Alex Palou sent a message to his fellow NTT IndyCar Series competitors by winning Sunday’s $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Thermal, Calif.
“Look out, Palou!”
The two-time and reigning IndyCar Series champion started on the pole and led every lap of the two, 10-lap segments to win the 20-lap $1 Million Challenge and collect the $500,000 prize money.
Click here for the full results.
The driver of the No. 10 Honda at Chip Ganassi Racing was never seriously challenged in the first IndyCar Series non-championship race since the Nikon Indy 300 at Surfer’s Paradise, Australia in 2008.
This was also the first IndyCar “All-Star Race” since the Marlboro Challenge at Nazareth Speedway in 1992.
Sunday’s $1 Million Challenge was a “made for TV” event at the picturesque private motorsports club near Palm Springs, Calif. where many of the members are billionaires.
“The car was amazing, the 10 crew and all the Chip Ganassi Racing guys did a fantastic job,” Palou said. “I was surprised in the first 10 laps how everybody saved tires and I liked that.
“I need to buy a lot of diapers (for his baby) with this money and probably do something with these guys on my crew.”
Palou’s team owner, Chip Ganassi, likes winners and he loves Palou after Sunday’s dominant performance.
“Today was like a little Sunday drive out there, all out front by himself,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “He didn’t even break a sweat.
“The entire team performed.”
The driver who put on the best show was Colton Herta of Andretti Global, who intentionally saved his tires during the first 10-lap segment so that he had fresh rubber for the final 10 laps. Herta was up to sixth place after four laps but was struggling with some downforce on his No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
When the checkered flag waved, Palou’s Honda finished a whopping 5.7929 seconds ahead of Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin’s No. 3 Chevrolet.
McLaughlin’s finish was worth $350,000, which surprised the driver who thought it was for $250,000.
“I better put some money up on the bar tonight,” McLaughlin said. “I just didn’t have enough for Alex Palou today. I settled in on my pace and on the start, I went from fourth to second and that set up my race.”
Felix Rosenqvist, winner of heat one, was third in the No. 60 SiriusXM/AutoNation Honda for Meyer Shank Racing.
“Super pleased for the team and I’ve got some cash in my pocket,” Rosenqvist said. “This is a huge statement for us.”
Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda at Andretti Global was fourth followed by CGR’s Marcus Armstrong in the No. 11 Honda.
“I think our strategy worked by saving the tires,” Herta said. “The tire advantage was pretty big, and we were able to pick off those cars out there.
“It’s feast or famine and I was hungry. The Gainbridge Honda ate today.
“It was cool. Marcus Armstrong gave me plenty of racing room and it was fair.”
Linus Lundqvist, a rookie with Chip Ganassi Racing, was sixth followed by Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino.
Rahal Letterman driver Graham Rahal was unable to compete in the final 10 laps because of a mechanical failure in the first segment. Pietro Fittipaldi’s car was disqualified for not having a full tank of fuel in the first 10-lap segment.
First Segment
In the first 10-lap segment, Palou started on the pole and got a great jump at the start but was immediately hounded by Team Penske’s McLaughlin in the 12-car field to the green in the $1 Million Challenge with a purse of $1.756 million.
The format was 20 laps, split into two 10-lap segments. Caution laps did not count around the long, 17-turn, 3.067-mile road course at The Thermal Club in Thermal, California.
Each driver had 40 seconds of “Push to Pass” for each of the two 10-lap segments.
Because each car in the field was allowed just one set of Firestone Firehawk Tires, some drivers decided to manage their tires and save the adhesion for the final 10-laps. That is why Herta was running laps 8-10 seconds slower than Palou.
Fittipaldi’s crew did not get enough fuel in the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, so he had to save fuel during the first 10-lap segment. His teammate, Graham Rahal, reported a sticking throttle.
While Palou was running away from the field, Herta was running as slow as he could to keep his Firestone’s fresh.
Probably the most interesting thing about the first 10-lap segment was how badly Fittipaldi’s team misjudged the fuel in the No. 30. He had to nurse the car around the long road course just to get to the break so more fuel could be added to his Honda.
During the break, Race Control disqualified Fittipaldi for failure to start the race with full fuel.
Add to that Rahal’s stuck throttle, and a promising day for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was turning grim, with the exception of Lundgaard, who was running seventh. He was penalized for getting service to the car during the break and sent to the back of the field, which was now 10 cars instead of 12.
Rahal did not make it to the halftime break and pitted on lap nine, but his crew was not allowed to work on the car, per the rules for this event.
“It was a stuck throttle, felt it on lap three and got to the point where I was having to clutch it in every brake zone,” Rahal said. “It was just too dangerous. It’s a bummer because you are in it for the money.
“But the last 10 laps should be very interesting. We know the deg, the falloff from a cool-off here could be massive on the tires.
“It’s all for the money. You don’t want to collect a bunch of crash damage, but you don’t have anything to lose here. It should be exciting.
“I wish I were in this race.”
After the 10 laps of the first segment were complete, Palou’s Honda was first followed by McLaughlin, Rosenqvist, Armstrong, Newgarden, Lundqvist, Lundgaard, Rossi, Canapino, Herta, Fittipaldi and Rahal.
That set up the final 10-lap “Dash for Cash.”
Unlike the first segment, the final 10 laps were a single-file restart. Palou got away cleanly, but further back in the field, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi engaged in some intense, side-by-side battling.