Motorsport TechnologyAlex Palou won out in a race of tactics and strategy around the streets of Detroit to head home Kyle Kirkwood and Graham Rahal.
Palou had started the race from pole position and controlled the majority of the race, leading 71 of the 100 laps for his fourth victory of the season.
It wasn’t as straightforward a win as the stats suggest, however, the Spaniard dealing with a number of full course yellows that put drivers on his tail as well as the obligatory pit stops that shuffled him into the pack.
“It feels like the first time, honestly” Palou is quoted on IndyCar.com. “It was a tough one, a very tough one. But the team did an incredible job once again with the strategy.
“The pit stops were incredible. Incredible run, incredible start of the year, but it was tough.”
He made a tough day look easy 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/NPgOWHLq8A
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 31, 2026
Victory for Palou was the 23rd of an already remarkable career and he has won 12 of the last 25. It means he extends his advantage at the top of the standings to 62 points over Kirkwood.
“Being able to be up front was key,” added Palou. “On the first stint, I started struggling and kind of put myself in a bad spot and lost two positions with Lundgaard and (Scott) McLaughlin.
“I lost us positions there, but the team made a great call to be safe with the yellow. It kind of worked out for us.”
For Kirkwood, second place was a much-needed result that keeps the pressure on his rival at he top of the drivers’ standings.
“We took a little bit of a gamble on tires there, being the only guy on reds (alternates) at the end,” said Kirkwood.
It nearly paid off. It was so, so close. There were two untimely yellows.
“We almost covered Palou when we were on primes, which would have been phenomenal, and then we had that other yellow where I had him lined up.
A masterclass on the streets! pic.twitter.com/FOY2CbrPIA
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 31, 2026
“I was ready to make a dive on him, and, of course, (the yellow) comes out after I burned 10 seconds of overtake.
“From there, we just didn’t really have another shot at it. I think I just used up my tires too much to make that one pass.”
The 2026 NTT IndyCar Series resumes with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 7.
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