Alex Palou On Brink Of Title With Win No. 8: 'It is By no means Over Till It is Over'

Bob Pockrass

FOX Motorsports Insider

MONTEREY, Calif. — Alex Palou didn’t have the best technique final week at Toronto, however he had the most effective technique Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The technique? Simply win, child.

Alex Palou celebrates after successful the NTT INDYCAR Collection Java Home Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

OK, it wasn’t that straightforward.

He did have the technique he wanted to dominate in main 84 of the 95 laps to seize his eighth victory of the season. That is probably the most for an INDYCAR driver since 2007, when Sebastien Bourdais received eight races.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver prolonged his factors result in 121 over Pato O’Ward, who completed fourth, with three races remaining.

“It is by no means over till it is over,” Palou mentioned. “I feel I proved that [with a mistake] at Mid-Ohio, and we have seen that previously as properly.

“Actually, I might not commerce our factors for anyone. I might not commerce our place, and I might not ask for something extra or something much less. Nevertheless it’s not finished till it is finished. We nonetheless must win it. We nonetheless must maintain our heads down and try to win extra races.”

Alex Palou celebrates his win at Laguna Seca

Palou doesn’t must win extra races, although. He simply must common a Sixteenth-place end over the ultimate three. He would clinch the title with a 108-point lead following the following race in two weeks at Portland Worldwide Raceway, a street course the place Palou has two profession victories.

The ultimate two races come on the ovals at Milwaukee and Nashville.

If Palou wins at Portland or finishes second and earns a bonus level for the pole or main a lap, he would clinch the title it doesn’t matter what O’Ward does in that race. O’Ward is the one driver who mathematically has an opportunity on the title.

“It’s a tall process, however nonetheless mathematically attainable,” O’Ward mentioned. “Is it possible? Most likely not, however we’ll carry on pushing. … We by no means actually received worse than fifth this month. So 5 races within the high 5 and two of these being wins. That is fairly superior.

Pato O’Ward throughout INDYCAR’s race at Laguna Seca

“Portland’s additionally been very tough for us. So it is one other observe, sort of like this one, the place hopefully we’ll have a superb qualifying after which simply try to have a superb race on from there.”

O’Ward matched his finest end at Laguna. In some other season, the Arrow McLaren driver could be thought of to be having a strong yr.

“We’re second within the championship, however we’ve been the most effective of the remainder,” O’Ward mentioned. “The ten automotive [of Palou] has had a reasonably unbelievable season.”

Palou has received the final two championships and three of the final 4. However this season, he has reached one other degree.

“Even when he makes a mistake, the workforce makes a mistake, they make it up in some way, which I really feel like we’re all sort of struggling to do in a way,” mentioned O’Ward teammate Christian Lundgaard, who completed second on Sunday. “They’re there each single time. It’s important to give them kudos for being that aggressive each time, and so they’ve raised the bar.

Christian Lundgaard previous to the inexperienced flag at Laguna Seca

“I believed I had a tremendously good begin to the season, and I used to be nonetheless means behind the ten automotive [of Palou] within the championship after 5 races, and I had three podiums. The one distinction is he received 4 out of these.”

Now he has eight of these. The report is 10 by A.J. Foyt in 1964 and Al Unser in 1970.

Palou thinks 10 is feasible and doesn’t thoughts speaking about it, in comparison with speaking about whether or not the championship is over.

“Evidently it is plenty of work to make it, however I do not thoughts listening to that [possibility],” Palou mentioned. “Everytime you hear that you’re in an opportunity of creating one thing that is so historic and so robust to do, it motivates us.”

There may need been some motivation after a Twelfth-place end at Toronto, the place the workforce’s technique when it got here to when to placed on the laborious and smooth tires ended up biting them. That was due to extra cautions than they’d predicted.

Palou had no points Sunday in main the ultimate 59 laps, together with holding off the sphere on two restarts within the closing 15 laps at one in every of his favourite tracks, one the place he now has three profession victories.

“Most likely the quantity of laps I did on the simulator right here after I was a child helps,” Palou mentioned. “It was my favourite observe after I was a child.

“I feel it is probably the most iconic — if not probably the most iconic — street course that we now have.”

Whereas Palou made it look simple, O’Ward, in ending fourth, embraced the wrestle.

“I used to be attempting to get absolutely the most out of the automotive. Each level counts. And simply capitalizing on individuals’s errors,” O’Ward mentioned. “I had lots sooner guys behind me.

“Our greatest hope by way of tempo was going to be a high 10, however we salvaged the fourth. I felt very, very weak on the market. I simply could not get efficiency out of it.”

And Palou received most efficiency, simply as he has finished a number of instances this yr.

“It is loopy efficiency,” O’Ward mentioned. “He’s performing on the highest degree that anybody can ask him to do. He is actually been the category of the sphere thus far this yr and has been the previous few years.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time protecting motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seaside) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.