He didn’t produce the same level of dominance as last year, but the end result was the same: Alex Palou hoisted the Astor Cup Trophy for a third time in 2024.
The Spaniard still racked up an impressive season in the IndyCar Series, scoring two victories, four other podiums, 13 top 10s and three poles in the 17 points-paying rounds en route to becoming the first back-to-back champion since Dario Franchitti’s hat-trick in 2009-11. Additionally, Palou was never threatened in the non-points exhibition at The Thermal Club, leading every lap from pole to win in the $1 Million Challenge.
Unlike last year’s off-track legal drama involving McLaren that undoubtedly required a tremendous amount of mental toughness, Palou was tested in a different way during this title run. Six of the final eight races were contested on ovals – a track discipline he has yet to break through to win on – as he sought to fend off Team Penske’s Will Power.
Despite the odds, Palou managed three top-five finishes over those six last oval events, including a crucial runner-up finish in the second race at Iowa Speedway after crashing out of the opener.
Being critical of himself, Palou doesn’t believe he completely outclassed the field for his third championship over the past four seasons.
“I would say we’ve not been amazing anywhere, except Thermal, and that didn’t count,” he said. “Indy road course, yeah, it was our first win. But we’ve always been there, even when we were struggling a little bit.
“Like Toronto, we had that penalty [losing his two fastest laps] in qualifying for interference. We were starting P-bananas and still made it to the top five. Those were the days where, instead of having a really bad day, we actually made points to all the other competitors.”
While the Chip Ganassi Racing driver has yet to win on an oval, he has four top-three results on the unique track discipline, including as a stellar runner-up in the 2021 Indianapolis 500.
Until he can secure an oval victory, there will be an element of unfinished business for the 27-year-old, who is making it a prime target in 2025. Speaking at Nashville, he said that his aim is to “try and up my game on ovals”.
“There’s something there,” he acknowledged. “I don’t know how to get that from me, as you can see. We’ll get it next year.”
