Alex Palou returned to the familiar setting of the winner’s circle Sunday, taking the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America by 2.175 seconds for his sixth win in nine races this season Sunday in Elkhart, Wis.
The Spaniard notched his first victory since the Indianapolis 500 and extended his dominant lead in the championship standings to 93 points over Kyle Kirkwood.
Sweden’s Felix Rosenqvist took second, and Santino Ferrucci continued a hot stretch of his own by placing third. Kirkwood and New Zealand’s Marcus Armstrong rounded out the top five.
Palou led for only six of the race’s 55 laps but squeezed out the win on low fuel. He drafted behind fellow Chip Ganassi driver Scott Dixon of New Zealand to save fuel at one point.
Some cars that finished after Palou were running on empty and stalled before completing the cooldown lap.
“It was a crazy race. I had moments I thought we were losing a ton (more) position than we were making,” Palou said. “It was a tough race for everybody, but kudos to the team for the amazing strategy, and Honda, man. HRC being able to give us the fuel mileage we needed at the end to make it.”
Dixon led a race-high 27 laps but was forced to pit with two to go. He slipped to ninth place.
Ferrucci, a Connecticut native, was in a celebratory mood after his fourth straight top-five finish, which included fifth place at the Indianapolis 500 and second at the Detroit Grand Prix.
His car also had a special livery honoring Marlyne Sexton, a longtime team sponsor of A.J. Foyt Enterprises who died June 11 at 86 years old.
“This one goes to Marlyne,” Ferrucci said. “She was riding with us today, I’m very proud and, yeah, this one tastes a little bit sweeter.”
–Field Level Media
