{"id":50471,"date":"2025-03-22T12:48:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T17:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=50471"},"modified":"2025-03-22T13:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T18:11:17","slug":"palou-continues-early-season-indycar-dominance-during-thermal-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/22\/palou-continues-early-season-indycar-dominance-during-thermal-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Palou continues early-season INDYCAR dominance during Thermal practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio<\/em><\/p>\n

Alex Palou is working on a perfect start to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Alex Palou – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

The three-time\/reigning series champion paced Practice 1 Friday for The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix in the California desert. Winner of the season-opener on the Streets of St. Pete in Florida on March 2, Palou posted a hot lap of 1-minute, 40.5486-seconds\/109.810 mph around Thermal\u2019s 3.067-mile\/17-turn natural terrain road-course.<\/p>\n

\u201cA really good start to the weekend,\u201d said Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get many laps (11) because of some red flags, but the car rolled off really well considering it was very different to last year with different tires and the hybrid unit, and we didn\u2019t test here this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Alex Palou – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

Palou led the 80-minute practice, which featured an open session followed by two group sessions. Recall that Palou won The Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge non-point, exhibition race in 2024 from pole position. Sunday\u2019s 65-lap\/199.36-mile race will count as Round 2 of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really happy,\u201d said Palou, a 27-year-old native of Spain. \u201cThere are some things to work on before we head to Practice 2 (today), but I\u2019m looking forward to a nice weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

P2 is scheduled for 1 p.m. (EDT), followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 5:05 p.m. (both on FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). The race will start at 3 p.m. (EDT) Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app). Audio coverage will be available on SiriusXM Channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA via the INDYCAR Radio Network.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Kirkwood – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

Andretti Global applied what amounted to full-court pressure on Palou, taking the second, third and fourth spots on the speed chart.<\/p>\n

Kyle Kirkwood placed second overall via a top lap of 1:40.6387-seconds\/109.711 mph after nine laps in the No. 27 Chili\u2019s Honda, just 0.0901-seconds behind Palou. Marcus Ericsson of Sweden, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 champion, was third at 1:40.7370-seconds\/109.604 mph in the No. 28 Bryant Honda, followed by Southern California native Colton Herta at 1:40.8439-seconds\/109.488 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.<\/p>\n

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Christian Ramussen – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley<\/p><\/div>\n

Second-year driver Christian Rasmussen of Denmark completed the top-five at 1:40.8728-seconds\/109.457 mph in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Splenda Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

Pato O\u2019Ward was sixth overall after a best lap of 1:40.9092-seconds\/109.417 mph in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. O\u2019Ward logged 13 laps on a surface he termed \u201ca cheese-grater\u201d for Firestone\u2019s Firehawk tire compounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, the common denominator is that the deg (tire degradation) is going to be big,\u201d said O\u2019Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio. \u201cI would see it like an Iowa (Speedway) _ like an old Iowa kind of thing, I would say, but\u2026hard to pinpoint it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Scott McLaughlin – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by James Black<\/p><\/div>\n

Native New Zealander Scott McLaughlin _ seventh at 1:40.9112-seconds\/109.415 mph in the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet _ compared Thermal\u2019s surface to \u201cthe old Laguna Seca\u201d in Northern California. \u201cQuite a high-deg track,\u201d said McLaughlin, who recorded 12 laps. \u201cWe’ll probably play that patience game a little bit.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraditionally, last year was hard because we ran the same set of tires over two (exhibition) races almost, so you were kind of saving the tire for the first half and then making sure that you had enough if there was a late yellow. But this year, obviously, with pit stops and stuff\u2026I think with the tire degradation it’ll create opportunities that you may not normally pass someone on the same speed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Devlin DeFrancesco and Louis Foster – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Paul Hurley<\/p><\/div>\n

Louis Foster was the quickest rookie in eighth overall after lapping at 1:41.1388-seconds\/109.169 mph in the No. 45 Mi-Jack Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster, of Great Britain, completed 12 laps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we rolled off the truck pretty well; I\u2019m pretty happy with the car,\u201d said Foster, the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone champion. \u201cI made some mistakes on my lap in that (last) session, but I think overall in lap time P8 on the combined sheet. The track is very dusty, which is going to play a big factor into this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Santino Ferrucci – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

Santino Ferrucci was 11th<\/sup> at 1:41.3963-seconds\/108.892 mph in the No. 14 Sexton Properties Chevrolet fielded by Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been struggling with understeer,\u201d said Ferrucci, a resident of Dallas. \u201cIt\u2019s a common thread with this car just with the way we\u2019re going with the weight and everything. You\u2019ve got to learn how to adapt. That\u2019s a part of being a race car driver. So we upped the caster. Give it some more steering weight. Give it some more mid-corner, hopefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe (tire) deg here is going be pretty awesome. I think Firestone has brought us a great tire to run. It\u2019ll be a fun strategy race.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Josef Newgarden – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by James Black<\/p><\/div>\n

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden wound up 18th<\/sup> on the 27-car chart at 1:41.7651-seconds\/108.497 mph in the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden completed only seven laps and added to the tire deg conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019re going to get big degradation,\u201d said Newgarden, the two-time\/reigning Indy 500 champion. \u201cThis is like old school Laguna before the repave a couple of years ago, which is very fun. I know most drivers, including myself, really enjoyed that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the tires are acting differently here than they did in St. Pete. We\u2019re back on a road-course but this exhibits street-course characteristics, if you will. What I mean by this is the red (alternate tires) may be more preferred, so the alternate compared to St. Pete where we really liked the primary (hard compound). I think that\u2019s going to be question mark is what we\u2019re going to use more often this weekend.<\/p>\n

