In a season where Alex Palou has firmly cemented his place as one of the greatest talents of his era, Chip Ganassi believes there’s no question that the Spaniard belongs in the conversation with IndyCar’s current elites. The 2025 championship winner came within a caution of notching a ninth win of the season at Milwaukee, which would have placed him alongside Mario Andretti’s 1984 record.
While a late-race caution thwarted Palou’s chances at a double-digit win tally, Ganassi refused to fixate on numbers. Instead, he’s taking a broader view of his course.
One of the greats
Responding to a question from Pit Debrief during a media call ahead of Nashville, the CGR owner shared his thoughts on Alex Palou’s trajectory within the series when asked about the driver’s name being up there with some of the IndyCar greats. Ganassi did not hide his enthusiasm.
“Yes, certainly in modern times, his name’s right there,” Ganassi said. “Whether it’s Dixon, Zanardi, Vasser… he belongs with all of them and certainly with other champions outside our team too.”
Compared to their era
While Palou’s stats are beginning to draw comparisons to icons like A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti, Ganassi is quick to point out that comparing across generations can be misleading and sometimes unfair.
“I don’t know how you compare to Mario. To me, Mario is still a great champion. What stands out about him was his versatility, winning Daytona, Pikes Peak, sprint cars, dirt cars…”
He continued by emphasizing that the evolution of the sport, from regulations to race formats, makes direct comparisons difficult, if not impossible.
“It wasn’t until the 1980s that they even closed the pits under yellow,” he noted. “That’s a huge difference in how races are won. So when you talk about wins across decades, you have to factor all that in.”
Despite all of that, he isn’t afraid to recognise what Palou’s performance means right now.
“That’s the beauty of racing. We’ll never know how Alex stacks up against Mario or Parnelli Jones. But we can always talk about it. That’s what makes bench racing so much fun.”
Growth on short ovals
Coming into 2025, the Spaniard had a dominant resume, but no wins on ovals. However, this season, that narrative was dismantled.
He won the Indy 500 for the first time. A win at Iowa and P2 on Sunday in Milwaukee is further proof of his progress on short ovals and superspeedways.
“I remember the talk at the beginning of the year,” Ganassi said. “People were saying, ‘Yeah, he’s a champion, but he hasn’t won on an oval.’ Well, that poor fact is gone now.”
Ganassi also reflected on the changes within Palou and the areas for improvement for the 2025 IndyCar champion.
“Could I see any areas he can improve? I’m the last guy to tell him that,” he said.
“He’s doing a good job of that himself.”
A champion of the sport
With just one round remaining in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Palou’s dominance has already defined the year. Whether he matches Andretti’s milestone or not, Chip Ganassi is clearly incredibly proud of his driver.
“I just feel fortunate to be in this sport, fortunate to know champions and to see what they represent. That includes Alex.”
