NEWTON, Iowa — Alex Palou continues to take pleasure in great fortune, scoring his seventh IndyCar Collection victory of the season in Sunday’s Farm to End 275 at Iowa Speedway.
It additionally included dangerous timing for Staff Penske’s Josef Newgarden, who pitted underneath inexperienced twice simply earlier than two cautions, dooming his bid at victory.
It was Palou’s first victory on a brief oval and strikes him even nearer to successful the NTT IndyCar Collection Championship.
The motive force from Barcelona, Spain, has now gained a race on each kind of circuit on the NTT IndyCar Collection schedule together with avenue course, street course, Speedway and quick oval.
“I’m formally an IndyCar driver now, lastly,” Palou stated. “It feels nice. It feels superb.
“It’s robust. That’s why it’s so enjoyable, the totally different challenges, the totally different tracks. It’s tremendous enjoyable. It retains you awake and having to push each single weekend.
“To have the ability to get our first quick oval win right here. It’s an excellent nice day. It’s tremendous enjoyable.”
It was additionally his seventh win of the season, the seventeenth of his IndyCar Collection profession and provides him a 129-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, who completed fifth within the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Palou’s seven wins are essentially the most for an IndyCar driver since Sebastien Bourdais gained eight occasions in 2007. It’s additionally the perfect 12-race begin to a second since Al Unser, Jr. gained eight of the primary 12 races in 1994.
Palou led 194 of the 275 laps.
Palou defeated teammate Scott Dixon by 0.532 seconds. Marcus Armstrong of Meyer-Shank Racing was third as Honda swept the rostrum.
“It was an fascinating weekend for us,” Dixon stated. “Lots of automobiles weren’t working properly on the excessive line however in the present day we threw the kitchen sink at it.
“As soon as we acquired it dialed in, it was fairly good.
“Immediately, it was about caching the warning and going so long as doable. I feel we labored on the automobile all day, but it surely fairly good and one other stint, we might have had a run on the ten.
“However congrats to Alex, he’s having an enormous 12 months.
“Something they just do roll their method. They’re simply doing a greater job than everybody else.”
David Malukas was fourth in a Chevrolet.
The race included main put on on the Firestone Tires because the twine was seen on outdated tires eliminated throughout late-race pit stops.
Newgarden completed tenth after he was caught not as soon as however twice by making a pit cease simply earlier than a warning interval.
Newgarden, who had an ill-timed pit cease earlier within the race that despatched him out of the highest 10, had battled again to 3rd place on Lap 225. However he was 3 seconds behind the entrance tandem of chief Palou and second-place Malukas.
Newgarden closed the hole to underneath one second on the lead with 43 laps left. He handed Malukas for second place with 40 to go and pulled as much as the rear of Palou’s Honda.
With 35 to go, Newgarden dove low on the entrance straight and handed Palou to take the lead.
However he had yet another pit cease to go and got here down pit lane on Lap 248 for one final cease. It was new tires and a splash of gasoline, placing Palou again within the lead.
There was a bobble and a sluggish getaway for Newgarden adopted by Colton Herta’s front-right tire failing and the No. 26 Honda hitting the wall for one more yellow.
“This Honda stuff is a joke,” Malukas radioed to his workforce. “Each Honda blocks you want loopy.”
For the second time within the race, Newgarden was the sufferer of horrible timing within the pits simply earlier than warning.
That was a serious benefit for the Honda groups, who waited to pit with 19 to go in the course of the warning interval, giving them a serious benefit.
Palou was the chief when the inexperienced flag waved with 12 laps remaining adopted by Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstong.
He sailed to victory for the seventh time in 2025.
Shortly after 12 midday Central Time, the inexperienced flag waved to start out the race. And it didn’t take lengthy for the yellow flag to wave when Scott McLaughlin of Staff Penske and Devlin DeFrancesco of Rahal Letterman Lanigan crashed in the back of the pack in Flip 4.
It wasn’t any higher for teammate Will Energy, who dropped out of the race on Lap 21.
“It was an engine concern in the course of the race and made the choice to retire the automobile as a precaution to keep away from additional injury,” stated Chevrolet Motorsports IndyCar Program Supervisor Andrew Schutter. “We’ll conduct a full inspection to higher perceive the trigger and see what we are able to be taught transferring ahead.”
Sting Ray Robb had a big impact on Lap 50 when he slammed exhausting into the Flip 2 wall.
Palou was the chief on the restart on Lap 64 however one-lap later, Newgarden handed him for the lead.
On Lap 100, Newgarden led Palou by 1.3585 seconds. The highest 5 have been Newgarden, Palou, Malukas, O’Ward and Rosenqvist. By Lap 120, Newgarden constructed a 3.4314-second lead.
Regardless of a vibration, Malukas went side-by-side with Palou in a battle for second place on Lap 120, creating some thrilling wheel-to-wheel motion.
Newgarden’s lead was 4.0633 seconds on Lap 125 and Newgarden pitted on Lap 130.
Marcus Ericsson crashed on Lap 131 because the No. 28 Andretti World Honda hit the Flip 4 wall, drifted throughout the observe and slid via the trioval grass.
That was dangerous information for Newgarden, who had simply pitted earlier than the yellow mild got here on. Due to that, it was a serious drawback for the Staff Penske driver as a result of all different automobiles on observe might pit underneath yellow and Newgarden was on the tail-end of the lead lap.
The restart was on Lap 143 and Palou was the chief forward of Malukas. Two laps later, Herta brushed the wall in Flip 2 and Herta radioed to his workforce he had an enormous vibration.
Newgarden restarted in eleventh place after falling sufferer to dangerous timing by pitting simply earlier than the yellow flag waved.
Callum Ilott crashed for the second day in a row, this time within the Flip 4 SAFER Barrier on Lap 177.
That arrange a strategic resolution for groups who have been on the sting of the gasoline window. Groups up and down pit street have been arrange for pit stops, ready for pit street to open.
The pits opened on Lap 184 and almost each automobile made pit stops. Palou was the chief on the time and was first off pit street.
Newgarden made up a few of his misplaced positions as he was eighth after pit stops.
Kirkwood, nonetheless, didn’t cease and was scored because the chief forward of Palou and Malukas. Kirkwood final pitted on Lap 148.
The inexperienced flag waved on Lap 191, and it didn’t take Palou lengthy to race previous Kirkwood and regain the lead. The 2 engaged in a side-by-side battle for 3 laps earlier than Palou took the benefit on Lap 194.
One lap later, Malukas handed Kirkwood for second place.
On lap 197, Marcus Armstrong clipped Scott Dixon’s entrance wing, breaking the wing on the No. 9 Honda. It should not have affected Dixon’s efficiency, as he went on to complete second.
At Lap 200, Palou led Malukas by 0.3836-of-a-second.
Santino Ferrucci and Colton Herta banged wheels and that ship Herta’s Honda up the observe however didn’t make contact with the wall.
Malukas started to reel in Palou, organising a battle for the win over the ultimate 64 laps.
