Palou gets big break as newest Ganassi driver

By INDYCAR | Published: Oct 29, 2020

Alex Palou

Alex Palou turned heads in his debut season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and that has landed him the biggest break of his young INDYCAR career.

The 23-year-old Spaniard will team up with six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion and 50-time race winner Scott Dixon, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson and Marcus Ericsson in an expanded four-car lineup at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021.

Partnership details for Palou’s No. 10 Honda will be announced at a later date.

“To say I’m thrilled or excited to be making this step in my career would be an understatement,” said Palou, who scored his first podium in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Road America in June. “Driving for Chip Ganassi is just a dream come true. I’ve followed the team for as long as I can remember, and it’s the kind of team and owner any driver would want to race for. Scott has had another tremendous season, reaching 50 wins and a sixth title, so you absolutely couldn’t ask for anything more in a teammate. I can’t wait to work with Marcus and Jimmie as well, and to start contributing to the team and getting to spend more time with everyone.”

Palou spent his rookie NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh where he showed speed with three qualifying efforts inside the top four and a spot in the Indianapolis 500 Fast 9 Shootout. He finished 16th in the championship standings and was second in the Rookie of the Year. In 2019, Palou won a Super Formula Championship race in 2019 and was named the series Rookie of the Year.

“I love to watch the growth of young drivers,” said Mike Hull, Managing Director, Chip Ganassi Racing. “This year racing Indy cars has been very difficult for young drivers like Alex who hadn’t had the opportunity to visually see the tracks in advance, nor have days of practice in private team testing, or open testing or three-day weekends.

“Putting that into perspective, he did a heck of a job. We had an opening, and he became available, and Chip has a great eye for talent. Alex has that spark, that intangible thing you combine with talent that is a lot of fun. It’s a great exploration thing. You’re exploring how far you can go, and he has one year of experience with a quality team, quality engineering and a quality teammate. He stood up to that test extremely well.”