Alex Palou finishes 2nd at Mid-Ohio, leading a race-high 54 laps to extend INDYCAR points lead.
In the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’s first-ever all hybrid engine race, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou had the dominant car for most of the race. But as can happen in INDYCAR, that wasn’t enough.
A late pit-stop stumble during Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid saw Palou relinquish the lead to Pato O’Ward after leading 53 of the first 56 laps by as much as six seconds. Palou stayed within a second of O’Ward the rest of the way but could never take back the lead.
Still, it was a second-place finish for the defending series champ, who increased his series points lead with his eighth top-five finish in nine races. Palou was behind the wheel of the No. 10 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda featuring American Legion branding.
“We had a slow stop,” Palou said. “I couldn’t really engage first gear. Maybe I was trying to get it too fast, so probably my fault. It was a good race. The No. 10 Ridgeline car was amazing. Everybody on the No. 10 crew was amazing all weekend. We couldn’t really make the alternate tires last, then Pato started catching us and we couldn’t really do anything. I just destroyed my front tires.
“But anyway, good race, had fun, it was a shame we couldn’t get the win for the No. 10 car, but a good, solid day.”
CGR rookie Linus Lundqvist drove the No. 8 American Legion Honda to a 15th-place finish after earning a spot in Saturday’s Fast 12 session of qualifications.
Palou pushed O’Ward over the final 23 laps but could never get over the hump. “We were a bit close, not enough,” he said. “It was honestly a good day for the 10 car. It feels a bit worse when you know that you had the car and everything that you needed to win, but still, it was a good podium day.”
Palou’s podium finish extended his NTT INDYCAR SERIES points lead over second-place Will Power by 48 points. Palou has led a series-high 157 laps so far this season.
Lundqvist had a solid day of qualifications, moving through to the Fast 12 session and earning the 11th spot in the starting grid. He briefly moved into the top 10 during the race before settling into a 15th-place finish.
Lundqvist continues to lead the Rookie of the Year standings, currently holding a 24-point lead over Christian Rasmussen.
“I think overall it’s been a positive weekend,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously, a lot of unknowns going in with the hybrid, but the No. 8 American Legion crew handled it well. Speed is definitely there to challenge for top 10s and even top fives. We’re looking to build on this.
“Next weekend is a completely different race with Iowa. We’ll get our heads down and hopefully have a good weekend there.”
There’s no rest for the INDYCAR SERIES, as it heads to Iowa Speedway this weekend for a pair of oval races: the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart on Saturday and the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on Sunday.
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