By: Spencer Neff
May 9, 2025
Alex Palou turned in another dominant performance en route to the pole for tomorrow’s Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Palou will lead the field to the green flag in tomorrow’s 85-lap race on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn permanent road course.
It is his second consecutive pole and eighth in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. He also won consecutive poles in 2023 (Indianapolis 500 and Detroit) and 2024 (Laguna Seca and Mid-Ohio).
The Spaniard has never finished worse than fourth in any of his previous starts from the pole and won five times, including last weekend at Barber Motorsports Park.
Palou will look to make it four wins in the opening five races of 2025 on Saturday. Only twice has that feat occurred since Al Unser accomplished it in 1971.
Dan Wheldon started 2005 (IRL) with four wins in five races and Sebastien Bourdais won four consecutive races in 2006. Both drivers went on to win the championship and Bourdais’ was his third, as Palou is trying to accomplish this year.
Round 3-Fast Six
Palou (1m09.3417-126.625 mph) saved his best lap of the day for when it counted. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver bested Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing by .4099 of a second.
Rahal’s teammate Louis Foster earned his best career start in third. Foster becomes the first rookie in 2025 to make the Fast Six. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin will line up alongside him in fourth. McLaughlin was the best-performing Chevrolet behind the trio of Honda drivers.
Devlin DeFrancesco matched his effort from August 2023 and tied a career-best start in fifth along with his RLLR teammates. Josef Newgarden lines up behind teammate McLaughlin in sixth.
Round 2-Fast 12
Palou (1m09.7025-125.970 mph) was fastest leading into the Fast Six with Rahal, Foster, DeFrancesco, Newgarden and McLaughlin.
After missing the cut Will Power, Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, Kyffin Simpson, Santino Ferrucci and Felix Rosenqvist. They will start seventh through 12th.
Round 1-Group 1
O’Ward (1m09.7092-125.811 mph) led the way in Group 1, advancing with Rossi, Rosenqvist, Ferrucci, Foster and Simpson.
Colton Herta, Marcus Armstrong, Christian Rasmussen, Kyle Kirkwood, Callum Ilott and Jacob Abel advanced no further and will start on the inside of Rows 7-13.
Round 1-Group 2
Palou (1m09.6683-126.031 mph) was fastest in Group 2. DeFrancesco, Power, Rahal, McLaughlin and Newagrden would also move on.
Missing the cut would be Christian Lundgaard, Scott Dixon, Nolan Siegel, Marcus Ericsson, Conor Daly, Rinus VeeKay, David Malukas and Robert Shwartzman.
Shwartzman starts 27th while the others will line up on the outside of Rows 7-13.
Up Next
Here is the remaining on-track schedule for the weekend. IndyCar1909 is on-site and credentialed for the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stay with us and our social media for all the latest on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, May 9
7:01 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1 “Drivers, start your engines”
7:06 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 1 (35 laps/55 minutes), FS1(Live)
Saturday, May 10
11:32-11:57 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup (25 minutes), FS1 (Live)
1:01 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 2 “Drivers, start your engines”
1:06 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Indianapolis Grand Prix Race 2 (35 laps/55 minutes), FS1(Live)
4:30 p.m. FOX on air
4:45 p.m. Sonsio Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
4:52 p.m. Sonsio Grand Prix (85 laps/207.3 miles), FOX (Live)
Header Image By INDYCAR
IndyCar1909.com 