Chip Ganassi Racing ’s Alex Palou was left coasting to a lonely runner-up finish in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland, which stands as the perfect metaphor in his march towards another IndyCar Series title.
The 27-year-old Spaniard came into the weekend with a 59-point advantage over Andretti Global’s Colton Herta, and leaves with just a five-point dent after having a frontrow seat to Team Penske’s Will Power lead 101 of 110 laps en route to winning by a staggering 9.8267s at Portland International Speedway. Now, with three rounds left in the season, Palou holds a 54-point lead over Power (484-430).
After starting third, Palou went with the less-favored strategy of opting for only one stint on the softer alternate (red sidewall) tires while the majority of the field - including Power - pulled off three.
“It was tough,” said Palou, who collected his sixth podium of the year. “It was a hard race. I think we didn't really pick the right choices on tires. But it comes from yesterday's qualifying. We didn't really think that the used alternates were going to last. Used both of them in qualifying.
“Yeah, a shame that we couldn't really battle much. At the beginning I thought we had a lot of pace when the 12 and the 14 were on (the harder) primaries. I was really comfortable. But as soon as Will went on reds, I just couldn't really follow him. I had a chance on the back straight when he had a little bit of traffic, but couldn't really make it.
“So yeah, happy, but obviously a little bit frustrating that we couldn't really get there. It was tough. Like, our pace was not at his level today. I think he had a seventh gear today. Couldn't really catch him.”
Palou, the defending and two-time IndyCar Series champion, shared the decision behind the tire strategy, which was built on learnings from the round on the Streets of Detroit in early June when he finished an uncharacteristic 16th and broke a streak of 23 consecutive top 10 finishes in points-paying races.
“We only had one set of reds,” he said. “That was the idea. That's what I actually pushed for yesterday in qualifying. That's why I did two stints on used reds.
“Yeah, I got a lot of fear after Detroit when I started on used reds. I just destroyed those tires in six laps. Went from second to sliding on a banana. Didn't want that to happen again. I thought the primaries and alternates were going to be a little bit closer. They were not.
“So, yeah, that's what we had to do today. Wasn't the right thing. Yeah, I couldn't really see this coming yesterday.”
A strong position
Although Palou couldn’t replicate his past success at the 12-turn, 1.964-mile natural terrain road course that netted him victories in 2021 and 2023 – both years when he went on to hoist the Astor Cup Trophy at season’s end – he still holds a full race advantage in the overall standings. Even with the closing stretch consisting of only ovals, a track discipline he has yet to win on, he remains comfortable and eager for the chance to break the goose egg.
“Yeah, I love it,” Palou. “I mean, I would like to have more, probably like three races cushion, but we couldn't really achieve that.
“Yeah, I think it's good. It's not enough, but it could be a lot worse. I'm looking forward. I think that allows us to go aggressive, to just think about the race and not having to think about points and trying to minimize damage or anything like that.
If he outlasts his rivals through the run to the checkered flag in Nashville, Palou will become the first back-to-back IndyCar champion since Dario Franchitti pulled off a three-peat from 2009-11.
“I'm looking forward to it,” Palou added. “It's going to be tough. It seems like a lot, but at the same time it's almost nothing. It's only one race. You just said it. Yeah, hopefully we can pick up a little bit more points during the Milwaukee weekend.”
