Alex Palou earned his second win of the season in this weekend’s IndyCar race from Road America, retaking the points lead in the process.
The young Spaniard started in fifth and had a quick call all day, staying within shouting distance of Josef Newgarden at all times.
When the green flags waved for the final restart with only two laps to go, Palou knew that it was time to make his move.
The turn 1 pass for the lead was assisted by a failing gearbox on the part of the Team Penske machine in front of him, but Palou knew that he was quicker and could have taken the lead on one of the circuit’s long straights.
“Today we started struggling compared to Josef [Newgarden],” said the 24-year-old. “He was flying.
“But by the end I was able to be there with him, so I think we had the faster car at the end.
“I knew we were a bit faster than him on the straights, so our team did an amazing job and at the end we took it before Turn 1.
“I knew I could pass him either in Turn 1 or before Turn 12. I thought that was my chance because it’s a really long straight and I could get a big tow.
“I had a bit less Push-to-Pass than him so that was going to make our race a bit more difficult to battle, but I knew we had a good car.
“I think HPD did an amazing job for this weekend, and the car was good.”
With the win, Palou moves 28 points ahead of Pato O’Ward in the standings, placing him in prime position to begin thinking about the championship.
The next race takes place in two weeks’ time from Palou’s self-described second favorite track, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course.
