Two sports clichés that are so related and repeated so often are “to be the best, you have to beat the best” and “don’t beat yourself.”
It’s incredible how often in sports players and teams allow the simplest of mistakes to creep in and make their pursuit of victory that much more difficult. The smallest of oversights can put victory out of reach for even the most talented competitors.
Such is the case in racing, particularly in the NTT IndyCar Series. Teams and drivers attempt to cross everything off their pre-race checklists and follow through with their plans, but sometimes, in the heat of battle, errors can make victory impossible, especially against Alex Palou.
Palou has been the best driver in IndyCar racing this year. There’s no doubt about that. But for the rest of the IndyCar field, it can be difficult to remember that Palou is the man to beat instead of each other.
Let’s look at Road America and Sunday’s (June 22) XPEL Grand Prix. No matter how many different cars were in Palou’s path on Sunday, the Spaniard still found his way to victory lane thanks to being on the best strategy in the field and by having a small bit of luck fall his way.
Don’t believe me? Well, let’s look at what happened early in the race between Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood. On the fourth lap, Kirkwood was running fourth ahead of Power in fifth and Palou in sixth as the trio headed to Canada Corner.
Palou went to Power’s outside but Power hit the brakes later than Palou. Kirkwood, sensing Power’s intentions of trying to get fourth place at the same time, gave the 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner space on the inside of the turn.
Power locked up and ran off track at the corner’s exit. Kirkwood slowed down and Palou gained two positions.
Power was so focused on maintaining his position against Palou that he left his braking too late and ended up gaining nothing, while the three-time IndyCar champion ended up looking like the greatest driver racing today.
Because he is.
Fast forward to lap 18 out of 55. Scott McLaughin was ninth ahead of Josef Newgarden, with Palou behind the Penske pair. As the trio headed to turn 5, Newgarden outbraked himself while trying to overtake McLaughlin.
McLaughlin maintained his position over Newgarden, but Palou was now ahead of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. As for McLaughlin, Palou got by him on the outside under braking to Canada Corner to get the other position.
Champions capitalize on their competitors’ mistakes by winning races. Palou did that Sunday, but this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has been watching him recently.
This year at Indianapolis, Marcus Ericsson was leading the race but left the door open in the final 15 laps of the race, allowing the race-winning pass to take place.
Look at Milwaukee last year. Ericsson and Newgarden collide, and Palou just goes right on by.
Part of being a champion is not just performing better than your competition. It’s also about maximizing every opportunity presented in front of you, and Palou has been able to do that en route to several great results.
Other drivers making mistakes only helps Palou and his ability to capitalize on his competitors’ mistakes should have the rest of the field on notice.
The 2025 IndyCar title is nearly out of reach for the rest of the field. That could become a reality by the time the series heads to Laguna Seca at the end of July.
Because Alex Palou is just that damn good.
Christopher DeHarde has covered IndyCar racing and the Road to Indy for various outlets since 2014. In addition to open wheel racing, DeHarde has also covered IMSA and various short track racing events around Indiana. Originally from New Orleans, DeHarde moved to the Indianapolis area in 2017 to further pursue a career as a motorsports writer.