IndyCar Series leader Alex Palou won for the seventh time in the first 12 races of the season, continuing his dominance Sunday at the Farm to Finish 275 in Newton, Iowa.
Palou, who finished fifth on Saturday in the first of two weekend races at Iowa Speedway, also kept himself within range of the all-time record for series victories in a single season. The record is 10 shared by A.J. Foyt (1964) and Al Unser (1970).
Al Unser Jr. also won seven of the first 12 races in 1994 and finished with eight victories that year.
“Speechless, honestly speechless,” Palou said in victory lane. “It’s been an unbelievable day, an unbelievable weekend. More than anything, what an incredible year for us.
“I really cannot believe it, honestly.”
It took a favorable break for Palou to win on Sunday, when he led 194 of the 275 laps — second among the two weekend races to Josef Newgarden’s 232 laps led in Saturday’s race won by Pato O’Ward.
Palou was in third place behind Newgarden and David Malukas, who both came in for fuel under the green flag in the final round of pit stops. Palou, however, stayed out on the track. He was able to come in for service under yellow when Colton Herta made contact with the wall on the backstretch, bringing out the caution flag.
Palou raced the remaining 11 laps to the checked flag. The Indianapolis 500 champion has now completed the INDYCAR cycle, winning races on street circuits, road courses, superspeedways and short ovals such as Iowa Speedway.
Scott Dixon was second, followed by Marcus Armstrong, Malukas and O’Ward. Newgarden faded to 10th place.
Palou is seeking his third straight series title and fourth in five years. He leads the season points standings by 129 over O’Ward.
Driver Nolan Siegel, who qualified fifth for Sunday’s race, was not medically cleared because of a mild concussion sustained in a crash on lap 248 of Saturday’s race.
The Arrow McLaren race team decided not to run the No. 6 Chevrolet on Sunday and said in a statement that Siegel, 20, will continue to be evaluated before the race next weekend in Toronto.
Siegel finished 24th in the first race of the Iowa doubleheader.
–Field Level Media
