Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and DHL have partnered to deliver one of the vital well-known liveries in open-wheel racing again to the monitor. The #10 Honda, pushed by four-time IndyCar Sequence champion Alex Palou, will run the long-lasting CGR lightning bolt paint scheme within the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sept. 4-6, 2026, honoring the legacy of the late motorsports legend Alex Zanardi.
The throwback design pays homage to the visible signature made well-known by Zanardi and CGR’s different legends in the course of the group’s dominant run of 4 consecutive championships from 1996 to 1999. The race on Sept. 6, 2026, coincides with the thirtieth anniversary of “The Cross” – Zanardi’s legendary last-lap overtake by the Corkscrew to win the 1996 season finale and seal Rookie of the 12 months honors. The weekend additionally marks the thirtieth anniversary of CGR’s first championship, received by Zanardi’s teammate Jimmy Vasser, which marked Honda’s first IndyCar title.
“I am so excited to get the lightning bolt again on our automobile,” mentioned Palou. “We’re racing in reminiscence of Alex Zanardi. We’re racing at Laguna, his place, his nook. And on prime of that, it is the thirtieth anniversary of CGR’s and Honda’s first IndyCar championship. So, we’re placing the whole lot collectively for the followers, for ourselves as effectively. And hopefully it is a fantastic race for the #10 DHL automobile.”
Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Categorical U.S., famous the importance of the weekend for each the group and sponsor: “We’re honored to rejoice Alex Zanardi’s legacy, a real motorsports legend whose willpower, ardour and ‘can-do’ spirit embody the identical values that drive our workers every single day. Laguna Seca is particularly significant as we rejoice 15 years in IndyCar and an unimaginable season with Alex Palou. It’s a becoming approach to honor Zanardi’s legacy whereas celebrating the profitable spirit that makes this such a particular second for DHL and Chip Ganassi Racing.”
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing livery for Laguna Seca
Photograph by: Chip Ganassi Racing
The #10 DHL Lightning Bolt Honda will hit the monitor for the primary time on Friday, Sept. 3, for apply. Palou enters the upcoming doubleheader on the Milwaukee Mile holding a 91-point lead within the championship standings, the place he and CGR will try and clinch a record-setting 18th IndyCar championship for the group.
Palou, a three-time Laguna Seca winner defending back-to-back victories on the circuit, boasts one of the vital dominant five-race stretches at a single monitor in collection historical past, having by no means completed off the rostrum. Another victory would tie Bobby Rahal’s all-time win document at Laguna Seca, whereas main 12 extra laps would give Palou the venue’s all-time document for laps led. With three profession poles and 5 podiums on the street course, another of every would tie the monitor information.
Remembering Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi stood as one of the vital inspiring athletes in historical past. Competing for Chip Ganassi Racing from 1996 to 1998, the Italian icon captured two IndyCar championships and 15 race victories, charming followers worldwide along with his aggressive driving fashion and charismatic persona. Following a harrowing 2001 crash at Germany’s EuroSpeedway Lausitz that resulted within the amputation of each of his legs, Zanardi impressed the worldwide sporting neighborhood by mounting a exceptional return to motorsports, profitable 4 races within the World Touring Automotive Championship and later competing within the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Past auto racing, Zanardi established himself as a world-class handcyclist, capturing 4 Paralympic gold medals and 12 Para-cycling World Championships. His unbreakable spirit, triumphs over adversity, and keenness for competitors made him a hero to thousands and thousands across the globe till his loss of life on Could 1, 2026, on the age of 59.
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