Alex Palou’s quest to defend his title and achieve his third in four years was ultimately confirmed at the Nashville Speedway, where he was declared the 2024 IndyCar Champion.
The 27-year-old driver from Spain is now the second-youngest to win three titles and the 13th in IndyCar history to achieve that milestone. He joins just six others in winning three titles in four years, the most recent being former Ganassi driver Dario Franchitti from 2009 through 2011.
Let’s break down his 2024 season and see how he managed to achieve this incredible feat.
Two Victories
Palou was right with or above his competitors in his initial two championship seasons when it came to wins. In 2021 Palou secured victories in three races, which placed him in a tie for the series lead, and in 2023 he dominated all competitors securing five.
However, this was different from the situation in 2024 regarding points races only racking up two.
Palou’s first taste of victory this season was in Heat 2 of IndyCar’s failed Thermal Club experiment. Though he showed his dominance, unfortunately, no championship points were awarded.
His initial points-scoring triumph occurred in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. After securing the pole position, one of three he achieved this season, he successfully executed an overcut, surpassing both Christian Lundgaard and Will Power who were running one and two. Once the DHL Honda was in front, the Chip Ganassi driver accelerated away, leaving the competition behind.
The Spaniard’s second victory came at the perfect time. Before the race at Laguna Seca in June, Power led Palou by five points. The pole-to-victory weekend allowed him to take the points lead from Power and he didn’t look back.
Although he did not secure a win in any of the subsequent nine races in 2024, due to his consistency he maintained his position and ultimately triumphed with a greater margin than he had three months prior.
Consistency
Palou’s consistency is a huge part of the reason why has been able to win multiple IndyCar championships since joining Chip Ganassi Racing. In each of his championship-winning seasons, it was rare for him to have a bad race and that trend has continued, a driving force behind him becoming the 2024 IndyCar Champion.
His two victories are fewer than Power’s three, but it’s his remarkable ability to remain competitive that has propelled him to the top of the championship standings. Throughout the season, the 27-year-old established himself as a regular contender in the upper order of the grid.
All 13 top-10 results were incredibly top-five finishes. He took second-place finishes at Iowa, Portland, and Mid-Ohio. P rounded out the Long Beach podium. He took four 4th places and three top-five finishes. On the off chance, Palou does have a bad finish, a 16th in Detroit, 23rd in Iowa, and 19th in Milwaukee, he still manages to find valuable points.
Bad Luck. Good Luck.
Throughout the season, Palou has consistently experienced favorable circumstances, managing to evade crashes, such as the incident in Toronto. However, during the concluding races in Milwaukee and Nashville, fortune played a crucial role in deciding the 2024 IndyCar Champion between Power and Palou.
Ultimately, the misfortunes encountered by both drivers inadvertently benefited Palou.
Palou started the chaotic Milwaukee race with a stall during the pace laps before the 27-car field took the green flag. He managed to join again to try and gain back the positions. The 43-point championship lead he left Saturday’s race with nearly entirely evaporated. Power on the other hand was right at the front of the field after the first of the many cautions in the race.
Nearing the race’s halfway point Palou was trailing Power in ‘points as they run’ by three. But another caution would prove to be costly.
Power spun on the restart but kept his car off the wall, dropping to 10th. Initially up by 5 points, his lead over Palou decreased to 33 points, with Palou only losing 10 points before the Nashville Superspeedway race.
In Nashville, the No.10 Chip Ganassi car received a nine-place grid penalty for an engine change. Palou, who topped practice, faced challenges with average oval speed, qualifying 15th but starting 24th Meanwhile, Power qualified fourth.
Alex Palou — the #IndyCar points leader — just told me he’s got a 9-place grid penalty Sunday for an engine change. This is his thoughts on it. pic.twitter.com/f82MXrYSY7
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) September 13, 2024
On Sunday, Power had an opportunity to take the lead, but he faced more misfortune when his Penske car’s lap belt came undone on the 14th lap. He had to make a quick pit stop under green to have his crew re-buckle him, which left him five laps behind and in last place among the 27 racers at Nashville Superspeedway.
One of the greats?
Team owner Chip Ganassi praised Palou on his success
“He’s in pretty rarefied air right now. His name has to be among and certainly in the conversation of the great drivers. He’s certainly in the conversation of the greatest.”
He is only in his fifth year and already has three championships. There are plenty of opportunities for him to grow, win more championships, and finally get that oval victory.
