By INDYCAR
INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou capped a perfect start to the Month of May by winning the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday from the pole on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Two-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 6.6106-second victory over the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet of fellow two-time series champion Will Power. It was his second consecutive win in this event on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at IMS, which leads into the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on the 2.5-mile oval.
SEE: Race Results
“It was an amazing win,” Palou said. “It’s great to be back-to-back from last year, and we’re going to continue this May. A win helps a lot, especially if it’s a pole and a win and the way we won it. We’re going to celebrate, for sure, but we’re going to switch this afternoon our focus to the big one.”
Practice for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts Tuesday, with PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying next Saturday and Sunday. Race Day is Sunday, May 26.
Spaniard Palou earned his 10th career victory and first points-paying victory of the season, as he also won the non-points The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge in March. He also took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead by 12 points over Power, who finished second for the third time in four races this season.
“It’s what was available to us,” Power said of the runner-up finish. “Yeah, you do get sick of finishing second. Oh, my God. You’re just racing very tough people, and if you’re not exactly perfect, you won’t win. I wasn’t exactly perfect in qualifying, and I didn’t win.”
Christian Lundgaard took the lead from Palou on Lap 1 of the 85-lap race but ended up third in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for his best finish this season.
“We needed a little luck today,” Lundgaard said. “I think we did everything we could in the first two stints to make sure the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda had a shot. Palou really deserved it today.”
Chip Ganassi Racing took three of the top five spots, as six-time series champion Scott Dixon finished fourth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Marcus Armstrong was fifth in the No. 11 IU Simon Cancer Center Honda. The Ganassi team has won the last three road races at IMS, as Palou repeated as winner of this event and…
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