Alex Palou won the IndyCar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from the pole, leading 74 of 100 laps and overcoming losing the lead to Will Power on Lap 56 restart. Palou needed only nine laps to snatch the lead back from Power and won by 1.1843 seconds in his No. 10 Dallara-Honda over Power, followed by Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi. It’s the second victory this season and sixth In summary in the NTT IndyCar Series for Palou, who extended his lead to 51 points in the championship standings. The chaotic debut for a new downtown track was a lot better than expected, and the fans were amazing.
DETROIT – Alex Palou captured the IndyCar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix from the pole, fending off several challenges and three late restarts during a chaotic debut for a new downtown track.
Palou won by 1.1843 seconds in his No. 10 Dallara-Honda over Will Power, followed by Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi.
It’s the second victory this season and sixth In summary in the NTT IndyCar Series for Palou, who extended his lead to 51 points in the championship standings.
“It’s too early,” the 2021 series champion told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider about his championship chances. ” We’ve been focused on the next few races. There’s a few I really love coming. We’ll keep pushing.”
Palou led a race-high 74 of 100 laps and overcame losing the lead to Power on Lap 56 restart. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver lost momentum putting putting his car in “emergency mode” to cycle its electronic systems after getting stuck in first gear while warming up his rear tires.
“I was already heading to Turn 2, I switched to emergency mode because that’s the only way to take all the issues out,” Palou said. “It went well, but you lose a lot of performance up-shifting. That’s why Will got us, until the exit of Turn 3, I got it back to normal, then it was all right. That was really a panic mode because I didn’t really know what to do. I didn’t know if it was going to work or not because if you get stuck in one gear, you’re done. That was a pretty busy moment.”
Palou needed only nine laps to snatch the lead back from Power.
“I did everything I could,” Power said after his best finish since a runner-up at Portland last September. “He was just too quick, man. Too good today.”
The performance even might have surprised Palou, who had been critical of a track that he said was too bumpy, too tight and too short after qualifying first Satuday.
“He just took to this place when we got here,” team owner Chip Ganassi told Snider about Palou. “He was complaining about the track yesterday, but I think it’s his new favorite track today.”
Said Palou: “It was a really fun race. It was a lot better than I expected. We had a lot more grip today than what we did (Friday and Saturday), and I think the track evolved a lot during the weekend.
“Obviously, I had a clean race, but honestly Detroit did a tremendous job. The fans were amazing. I was mind-blown of how many fans we had today being a first-time event. Also the podium on victory…
The Detroit Grand Prix was a chaotic debut for a new downtown track, but Alex Palou emerged victorious from the pole. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver led a race-high 74 of 100 laps and overcame losing the lead to Will Power on Lap 56 restart. Palou lost momentum putting his car in “emergency mode” to cycle its electronic systems after getting stuck in first gear while warming up his rear tires. He needed only nine laps to snatch the lead back from Power, who finished second. Felix Rosenqvist, Scott Dixon, and Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five.
It was the second victory this season and sixth In summary in the NTT IndyCar Series for Palou, who extended his lead to 51 points in the championship standings. Despite his success, Palou remained humble about his championship chances, saying, “It’s too early. We’ve been focused on the next few races. There’s a few I really love coming. We’ll keep pushing.”
Palou had been critical of the track, which he said was too bumpy, too tight, and too short after qualifying first on Saturday. However, he seemed to have a change of heart after his win. “It was a really fun race. It was a lot better than I expected. We had a lot more grip today than what we did (Friday and Saturday), and I think the track evolved a lot during the weekend,” he said.
Team owner Chip Ganassi also praised Palou’s performance, saying, “He just took to this place when we got here. He was complaining about the track yesterday, but I think it’s his new favorite track today.”
The Detroit Grand Prix was a first-time event, but Palou was impressed by the turnout. “Honestly, Detroit did a tremendous job. The fans were amazing. I was mind-blown of how many fans we had today being a first-time event,” he said.
Palou’s win at the Detroit Grand Prix marks his second victory of the season and his sixth In summary in the NTT IndyCar Series. With a 51-point lead in the championship standings, he remains focused on the next few races. Despite his initial criticisms of the track, Palou seemed to have enjoyed the race, calling it “a really fun race” and praising the track’s evolution over the weekend.
