Alex Palou won eight INDYCAR races during a historic 2025 season, including a victory in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
He picked up right where he left off on Sunday, beginning the 2026 season with a dominant performance at the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg.
The Winner Is …
Alex Palou, driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 10 car, earned his second consecutive victory at the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg. It was Palou’s 20th career win.
How The Race Was Won
Palou won the race by a gap of 12.49 seconds and led for a total of 59 laps. Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin led for 34 laps and finished in second.
One Big Moment
Newcomer Mick Schumacher crashed on Lap 1 of Sunday’s race, effectively ending his chances before things really even got started for the former F1 driver.
Top-10 Results
1. Alex Palou
2. Scott McLaughlin
3. Christian Lundgaard
4. Kyle Kirkwood
5. Pato O’Ward
6. Marcus Ericsson
7. Josef Newgarden
8. Romain Grosjean
9. Rinus Veekay
10. Dennis Hauger
What’s Next
The second race of the 2026 INDYCAR season is the Good Ranchers 250 on March 7 at Phoenix Raceway (Noon ET on FOX) as part of a doubleheader weekend with NASCAR.
