Alex Palou is him.
He will continue to be him. He took a DNA test, turns out he’s 100 percent Himalayan. He is the Himulation, Him Kardashian, Himbucktu, Himon and Pumba.
Yeah, you get the gist of it by now.
On Sunday (Sept. 15), the NTT IndyCar Series crowned its newest three-time champion who has only completed his fifth season in the discipline.
Yeah, Palou’s that guy and it’s not even close. Meme culture references aside, let’s look at Palou’s rise to the top of the IndyCar world and how it compares to other legends of the sport.
In 2019, the Spaniard tested an IndyCar for the first time for Dale Coyne Racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after the race weekend concluded. That test was just over two weeks after what might still be Palou’s most impressive win in torrential rain in Super Formula at Fuji Speedway.
After spending a year at Dale Coyne Racing learning the North American tracks, Palou moved to Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 following the departure of Felix Rosenqvist.
In a seat that had seen Tony Kanaan, Ed Jones and Rosenqvist try but fail to recapture the championship-winning magic that Dario Franchitti brought to the No. 10, Palou went out and won in his first race in that car.
Will Power finished second, Scott Dixon finished third. Not a bad podium to be on top of.
In the middle of that season, Palou went on a tear, finishing on the podium in five out of six races en route to winning his first IndyCar title. By that year’s end, Palou had three wins, 10 top-five finishes and 12 top 10s. Conveniently, Colton Herta won the race where Palou clinched his 2021 championship, just like what happened in 2024.
The following season got off to a strong start for Palou, but contract shenanigans soon unraveled in a very public fashion. While Power kept top-fiving his way to the 2022 title, Palou finished fifth in points with only one win, six top fives and 13 top 10s.
The 2023 season was when Palou really showed the world that 2022 was a statistical anomaly. In fact, 2023 might…
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