colossal indignant, both, because they didn’t really feel… we desire that competitors.

“We desire that making it laborious because someone is pushing you and even it’s uncomplicated however since you had so unprecedented lend a hand because your crew gave you a terrific automobile and likewise you had been on fire that day, however you received. You wish the power to battle.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t really feel the identical, however I’d take it. Every single time I’d take a lifeless catch each day, if I could well also.”