Alex Palou answered the IndyCar field’s big question—how to stop the two-time champ—with a surgical strike at St. Petersburg. The Spaniard wheeled his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.8669-second win in the Firestone Grand Prix, outfoxing traffic and teammate Scott Dixon, who ran the final 90 laps radio-silent in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda for second. “What an amazing job by everybody,” Palou said. “They gave me everything we needed this weekend to win. I told you yesterday we had a really, really fast car. Our strategy changed a lot during that first yellow, but I’m so glad we got that No. 10 in Victory Lane. It’s been 138 days since Nashville (2024 season finale), and I’ve been dreaming about this every single night.”
Starting eighth, Palou nabbed his 12th career win, Ganassi’s first 1-2 since Mid-Ohio 2023. Lap 3’s lone caution flipped the script—Palou, Dixon, and Josef Newgarden ditched the grippy Firestone alternates for primaries, banking on long stints. Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin led 40 of 100 laps in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet but faded to fourth. Palou seized control on lap 75 when Felix Rosenqvist pitted his No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, Meyer Shank’s last gasp after a Fast Six lockout.
Dixon’s radio died early, leaving him blind. “We were just kind of flying blind out there,” he said. “Ultimately, I think they were trying to call me in because on that last lap we had before we pitted, there was just so much traffic, and we lost two or three seconds. That’s where the 10 car got us.” Palou pounced, pitting lap 72 with a blistering out-lap. “I think he (Dixon) got trapped in traffic a little bit,” Palou said. “That’s why the 10 stand decided to pit a little bit early. We had a really clean out lap, could run fast and just opened a gap from there.” Dixon stopped a lap later, exiting behind Palou’s charge.
Newgarden’s No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet led mid-race but hit pit-cycle snags. “I felt like our car today certainly was capable of winning,” he said. “Just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. Pit cycles, obviously, we needed to go longer, and we had a shift at the end that we didn’t realize, so we kind of had to give up that second place.” Palou stretched a 4.502-second lead over Newgarden by lap 75, only for Sting Ray Robb’s No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet to clog the lane. Newgarden slashed it to 0.8186 by lap 95, Dixon lurking. Lap 96, Palou lapped Robb at Turn 1, scattering the fight—1.6938 seconds clear by lap 99, clinching it as Dixon nipped Newgarden at Turn 10.
Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Chili’s Honda took fifth, Pato O’Ward climbed from 23rd to 11th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Palou’s title march rolls to Thermal, March 23.
Top 10 – Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
- Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
- Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) +2.8669
- Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) +3.1478
- Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet) +5.3921
- Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Chili’s Honda, Andretti Global) +7.8904
- Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda, Meyer Shank Racing) +10.2345
- Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, Andretti Global) +12.5678
- Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) +15.9012
- Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda, Meyer Shank Racing) +18.3456
- Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) +20.7890
