NTT IndyCar Series competitors entered the new season with high hopes of outrunning four-time series champion Alex Palou, who won eight of 17 races last year.
They had no such luck as Palou drove his Chip Ganassi Racing Indy car to a dominant victory in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Pit strategy allowed Palou to get the lead for the first time on lap 42 and once out front, the Spanish driver showed the same kind of dominance Indy car fans saw throughout the 2025 campaign.
Palou ended up leading 59 of the 100 laps and beating polesitter Scott McLaughlin to the checkered flag by a whopping 12.49 seconds. It as Palou’s 20th IndyCar victory in his 99th career start.
