LEBANON, Tennessee – As Alex Palou was celebrating his third NTT IndyCar Assortment championship on September 15 at Nashville Superspeedway, one in all many first to greet him afterward was racing good Dario Franchitti.
He welcomed Palou to an distinctive membership, drivers which have obtained back-to-back IndyCar Assortment championships.
Franchitti was the ultimate to carry out the feat when he obtained three-straight championships from 2009-2011.
He moreover reminded Palou that he stays one up on him as a result of the ultimate driver to win three-straight IndyCar championships.
“Yeah, he nonetheless stroke a chord in my memory that he did it as quickly as additional, so I nonetheless have one other yr to catch him,” Palou responded to a question from NBCSports.com. “Hopefully we’re in a position to.”
“Dario merely said that we did an excellent job. I imagine all individuals observed – on the very least he observed – that I was going aggressive at first, first couple of laps. First stint on the very least we had been going for it.”
“He was very joyful. He is a gigantic part of it. He’s managing the entire drivers at CGR. He’s serving to us in a number of strategies. He’s conscious of that each one the items he says and all of the items he can try to tell us all through every single weekend, it’s giant, significantly for me and the other rookies on the ovals.”
NBCSports.com had an distinctive interview with Franchitti after the September 15 Enormous Machine Music Metropolis Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway. He was collectively along with his longtime teammate, and lifelong pal, Scott Dixon at his motorhome as they’d been pleasurable after the race sooner than heading into the offseason.
Franchitti was one of many celebrated, achieved and greatest drivers of his interval, and presumably all-time. He obtained three Indianapolis 500s, his remaining two for Chip Ganassi Racing, and 4 IndyCar Assortment championships, his remaining three for CGR.
After his racing career was scale back fast from a crucial crash inside the Shell Grand Prix of Houston in 2013 when he sustained a crucial head harm, Franchitti remained with Chip Ganassi Racing as a mentor, driver coach and advertising marketing consultant.
He feels a selected relationship with Palou because of every drove the No. 10 automotive at Chip Ganassi Racing.
“I’m glad it was a Ganassi automotive that went back-to-back for the first time since I did,” Franchitti instructed NBCSports.com. “An excellent job from Alex from the Chip Ganassi Racing crew, the ten automotive group. It’s merely unbelievable to see that and it has been a really very long time coming, hasn’t it?”
Dixon is the crew chief at Chip Ganassi Racing with 58 career victories and 6 IndyCar Assortment championships. 9 additional wins and Dixon will tie AJ Foyt as a result of the winningest driver in IndyCar historic previous.
Dixon’s six championships go away him just one behind Foyt for the all-time report for championships in IndyCar.
Palou joined IndyCar in 2020 at Dale Coyne Racing and joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021. He obtained his first race for the crew in 2021 at Barber Motor Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
By the highest of the season, Palou obtained two additional races and his first IndyCar Assortment Championship.
He obtained one different title in 2023, clinching it inside the next-to-last race of the season, the first time that occurred sooner than the last word race of the season since Sebastien Bourdais obtained the Champ Vehicle Assortment title in 2007.
This yr, he went back-to-back and he’s not even 28 years outdated.
Palou joins a formidable file of racers with three or additional IndyCar championships, along with AJ Foyt with seven, Scott Dixon with six, Franchitti with 4, Sebastien Bourdais with 4, Louis Meyer, Ted Horn, Jimmy Bryan, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Sam Hornish, Jr. with three championships apiece.
He is the second youngest three-time IndyCar Assortment champion. Hornish stays the youngest.
There is not a prohibit to Palou’s greatness.
“It has been phenomenal to be a part of Scott’s championships and now Alex’s championships after which to have you ever perceive these two guys in there merely battle for the championships yearly,” Franchitti outlined. “It’s really good for the crew and Alex has, my God, I suggest, he obtained three in 4, three titles in 4 years.”
“Yeah. He’s pretty good, significantly as youthful as he is, so the fireside is definitely nonetheless there for him because it’s for Scott.”
“Chip said it best this morning, he’s like, ‘What now we have accomplished this yr so far has been good, nevertheless now we have bought to go in the marketplace. We’ll take this championship.’ And that’s exactly what Alex and the ten automotive crew did.”
