Alex Pallow says he wasn’t sure he could overtake Marcus Erickson for victory at the end of the Indianapolis 500.
The Blue Reband Round of the IndyCar season fell into a two-way battle between points leader Parow and Andretti’s rival Ericsson after several major contenders left the contest late in the race.
Erickson made just 25 laps before running through the final pit stop and had enough fuel to fuel it all the way through, but Chip Ganassi’s Paloo had to be careful with the throttle to reach the finish.
Paloo was expected to sit behind Erikson and save as much fuel as possible, but he surprised the Swedes by running 14 laps on Turn 1.
The Spaniards saved enough fuel on the next ten laps, dodged Erixon’s late advances and secured a victory for the Maiden Indy 500.
The breathtaking Palou then admitted that he had to fight hard to attack Erixon with the tense finish of the race.
“I can’t believe it. What a great day. What a great race,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I’m just breathless. I’ll celebrate. I’m really tired.
“What a great race for everyone, the #10 Crew, CGR, HRC is incredible. It’s amazing to be here. It’s amazing to win.
“There were some really good moments in the race, but at the end I wasn’t sure if I would pass Marcus.
“(But I) it made it happen. The first oval victory. What’s a good place (to do it)?
He explained: “It was tough, especially when it was third or fourth in the pack. It was a tough situation. Even leading fuel consumption was very high.
“I didn’t want to lead, but I wanted to lead.
Palou has been incredible since moving to Chip Ganassi in 2021 for his second season at IndyCar.
After winning his third title last year, he carried that form to 2025, winning five of his first six races.
Parow’s previous success was built around his advantage on the street circuits and road courses, but now that he has won in the oval shape, he has achieved his place among the best IndyCar drivers of all time.
Team boss Chip Ganassi welcomed Paloo’s performance in the 109th Indy 500, saying, “() The guy is incredible. I don’t know what to say.
“We saved fuel all day, did this and did it. We were in the draft, and in the end we helped us.
“He just beat everyone today, and that’s great.
“It’s incredible. It’s going to make Alex Pallow’s career and make his life. It certainly has become mine.”