DETROIT – Alex Palou’s dominant run through the last 4 weeks of the IndyCar calendar continued Sunday on the streets of Detroit.
After protecting his 2nd successive pole and his first-ever on an IndyCar street course, the Chip Ganassi Racing motorist looked to be on for a comfy win. But after anumberof late warns, he had to battle increasingly to hold off safeguarding series champ Will Power. Palou ended up dominating by 1.1843 seconds over the Team Penske motorist to take the checkered flag.
Palou, the 2021 IndyCar champion, has a 51-point lead on his CGR colleague Marcus Ericsson through 7 of the season’s 17 races – basically a complete race weekend’s worth of a cushion.
Here’s how Palou pulled off the win on Sunday:
Romain Grosjean crashes out onceagain
With 20 laps to go, Romain Grosjean nicked the pinnacle wall on the inside of Turn 4 and was sentout into the external wall with his left-front corner of the No. 28 carsandtruck, handing the Andretti Autosport motorist his 4th DNF in 7 races – all of them coming in the back half of those races, consistingof at St. Pete, Texas and the Indy 500.
It significant the 4th care of the day, the previous 3 coming with Callum Ilott driving over the back of Kyle Kirkwood at the start of the race; Pato O’Ward sendingout it into the Turn 9 wall while trying to stay on the lead-lap; and Sting Ray Robb running into the Turn 3 overflow in the reboot following O’Ward’s crash.
Into the walls: IndyCar crashes at Detroit
Palou was holding a comfy 6.2-2nd lead at the time of Grosjean’s crash. With 14 laps left, the field tried to get back going on a run of action-packed green flag laps to the end, and Palou developed a bit of a space with his dive, however as the green flag flew at the reboot line, David Malukas lost it in the Turn 9 wall, setting up another reboot Palou would have to keep Power at bay.
Action in the closing laps
On the Lap 91 reboot, Power did a much muchbetter task timing Palou’s leap