Which may be a spot that motivates the favored driver from Spain.
It’s an opportunity to be the simplest by defeating the simplest.
“I actually like this sport,” Palou said. “I wish to have the possibility to be able to win races and championships.”
“I’m not setting a objective of attempting to win 4 or 5 or one thing like that. I imagine it’s surreal to have obtained three IndyCar championships. I not at all thought in my best wishes that I is perhaps on this place.”
“I take one race at a time, one lap at a time. For me every lap that I’m doing is a vital of my life. I do the an identical for every race. Hopefully we’re in a position to stick with it worthwhile races and championships.” When Palou arrived at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021, Franchitti began to mentor the youthful driver and supply his suggestion on the fitting technique to develop to be a winner and a champion.
It’s obvious that Palou was a extremely quick learner as IndyCar followers are witnessing greatness.
“We had this complete prolonged dialog when Alex arrived,” Franchitti recalled. “What to do inside the race, driving for the crew and all of the items. And he was as calm as you might be.”
“That’s one in all his biggest strengths, mentally, merely extraordinarily sturdy, and I say that as a person that went up in opposition to Scott Dixon for plenty of years and they also’re watching Alex at this stage. Everybody’s obtained a fairly comparable stage of experience, I would say.”
“And I actually really feel very joyful that Scott and with Alex, two of the mentally sharpest drivers inside the topic battled for the championship. That’s no doubt one of many causes that we’re in a position to compete for championships yr in, yr out.”
“That is to not take away one thing from the unbelievable work that they’ve accomplished, the mechanics and all individuals once more inside the retailer in Indianapolis does and be succesful to place in my experience and share it with the drivers.”
“In any case, it’s a privilege.”
Palou is at a level in his career the place he doesn’t need to take large steps nevertheless comparatively can work on the finer particulars to succeed. Franchitti continues to supply him suggestion, nonetheless it’s additional like sprucing a shiny object.
“With Alex, it’s little nudges proper right here and there, really, really little nudges proper right here and there,” Franchitti outlined. “And this yr, I imagine Alex has made me say that there’s additional nudges on the ovals.”
“It is not ending because of there are many good races left for him to win, along with among the many completely different ovals, I’m figuring out the fitting technique to give him somewhat little bit of some experience and points I would try, points that I might not have gotten to do. What variety of years prior to now now, 12, 13 years prior to now.”
“I fought for a championship because of the person that Alex was combating for a title on Sunday in Will Vitality.”
“I imagine that’s the proof that we’re allowed to actually cross off the place. It’s unbelievable that he is nonetheless proper right here.”
Workforce proprietor Chip Ganassi likes winners. He has to love Alex Palou, who delivered Ganassi’s sixteenth career IndyCar Assortment championship to the crew.
Dixon has six, Franchitti three, Palou three, Alex Zanardi has two championships and Vasser and Juan Pablo Montoya had one championship each.
“That’s an unbelievable group of experience and it begins with Jimmy Vasser in 1996,” Franchitti said of CGR’s first champion. “This whole issue begins with Jimmy Vasser, and I wanted to come back alongside and put the fastened there with Scott Dixon.”
“I title the fastened, nevertheless in reality, there could also be Chip.”
“Proper this second, sooner than the race, Chip gave his pep communicate and it was then spot on, it was utterly spot on. I imagine one in all many many causes, he locations the suitable of us on the suitable jobs to do the job.”
“You wouldn’t suppose this about Chip, nevertheless in events he’s obtained some really mild contact. He utterly nails it, and I imagine instantly was a sort of days.”
Further away inside the media center, Palou was beginning his championship media availability. He was reminded that Franchitti was the ultimate driver to win three IndyCar Assortment Championships in a row.
“I’m fascinated with subsequent yr now, try and tie Franchitti,” Palou said with a smile.
Franchitti is conscious of it is going to presumably happen, along with a wonderful bigger objective for Palou.
“I don’t see any trigger why he can not do this,” Franchitti said. “That is undoubtedly the aim good into subsequent yr for him.”
“And, you perceive, why not get his first Indy 500 win? That’s clearly correct there in his ideas too.”
