Alex Palou. You may have heard of him. 3 time INDYCAR Champion, including Champion 2 years running. 15 race wins, dozens of podiums, tons of achievements. He's on a meteoric rise to legendary status, and currently stares down the barrel of a 4th Championship, and 3rd in a row. However, one achievement still haunts the superstar - he has yet to win the Indianapolis 500.
In the world of INDYCAR, the Indy 500 is immortality. It is THE jewel of the sport, the event that, to some, holds more weight than even the INDYCAR Championship itself. All of the greats of the sport have won it, including AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, and Scott Dixon. It's the playground of champions.
For Palou, winning or not winning this race could be the difference between him being placed alongside Foyt and Dixon and Andretti or remaining on the outside of the conversation. It's a legacy defining race for him.
Alex may not have a better chance than this year to get that illusive Indy 500 victory, which would also be his first career victory on an oval track. He has been untouchable this season, winning 4 of the first 5 races and collecting finishes of 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st. Unstoppable form and a 97 point lead in the Driver's Championship entering the Indy 500 speedweeks, Palou has taken his performance to stratospheric heights. Nobody has been able to match him on outright pace this year.
In Indy speedweeks itself, the 10 team has brought a rocket to the racetrack. Palou has topped nearly every practice and testing session this month, and, despite missing out on pole, is believed to have the best car out of anyone. Palou is the favorite to win the race heading in, but can he get the job done?
Palou has a strong record in the Indy 500, with multiple top 10s and lots of laps led, but he still has yet to be in position to win the race in the closing stages. The closest he got was in 2021, where he came up just short to Helio Castroneves. In 2023, he had the best car as well, but a pit road incident with Rinus Veekay took him out of contention. Palou in 2025 will be entering with aggression, ferocity, and precision. He knows that this is his year, and he's itted that his career will be rendered incomplete if he cannot win the 500.
What will this do for Palou if he wins the Indy 500? It almost certainly rockets him up the all time leaderboard in of greatest drivers of all time. He continues to rack up wins and championships, a 500, or even multiple 500s will put him in conversations as THE greatest driver of all time. It will be an exclamation point on an era of dominance and perfection unlike ever seen before. If he were to do it this year, it would almost completely secure his 4th Championship as he would likely increase his points lead north of 100.
Alex Palou is gonna leave everything on the table this Sunday. With as big of a points lead as he has currently, he's going to take maximum risk, he will drive like he has absolutely nothing to lose. We're going to see a completely different animal compared to previous years.
Do you think Alex Palou has what it takes to win the Indy 500 this year, or any year? What will it do for his legacy? Would it cement him as a contender for the greatest driver in the history of INDYCAR?
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