Palou Wins at Monterey and Takes the Lead

Alex Palou reaffirmed his dominance at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca by winning the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey. With this victory, Palou secured his second win of the season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and took the lead in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. The driver, who started from the pole, beat Colton Herta by 1.9780 seconds.

Palou has shown consistent performance at this circuit, with wins in 2022 and 2024, as well as finishing second in 2021 and third in 2023. Alexander Rossi achieved his best result of the season by finishing third, followed by Romain Grosjean and Kyle Kirkwood.

Palou's victory gave him a 23-point lead over Will Power in the overall standings. Power, who led before the race, finished seventh.

The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey featured various tire and fuel strategies among the teams. Some drivers opted for primary tires, while others chose the alternate Firestone Firehawk tires. This strategic diversity became evident from lap 36 when Luca Ghiotto went off track, triggering the first of five caution periods.

During the incident, Rossi was leading and several drivers, including Herta and Dixon, pitted. However, Palou decided to stay out, a decision he discussed with his strategist Barry Wanser. This choice allowed Palou to lead until his second pit stop on lap 56.

In the last 20 laps, Palou faced several restarts due to on-track incidents. Despite the pressure, he managed to maintain his lead and secure the victory. His performance during the restarts was key to distancing himself from Herta and the rest of the field.

The next race in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 7, where the new hybrid power unit will make its debut.