From INDYCAR champion to Indy NXT rookie, Alex Palou keeps adding cars to his offseason

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Alex Palou has spent the past two weeks driving just about anything with four wheels. Sports cars, INDY cars and now an Indy NXT car have all been on the schedule for the Chip Ganassi Racing star, who apparently can’t get enough time behind the wheel.

But Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway brought something the five-time INDYCAR champion hasn’t experienced in quite some time: being a rookie.

Palou joined three younger drivers for CGR for an Indy NXT test, marking his first time driving the developmental series’ car. The Indianapolis 500 winner was the fastest driver, setting a time nearly three tenths faster than second place.

And despite all his accomplishments at the highest level of American open-wheel racing, there was no special treatment.

He even had to attend the mandatory drivers meeting.

“It was weird,” Palou said. “I said, ‘Can I skip it?’ They said, ‘No. You have to go.’ I’m like, ‘OK. I understand. I get it.’”

Palou laughed about the experience, one of several reminders that success in INDYCAR doesn’t necessarily translate into immediate speed in a different race car.

“It feels kind of strange to be a rookie, but I’m a rookie,” he said. “I’ve never been in this car before, so I’m a rookie in this serieThe test was the latest stop in an unusually busy stretch for Palou, who has sampled several different cars since the INDYCAR season ended. He tested INDYCAR’s upcoming IR-28 car as part of the series’ preparation for its 2028 regulations on Monday at Sebring, and also spent time in a sports car.

Friday’s Indy NXT outing was expected to be his final competitive test of the year, although he has one more driving assignment Saturday: leading the Indiana Hoosiers onto the football field in an INDYCAR ahead of their game against Ohio State.

That car, Palou joked, will be considerably slower than anything else he has driven lately.

“I’ve driven all sorts of cars in the last two weeks,” he said. “And I have another one (Saturday), and that’ll be a bit slower. But honestly, I love it. I would be racing a lot more if I had more time or if I could.”

His appearance at the Indy NXT test began as something of a joke during the INDYCAR season, when Ganassi personnel floated the idea of putting their star driver in one of the team’s developmental cars.

Palou didn’t need convincing.

“I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ I love driving cars. Any kind of car,” he said.

But the opportunity is about more than satisfying his appetite for driving.

Ganassi returned to Indy NXT competition in 2025, and Palou’s participation gives the organization a chance to get feedback from its championship-winning INDYCAR driver while providing three younger drivers access to one of the most successful competitors in the sport.

For Alessandro de Tullio, who spent the past season racing in Indy NXT, the chance to share a track and compare data with Palou is particularly valuable.

“Just about everything,” de Tullio said when asked what he could learn from Palou. “Very talented, of course. Very successful. He’s driven many different cars, so he knows what to feel in a race car. He knows what he needs.”

De Tullio believes Palou’s perspective could be especially useful because he is approaching the car without the habits or expectations developed over a full Indy NXT season.

“I know a decent amount what I need from this car since I’ve already driven it for a whole year,” de Tullio said. “So seeing what he thinks about the car and what he feels and what he needs is something that’s going to teach me a lot.”

De Tullio also planned to study Palou’s driving data and compare their approaches behind the wheel.

“I think it’s nice for everyone to have Alex in the field for today, but especially for me having him as a teammate, it’s incredible,” he said.

Palou, meanwhile, cautioned against assuming that a champion from the top series should immediately dominate in a developmental car.

The Indy NXT machinery has less downforce and different brakes than the INDYCARs he is accustomed to driving, and adapting to those differences presents its own challenges.

“I think a lot of people think that it’s like other sports where you go down and it’s like you’re so much higher level,” Palou said. “Here it’s tough, man. The driving style, these cars are tough for me, so I’ll struggle.”

He pointed to de Tullio as a driver he could learn from, praising the youngster’s speed throughout the season.

“I don’t expect to be P1. Obviously, I’ll try, but I don’t expect to be P1,” Palou said. “I think we have an incredible reference in our team with de Tullio. He’s been so fast all year, and I’ve been following him a lot.”

Friday’s cold and damp conditions initially limited Palou to an installation lap, with the team waiting for a dry track later in the day. Even that brief experience gave him an appreciation for the challenges facing the younger drivers.

“A lot of power, not much grip,” he said. “The track is super cold. I’m sure even us would struggle so much putting heat in the tires.”

Once conditions improved, Palou began turning enough laps to begin providing meaningful setup feedback. He acknowledged that he tends to overdrive unfamiliar cars initially and would need time to adapt before offering suggestions on how Ganassi could improve its Indy NXT package.

His larger contribution, though, could come from sharing the knowledge accumulated during his championship-winning INDYCAR career.

Palou recalled his own experience as a young driver when an established competitor would join a team for a test. Having someone with greater experience available to answer questions, he said, was invaluable.

“I thought it was an incredible opportunity always to just ask whatever, like how do you brake? How do you bring on the tires? Just very basic stuff that I hopefully can help them,” Palou said.

“Whatever they need, I’ll be there for it. I think that’s why I’m here as well, just to be an open book to them and see if they can do better with the car or the track or whatever.”

De Tullio said the opportunity extends beyond simply watching how Palou drives. Understanding what a champion looks for in a race car, how he evaluates its handling and what changes he requests from engineers could provide lessons that carry into the young driver’s own development.

Palou also hopes his feedback can help Ganassi find improvements that carry into next season.

And if Ganassi’s Indy NXT team suddenly becomes the dominant force in the series?

Palou already has his answer about who should get the credit.

“No bonus yet,” he joked. “But if the Indy NXT team is, like, dominating next year, yes, I’ll get credit. One hundred percent.”