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Josef Newgarden – The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix – Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cBut degradation is definitely going to be the topic. It\u2019s how well does the car look after things, where do you start, what\u2019s the undercut situation, in-and-out laps. That\u2019s where you\u2019re going to win or lose this race, just like where Laguna used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

As noted by Palou, track time was limited due primarily to one significant incident. Rookie Robert Shwartzman was forced to stop on-track just past Turn 6 when a fire erupted in the rear of his No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet. Shwartzman quickly exited the car and was uninjured.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my side, from the cockpit, I was driving and immediately lost power, then I had a fuel alarm pop up,\u201d said Shwartzman, a 25-year-old Russian-Israeli. \u201cI was like ‘OK, something is wrong.\u2019 Then all of a sudden the car restarted. It brought back the engine power and I thought maybe everything was fine. I just started going slowly, taking it easy, then at some point I heard a hit, like a pop. Then immediately I felt the seat heating up and I looked in the mirror and saw smoke and fire coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped the car and jumped out. From the outside, it didn\u2019t look that bad, at least the fire was not massive. It was good the (AMR Safety Crew) guys were quick to operate to save the car, so hopefully it\u2019s not big damage and that we can rebuild the car. It\u2019s not helpful, this situation, because it\u2019s the second race weekend we have another problem that\u2019s compromising our driving time. It happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat can I do about it? It\u2019s going to be my job to do the best job possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

INDYCAR officially will move to its new <\/strong>North Texas venue in mid-March 2026.<\/p>\n

The INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington is scheduled for March 13-15, 2026, with practice and qualifications set for Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, respectively. Race day is Sunday, March 15, with broadcast coverage provided by the FOX network.<\/p>\n

Tickets for the inaugural NTT IndyCar Series weekend featuring a first-of-its-kind joint venture among Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment _ official sports and entertainment partner of the Texas Rangers _ will go on sale later this year. Fans can sign up for early access to the on-sale information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington is definitely circled on the calendar,\u201d said Pato O\u2019Ward, lead driver of Arrow McLaren. \u201cTexans love racing, and they love big events. So, this is going to be mega. Hopefully, it will set the new standard for a street circuit race in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n

INDYCAR _ governing body for North America\u2019s premier open-wheel series and part of the Penske Entertainment family _ previously competed in the Metroplex on Texas Motor Speedway\u2019s high-banked\/1.5-mile oval in Fort Worth from 1997 to 2023.<\/p>\n

The 2.73-mile\/14-turn layout in Arlington will encompass three iconic sporting venues recognized by fans around the world _ AT&T Stadium, home of the National Football League\u2019s Dallas Cowboys; Globe Life Field, home of Major League Baseball\u2019s Texas Rangers and Choctaw Stadium, former home of the Rangers. The track will weave through Arlington\u2019s core sports and entertainment district, which boats a lineup of events and venues and annually sells several million tickets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who calls this area \u2018home,\u2019 I\u2019m super-excited to see the NTT IndyCar Series coming to DFW,\u201d said A.J. Foyt Racing\u2019s Santino Ferrucci, a Dallas-area resident. \u201cThe course layout is really unique and will let us reach top speeds, making the racing incredibly exciting for all the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _<\/strong> 1, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 51; 2, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 41; 3, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, (tie) Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 36; 5, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 30; 6, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 28; 7, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 26; 8, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 25; 9, Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne Racing, 22; 10, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 20; 11, Pato O\u2019Ward, Arrow McLaren, 19; 12, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 18; 13, David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Racing, 17; 14, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 16; 15, Colton Herta, Andretti Global, (tie) Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 15; 17, Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 13; 18, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 12; 19, Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, 11; 20, Robert Shwartzman, Prema Racing, 10; 21, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 9; 22, Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 8;  23, Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne Racing, (tie) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 7;  25, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, (tie) Will Power, Team Penske, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 5.<\/p>\n

FOX SPORTS\u2019 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST COVERAGE SCHEDULE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, March 2 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/p>\n

Sunday, March 23 _The Thermal Club, Thermal, Calif.  (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, April 13 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif. (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, May 4 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala. (FOX, 1:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Saturday, May 10 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course (FOX, 4:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, May 25 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval (FOX, 10 a.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, June 1 _ Streets of Detroit (FOX, 12:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, June 15 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, June 22 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (FOX, 3:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 6 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Saturday, July 12 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 1 (FOX, 5 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 13 _ Iowa Speedway, Newton, Race 2 (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 20 _ Streets of Toronto, Canada (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, July 27 _ WeatherTech Raceway, Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 10 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (FOX, 3 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 24 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis. (FOX, 2 p.m.)<\/p>\n

Sunday, Aug. 31 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn. (2:30 p.m.)<\/p>\n

NOTE _ All times Eastern. Dates and times subject to change.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Alex Palou is working on a perfect start to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. The three-time\/reigning series champion paced Practice 1 Friday for The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix in the California desert. Winner of the season-opener on the Streets of St. Pete in Florida on March 2, Palou […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":678,"featured_media":50474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[824,22,672,907],"class_list":["post-50471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indycar","tag-alex-palou","tag-indycar","tag-ntt-indycar-series","tag-the-thermal-club"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Alex-Palou-The-Thermal-Club-INDYCAR-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m123917.jpg?fit=1080%2C720","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-d83","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50471"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50473,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50471\/revisions\/50473"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}