IndyCar’s Alex Palou Wins Race, Championship; Will Remain At Chip Ganassi

Just call him “Alex The Great.”

There is still one race remaining in the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season, but all the questions involving Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing were answered in Sunday’s Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland.

In one afternoon, the talented driver from Spain won the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland, clinched the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Championship, and was confirmed to remain with the team for the next several seasons by team owner Chip Ganassi.

Oh, by the way, he also announced that his wife, Esther, is expecting the couple’s first child in November.

He secured his second IndyCar Series championship by leading 69 laps in the 110-lap race at Portland International Raceway and defeating Arrow McLaren’s Felix Rosenqvist by 5.4353 seconds/.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon finished third and was the final driver eliminated from the championship with one race remaining. He is assured of finishing second in the championship, giving Chip Ganassi Racing it’s third 1-2 sweep in the standings.

The others were Alex Zanardi over Jimmy Vasser in 1998 and Dario Franchitti over Dixon in 2009.

Palou takes a 91-point lead into the final race of the season at WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca, but with a maximum of 54 points in each IndyCar race, nobody can catch the 2021 IndyCar Series champion, who is now a two-time IndyCar Series champ.

Palou is the first driver to clinch the championship before the final race of the season since Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car Series title in 2007 and Dan Wheldon won the IndyCar title in 2005.

Bourdais clinched the title in the Lexmark 300 at Surfer’s Paradise, Australia on October 21, 2007, with one race left in the season. Wheldon cliched the 2005 IndyCar championship by completing a single practice lap at the next to last race of the season at Watkins Glen International. He would go on to finish fifth in the race, sixth in the season finale at California Speedway and won a series high six races that season.

The last driver to clinch at IndyCar championship before the final race of the season in a combined series was Al Unser, Jr. in the 1994 CART season. Unser won eight of the 16 races that season and Team Penske won 12 of the 16 races on the schedule. Unser clinched it with two to go at Road America.

It’s Chip Ganassi Racing’s 15th IndyCar title, and 22nd all-time as organization.

The team has won three of the past four IndyCar championships and has won 10 championships since series reunification in 2008 (10 of 16 seasons).

“He is certainly special,” team owner Chip Ganassi said afterward. “We noticed that his first weekend, his first race win at Barber. We knew the guy was special. He’s part of our team. We couldn’t be happier about that.

“He told me (before the race) I’m going to wrap it up with a win. I said OK, great. He called his shot today.”

Ganassi also confirmed that Palou will be back on the team beginning in 2024.

“Alex Palou is going to be in our car, I can tell you that,” Ganassi said. “Sure.”

Palou was asked about the team owner’s confirmation and said he is ready to defend the championship with the team.

“It’s not going to be easy, honestly,” Palou said. “There is a lot of work behind. It’s really tough. We struggled last year after winning the title in 2021. Just because we won this year doesn’t mean we will continue that form.

“We will have to work very hard to defend this championship with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2024.”

It is another chapter in a crazy 14 months that began in July 2022 when Palou announced he had signed a contract with McLaren and would join that team in 2023 – either in IndyCar or Formula One.

Ganassi objected, saying he had a signed contract and was picking up his option year in 2023. Palou appeared determined to leave for McLaren, but Ganassi took legal action.

A federal mediator ruled last October that Palou could only compete for Ganassi in 2023, but he could also serve as McLaren’s Formula One test driver when there was an opening in his schedule.

Palou was off to a fantastic start to the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season and when he won the July 2 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, he had won a stretch of four of five IndyCar Series races and had taken firm control of the championship.

At Iowa Speedway in July, word began to circulate that Palou was open to staying with Ganassi.

Palou delivered the big news when he notified McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown on August 11 that he would not join the operation next season. It was shocking news, especially after Brown sent a letter to employees at both the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team and the McLaren Formula One team.

Palou, though, refused to confirm that he was returning to Chip Ganassi Racing, although it was obvious that was his intention.

I spoke to Ganassi on Saturday, September 2 and asked about Palou for a story I did for NBCSports.com.

Ganassi’s answer was very revealing.

“The guy has shown he has the talent,” Ganassi told me for the NBC Sports story. “The guy has been under contract with us for three years and probably for three more, or so.”

Sunday afternoon as Palou celebrated both the race victory and the championship in victory lane at Portland International Raceway, Ganassi made it official.

That creates some exciting prospects for the talented driver with the elite IndyCar Series team.

“If Alex Palou chooses to stay with us for a long period of time, he very well could break every record that Scott Dixon as set because Scott Dixon has proven is loyalty with a good team helps you win races,” Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull told me in the story I did for NBC Sports. “We don’t give up on each other. We support each other give everybody what they need to create the foundation to win.

“You don’t give up. You push hard for each other, and you support each other.

“That is what Chip did with Alex.”

With the championship secured, Palou said he will use Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca to try out some new things for next season as a head start to the 2024 season.

The team also has a test day at Laguna Seca on Wednesday, September 13.

“We have a test day, and we will start preparing our 2024 season testing with some crazy stuff that we have in mind and get the most of it,” Palou said. “It will be very beneficial to get ahead of the work in store for us.”

By winning Sunday’s race, Palou has the most victories of any driver in 2023 with five wins. He was tied with Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden with four.

“That’s amazing,” Palou said. “It’s super hard. It’s hard to get wins in IndyCar. I just cannot believe we got five this year. It’s amazing. I know we have been really consistent throughout the year, but I didn’t want to win the championship in 2021 only through consistency. I wanted to show we were capable of winning races – not only one or two, but five.

“That’s a phenomenal number.”

Another phenomenal number is Palou has finished every race this season in the top eight. He hasn’t had a bad race in 2023.

“It has been an amazing year and I hope we can continue the form next year,” Palou said.

With a series-high fifth victory, a second IndyCar Series championship, a firm commitment to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing into the future, and a baby on the way, it’s great to be Alex Palou.

Make that, “Alex The Great.”