Chip Ganassi Racing has two cars starting on the second row of the Indianapolis 500. The team has won around the brickyard five teams previously. They are hoping to make it six wins after Sunday. Drivers Alex Palou and Scott Dixon discussed their expectations for the race in Thursday’s press conference attended by Pit Debrief.
Palou is “trying hard” to score first oval win
Palou currently leads the 2025 Indycar championship, winning all but one race so far this season. Despite his strong record on street tracks, Palou has never scored a win on an oval track. Palou discussed his frustrations surrounding his elusive oval win.
“I want to win at an oval. Trust me, I’m trying hard.
“But yeah, it takes time, I guess. There’s nothing I can do until Sunday to change that. Hopefully I can change it, and I can win on Sunday. I know it’s tough.
“Otherwise, I’ll wait for the next one, Gateway. There’s been many, many people that have taken a lot of years to win this race or to win on ovals. Hopefully we can change it quick.”
Palou claims having “a really good car” and “confidence” is key to winning Indy 500
Palou discussed how his car has performed over the years, claiming that 2023 was the fasted car he’s had at the Indy 500.
“I had really good cars [at the Indy 500], honestly. Like 2021, when I was battling with Helio [Castroneves], I think my car was better than [Castroneves’]. He was just better than me. Then in 2022 we really had good cars. I think the only year we didn’t really have the ultimate speed, but still ended up fifth, it was pretty good, was last year.“
“Yeah, probably 2023 was the fastest car I had. Man, I had really, really good, nice cars here at the Speedway. I think here, if you have a really good car and you have confidence, but especially if you have a good car in traffic and is fast, you can move up front. As I said, I’ve been lucky to have really, really fast cars here at the Speedway.”
Palou will start the 2025 Indy 500 from 6th position.
Dixon claims the margins between teams is “very small”
Dixon has a previous win at the Indy 500 from 2008. Last year, he finished the race in third position after starting P21. Dixon described the surprise in the paddock when PREMA rookie Robert Shwartzman became the first rookie to score pole position at the Indy 500 in over 40 years. He stated that it makes for a good storyline going into the race on Sunday.
“I think the margins are definitely very small. But I think the PREMA-Shwartzman thing was a good situation of that. I don’t think anybody going into Saturday was like, ‘They have a really good shot at winning pole.’
“As soon as everyone saw them do their first run, I think all of us together in the room were like, ‘Wow, that was really fast. And if he goes flat, it’s going to be super-fast. He’ll be a real contender for the pole.’ That’s how it played out.“
Dixon discusses effects Team Penske’s technical violations on the Indy 500
Dixon talked about the impact of all three Team Penske drivers starting further down the grid than expected. During qualifying, the team had been doing work on the cars of Josef Newgarden and Will Power that was not allowed, disqualifying them from participating in the Fast 12. Later, it was discovered that both cars had technical violations. Now Newgarden and Power will start the Indy 500 from the back of the grid. Dixon claimed that the win on Sunday could be open to any driver.
“There’s been quite a few different storylines. Obviously, all the Penskes are eliminated at the Fast 12. That shifted the storylines, but also how it played out.
“I think it’s wide open. I think there’s a lot of great cars, great competitors, maybe more than we’ve seen. As you said, maybe you see a clear favorite, maybe three or four. This year there’s a lot more.”
Dixon will start the Indy 500 from 4th position.
