WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca remains Alex Palou’s best track, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ champion designation almost certainly will stay with him as well.
The driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda proved both with a dominating drive in the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey. He won on the California road course for the second consecutive year – again from the pole – and scored his third win here in the past four years.
Palou has just as much command of the season standings, where gaining the maximum number of points for the weekend, along with the fourth-place finish of Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, pushed his lead to a whopping 121 points.
Palou still has work to do to clinch his third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years, but that effort is minimal. Effectively, O’Ward will need to win the remaining three races for Palou to be threatened.
This win gave Palou his eighth win in 14 races this season. Only three drivers in the sport’s history – A.J. Foyt in 1964, Al Unser in 1970 and Mario Andretti in 1969 – have won more races in a season. Foyt and Unser hold the record with 10. Andretti had nine. Palou is one of five drivers with eight wins and is the first to do so since Sebastien Bourdais in 2007.
The win was the 19th of Palou’s still-young career – he has made just 95 starts. Only 23 drivers have ever been to victory lane as often in open-wheel racing.
Palou relinquished the lead only to pit. Interestingly, the top spot the first time went to Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel, who led the first series laps of his career. Team Penske’s Will Power grabbed the lead when Palou stopped a second time, but he gave it up on the next circuit, restoring order to Palou’s race.
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard finished second with Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian third. The two had a memorable moment mid-race when Lundgaard muscled his way to the inside of Herta in the track’s final corner.
There were two incidents on the opening lap. First, a tussle between Conor Daly and rookie Robert Shwartman said the latter shoved off into the Turn 3 gravel pit. Three corners later, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson ran into the back of Felix Rosenqvist, knocking the Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian driver through the gravel and against the tire barrier. Simpson ricocheted off the wall, sending his car into another part of the tires.
On Lap 11, Dale Coyne Racing rookie Jacob Abel appeared to have a mechanical failure as the car completely missed Turn 1 and sailed into the gravel. Later, Kirkwood ran into the back of Dale Coyne Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, drawing the penalty that effectively ended his championship hopes.
The two late caution periods were the result of the Turn 6 off by Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson and AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci spinning at the top of the Corkscrew.
After five races over four July weekends, the series will take a short break before resuming the pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup. The first of three races to end the season will be the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 10 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.