CGR has the most INDYCAR championships of any team since it entered INDYCAR and leads all contenders by nine titles. In fact, the 18 titles since 1990 are more than any other major American sports organization, including all NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams, and all NASCAR Cup Series teams.
Palou wrapped up his fourth consecutive championship with a 10th-place finish in the No. 10 DHL Honda in the second race of a Sunday doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile. He finished fifth in the first race.
He clinched with one race remaining on the 18-event schedule. He’s won six times this season and built such a large lead in the series standings that the title had been within Palou’s reach for the last month.
The clincher moved Palou behind only A.J. Foyt (seven championships) and Scott Dixon (six) for INDYCAR titles. The fourth consecutive title for Palou made him the first four-peat champion since reunification in 2008 and the only driver to accomplish the feat since Sébastien Bourdais did it from 2004 through 2007.
For CGR, it marks the third time the organization has won four consecutive titles. The team did it from 1996 through 1999 with Jimmy Vasser, two by Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya, then again from 2008 to 2011 with Dixon and then three consecutive by Dario Franchitti.
CGR is the only team with three distinct four-peats, and CGR ties the INDYCAR record with six championships in seven seasons. CGR did it in 2020 (Dixon) and then with Palou in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Team Penske won six championships from 1977 through 1983.
Since reunification 19 years ago, CGR has set a record with 13 championships – a win rate of 68.4%.
CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS:
Alone at five: Palou’s five championships moved him to third on the NTT INDYCAR titles list behind only A.J. Foyt (seven championships) and Scott Dixon (six).
Four-straight: The fourth consecutive title for Palou made him the first four-peat champion since reunification in 2008 and the only driver to accomplish the feat since Sébastien Bourdais did it from 2004 through 2007.
Youngest champion: Palou, at 29 years old, is the youngest five-time champion in INDYCAR history. A.J. Foyt was 32 when he won his fifth; Scott Dixon was 38.
Total championships: It is the fifth championship in the six years since Palou joined Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021 and it moved the race team into first as INDYCAR’s winningest team. The title is the 18th for CGR, breaking a tie with Team Penske for the most in series history.
Fastest to five championships: Palou’s five titles from 2021–26 is five in six seasons, the shortest span from a driver’s first through fifth championship. Foyt’s first five covered eight seasons, 1960–67; Dixon’s covered 16, 2003–18.
Palou and CGR’s fifth together: Second-most championships by one driver-team combination, behind Dixon and CGR’s six.
Four-Peats: For CGR, it marks the third time the organization has won four consecutive titles. The team did it from 1996 through 1999 with Jimmy Vasser, two by Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya, then again from 2008 to 2011 with Dixon and then three consecutive by Dario Franchitti. CGR is the only team with three distinct four-peats, and CGR ties the INDYCAR record with six championships in seven seasons. CGR did it in 2020 (Dixon) and then with Palou in 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Team Penske won six championships from 1977 through 1983.
Incredible Win Rate: Since reunification 19 years ago, CGR has set a record with 13 championships – a win rate of 68.4%.
UP NEXT: The NTT INDYCAR Series closes its season next Sunday at Laguna Seca. Race coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on FOX Sports.
Quote board:
Alex Palou, Driver, No. 10 DHL Honda, finished and clinched fifth INDYCAR championship: “I don’t know what to say, man. I owe everything to this team and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, DHL, all of our partners, but especially Chip and everybody behind me. It’s so incredible, man. Just so proud of this team. Today was a really bad race for us. Like, we were suffering all the time, but I’m like ‘Just keep focus, keep on, keep on going.’ It was great. Great to have another championship and ready for the next one.”
Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing: “We have great people around Alex, the team, the partners we've had. It takes a lot of people to make this stuff happen. I'm fortunate to have great people around us. You know, I'm not even on the 10 car. I'm on the nine car, so I get to enjoy it from a distance, almost, and seeing those guys set the pace. But it's one team. We all work together. We're all trying to win. It's an open book with us all the time across the board with all the drivers, all the teams, and everyone. And the nice thing is, everybody on the team's happy when someone on the team does well.”
