{"id":925,"date":"2026-05-20T19:37:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=925"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:37:31","slug":"alex-palous-continued-indycar-domination-draws-more-boos-as-he-chases-a-2nd-straight-indy-500-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=925","title":{"rendered":"Alex Palou\u2019s continued IndyCar domination draws more boos as he chases a 2nd straight Indy 500 crown"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 Alex Palou senses a change among IndyCar fans these days.<\/p>\n

Instead of hearing the warm, roaring cheers like other great IndyCar champions and popular personalities, Palou has started hearing a different chorus from the crowd, boos. No, it\u2019s not an overwhelming sentiment, yet, but the Spaniard got a first-hand glimpse of what could lie ahead during the parade lap of this month\u2019s Indianapolis Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

Read more Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: \u2018This is it\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, the four-time series champion understands why it\u2019s happening \u2014 fans are weary of seeing him reach victory lane race after race \u2014 even though Palou isn\u2019t tired of winning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the first time I heard the boos like from multiple sections and I was like, \u2018All right,\u2019\u201d he said during practice for the sold-out Indianapolis 500. \u201cI think till now, it\u2019s been very friendly and now it\u2019s getting like more toward boos. But I think it\u2019s good, you need to have that. We\u2019re getting booed for being successful and for doing the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quick transition from champion to villain is nothing new in sports.<\/p>\n

Dynasty teams or even top athletes such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson have all experienced \u2014 and embraced \u2014 the boos reserved for only the best of the best. Right now, Palou certainly fits the definition.<\/p>\n

But in the relatively friendly confines of IndyCar racing, he\u2019s a rarity.<\/p>\n

Palou has won three straight series titles and holds a 27-point lead in this year\u2019s standings thanks to three win in the season\u2019s first six races. He owns 11 wins in IndyCar\u2019s last 23 events, and just when it appeared Palou\u2019s success may finally be waning with an unlucky decision relegating him to fifth place in the Indianapolis GP, Palou\u2019s pole-winning qualifying run has made him the betting favorite to win the 500 again.<\/p>\n

For Palou, it\u2019s a strange place to be. Here, in Indianapolis, he\u2019s a big hit on the defending winner\u2019s appearance circuit and many fans clamor for photos with the 2025 Indy champ. At the same time, many others want to see someone else win if only to add some intrigue to the championship chase.<\/p>\n

Yet in many ways, it appears Palou can do no wrong.<\/p>\n

Despite drawing a late spot in the qualifying line on a hot, windy Pole Day and nearly missing the 12-car pole shootout on his first four-lap attempt, Palou somehow surprised himself by delivering on the bold pre-qualifying prediction of Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull by putting his car at the front of Indy\u2019s first row. Palou\u2019s teammates, six-time series champ Scott Dixon and 21-year-old Kyffin Simpson, couldn\u2019t pull that off.<\/p>\n

Dixon, the 2008 Indy winner, is starting 10th. Simpson qualified seventh, the inside of Row 3 and now they, like everyone else are find themselves chasing Palou.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m absolutely, like, \u2018How is he doing that week in, week out?\u2019\u201d 2018 Indy champ Will Power said recently. \u201cWell, it\u2019s one, he\u2019s qualifying well. Two is he executes in the race and three is the pit stops, you know, top notch, there\u2019s no mistakes in there. And he\u2019s fast. So that\u2019s what it takes when you\u2019re driving out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Just how dominant has Palou been lately?<\/p>\n

He has two top-five finishes to his three wins this year, bringing his three-year totals to 14 victories and an additional 17 top fives in 41 races. His remarkable run of success is even more surprising because he\u2019s doing it in a spec series that is supposed to be relatively even.<\/p>\n

Palou didn\u2019t reach this place by happenstance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (the three drivers\u2019 teams) work so well together,\u201d Hull said. \u201cThey help each other. We\u2019re able to map the racetrack pretty quickly as well as collectively. That\u2019s been a big deal for us. That\u2019s always what our culture has emphasized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hull\u2019s comment may explain why Palou and Dixon have combined to win seven of the last 11 series crowns for Ganassi.<\/p>\n

But it doesn\u2019t explain why Palou is so far ahead of teammates such as Dixon, who has spent 5 1\/2 seasons pursuing a record-tying seventh series title only to watch Palou take the crown four times. Only A.J. Foyt has more all-time series championships than Dixon.<\/p>\n

Palou has a difficult time explaining the secret of his success, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just try to prepare as much as I can before going out on the track,\u201d he said. \u201cThen you have a list of things you need to do as a driver, like hitting references or just following the workload the engineer and mechanic have and that keeps you focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Palou\u2019s case, it\u2019s all about being first in practice, qualifying or on race day.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s less concerned with what fans think though he certainly reveled in the warm, post-qualifying celebration fans gave him after winning the pole with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph. Or whether he\u2019ll hear more cheers \u2014 or jeers \u2014 on Sunday if he becomes the seventh driver in race history to win back-to-back 500s.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to win again. Obviously, that\u2019s what they pay us to do as drivers,\u201d Palou said. \u201cWe all need to be fighting for wins and winning things. Getting the first (500 win) is probably the toughest or the thing you chase the most, so I feel a little bit of a relief there. But I still want to win more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Comeback or collapse? Knicks\u2019 Game 1 rally against the Cavaliers was a little bit of both<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP auto racing: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/auto-racing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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