Palou crushes the field at Barber to tighten grip on IndyCar title

Alex Palou extended his grip on the 2025 IndyCar championship with a dominant lights-to-flag victory in the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Chip Ganassi Racing star continued his sensational form with a commanding performance in Alabama, leading 81 of the 90 laps and cruising to a 16-second win over Christian Lundgaard. 

This marked Palou’s third victory in four races and his 14th career IndyCar triumph — fittingly coming at the track where he celebrated his maiden win in 2021.

“It was a perfect day, a perfect weekend,” Palou said. “The car was amazing, super fast. I had a ton of fun. I was a bit lonely there, but I loved it. It was an amazing day.”

The race, run entirely under green for the third time this season, allowed Palou to showcase his pure pace and strategic mastery. 

His No. 10 Honda remained untouchable throughout three flawless pit stops, and he ended the day with 63 seconds of unused push-to-pass — a testament to his control and efficiency.

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Barber brilliance pushes Palou clear in IndyCar standings

Behind Palou, Lundgaard secured his first podium of the season with Arrow McLaren, while Scott McLaughlin took third for Team Penske. 

The New Zealander, who had won the previous two races at Barber, praised Palou’s execution: “When the guy is on top of his game, you just do the best you can… If he keeps executing like this, all we can do is execute as well.”

Rinus VeeKay impressed for Dale Coyne Racing, finishing fourth in what is shaping up to be the team’s best season since 2020. Will Power rounded out the top five for Penske, his third consecutive top-six finish.

Further down the field, tire strategy played a key role. Several drivers, including Alexander Rossi and Christian Rasmussen, gambled on saving the harder primary tire for their final stint — a move that didn’t pay off. 

“It’s horrible,” said Rossi. “At the end, it was a lot of work to keep Nolan [Siegel] and Joseph [Newgarden] behind there.”

As the series heads into the crucial Month of May, Palou leads the standings with 169 points, 60 clear of Lundgaard in second. He also passed the milestone of 1,000 career laps led — achieving the feat faster than his six-time champion teammate Scott Dixon.

The championship momentum is firmly in Palou’s corner heading into the Sonsio Grand Prix on May 10 and the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, where the Spaniard will aim to capture his first victory in the iconic event.

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix 2025 Results