Spain's Palou takes third IndyCar win in a row
Sports
Palou dominated over the last half of the 80-lap race over the 13-turn
Washington (AFP) – Spain's Alex Palou won his third consecutive IndyCar race on Sunday, capturing the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio to boost his season points lead.
It was the fourth victory in the past five races for Palou, who defeated New Zealand's Scott Dixon by five seconds with Australian Will Power third.
The 26-year-old Spaniard, who won the 2021 IndyCar season crown, dominated over the last half of the 80-lap race over the 13-turn, 2.258-mile permanent road course in Lexington, Ohio.
"We had a really fast car," Palou said. "Everything went well on strategy and pit stops and our pace was really good so super happy." Palou's eighth career IndyCar victory stretched his lead in the season title race from 74 points to a 110-point margin, 377-267 over second-place Dixon.
"I think maybe we're starting to (dominate), but no we're not," he said. "It's all about putting everything together. We've been able to do this quite often this year. Hopefully we can keep it going."
Palou won last month on the Indianapolis road course and took the Indy 500 pole before finishing fourth on race day, then added triumphs at Detroit and Road America in June.
"This is the best moment in my career so far," Palou said. "We'll focus on what we can do I know we can have a good couple of races coming up. We'll try and win when we can."
He became the first IndyCar driver to win three in a row since Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dixon began the 2020 campaign with three consecutive triumphs. Dixon, a six-time winner at Mid-Ohio and six-time IndyCar season champion, managed his best finish of the year.
"Second is great but the man we're chasing finished on first," Dixon said. "Congrats to Alex. He's doing a hell of a job this year." US pole-sitter Colton Herta, whose father Bryan won four IndyCar races, kept the lead early before being overtaken by Palou on the first pit stop series as the Spaniard kept the lead to the finish.
A first-lap crash took out Swedish racer Marcus Ericsson, who had been second in the points chase. France's Simon Pagenaud, the 2016 Mid-Ohio winner who crashed in practice on Saturday, was not given medical clearance to compete. American Conor Daly served as a replacement driver.
