Alex Palou will roll off tenth for right this moment’s Good Ranchers 250 at Phoenix Raceway, and when he takes the inexperienced flag he’ll formally hit the century mark with 100 profession begins within the IndyCar Collection.
It has been a outstanding run for the Spaniard since getting into North America’s premier open-wheel championship in 2020. By way of his first 99 begins, he has racked up 20 wins that features the 2025 Indianapolis 500, 45 podiums, 58 prime fives, 74 prime 10s, 12 poles and 1,788 laps led en path to claiming 4 – together with the final three consecutive – IndyCar championships.
A rookie marketing campaign spent with Dale Coyne Racing that featured one podium and two extra prime 10s, Palou has been almost unstoppable since he joined Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) in 2021. In 85 begins with CGR, he holds a 23.5 p.c win price and has positioned within the prime 10 a staggering 71 occasions (83.5 p.c). Moreover, 20 of his victories have come at 11 totally different race tracks.
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In flip, the 28-year-old Palou’s outstanding résumé has positioned him in rarified air with a few of the sport’s all-time legends. Over the past 66 years, his 20 wins by 99 begins attracts him degree with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears, whereas his 4 titles earlier than his one centesimal begin match the early dominance of racing legends A. J. Foyt and Sebastien Bourdais, who gained 4 consecutive titles in Champ Automobile from 2003-07.
It’s not the one firm Palou shares with Bourdais, both. When Palou claimed victory in final weekend’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he turned the primary driver since Bourdais to win the opening race in back-to-back years, with the Frenchman doing so on the identical Florida streets in 2017-18. Additional on, Palou’s 12.4948s margin of victory per week in the past was additionally a race report on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn short-term avenue circuit.
Palou is just one of 9 drivers in historical past to assert no less than 20 victories of their first 100 begins. Over that span, Bourdais leads the checklist with 31 wins, with Foyt second (29), and Mario Andretti third (27). Ralph DePalma’s 26 wins slot him fourth, forward of Tommy Milton and Earl Cooper, who’re each tied in fifth with 21 victories every. For his half, Palou shares a three-way tie with Mears and Tony Bettenhausen for seventh.
Uniquely, although, Palou is the youngest of the group, with Andretti having been the one different driver beneath the age of 30 (29) to hit the milestone.
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