If it’s true that photographs are worth a thousand words, Alex Palou amassed his share this week as the reigning champion of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

An image of Palou winning last year’s race adorns Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Gate 2 entrance on 16th Street, and the Chip Ganassi Racing driver said he has taken more than one opportunity to get a shot as he drives past.

Of the latest taken on the eve of the two-day Indianapolis 500 Open Test, he said with a big smile, “Sent it to my parents (in Spain).”

Once inside the historic track, Palou (photo, top) said he hasn’t felt like the returning champ – at least not yet. The reason? With no fans accessing Gasoline Alley and pit road, the test mostly felt like, well, a test. The gates open in earnest next month, and that’s when he expects it to feel real.

“This was (effectively) an empty track,” he said. “What makes (the “500”) so special and makes the winners feel extra special are all the people, the fans.”

Palou will aim to become only the seventh driver to win Indy in consecutive years. Josef Newgarden was the last to do so in 2024. The other back-to-back winners were Wilbur Shaw (1939, 1940), Mauri Rose (1947, 1948), Bill Vukovich (1953, 1954), Al Unser (1970, 1971) and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002).

Palou will have as good of a chance as any driver in history. In addition to being the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader in pursuit of a record-tying fourth consecutive season title and fifth in six years, Palou’s average finish as a Ganassi driver leads this 33-driver field.

Over the past five years, Palou has an average finish of 4.2, and no one else is even close to posting such a mark. Santino Ferrucci has the second-best average finish in that stretch at 6.4.

Pato O’Ward likely would challenge Palou if not for the accident in the 2023 race when he tried to swipe second place back from Marcus Ericsson. O’Ward’s five-year average finish is 7.0, but without that Turn 3 mishap his other four years average 2.75.

Alexander Rossi

Rossi Eyes Anniversary of Victory

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Alexander Rossi’s Indy victory in 2016. He was a rookie that year with Andretti Autosport.

This will be Rossi’s second year with ECR, a team that has excelled in the “500” over the past several years, winning the pole three times and finishing second in the 2018 race with owner/driver Ed Carpenter. Last year, all three ECR drivers led the “500,” with Christian Rasmussen finishing a team-best sixth.

Rossi (photo, above) knows the IMS oval as well as any driver in the field, but he said the value of this test is that it offers another chance to learn something new. Drivers learn, he said, by being challenged, and the 2.5-mile layout is good at presenting difficult moments.

“I don’t think you ever get completely comfortable here, nor should you be,” Rossi said. “There’s always something that’s going on to make your life (as a driver) challenging, whether that’s going through trim levels or traffic or you’re trying to take tires to the end of their life. It’s never easy out there.”

Rossi Knows Fatherhood Month Awaiting Rosenqvist

Felix Rosenqvist is set to become a father during the week of Indy 500 practice next month. Rossi was in that position last year, with his son, Benjamin, born May 11.

“I think they know their (induce) day, and it’s not Race Day, so that takes most of the stress out of it,” Rossi said. “You think (delivery) is going to be challenging, but ultimately you’re just so happy and excited that everything else kind of just flows naturally.

“In a lot of ways (last year) was one of my easier Month of Mays.”

Unfortunately, Rossi’s race ended with mechanical failure after completing 73 laps. He led 14 of them.

Rosenqvist’s daughter is projected to arrive May 14, which is the day before Fast Friday practice. Rosenqvist said his team, Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, has been understanding of the timing in play. Rosenqvist isn’t sure how the day will play out.

“I feel like we have to take it as it comes,” he said.

Rahal Leans on Experience

Graham Rahal enters his 19th consecutive “500,” which seems difficult to believe. His rookie run was with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing in 2008 – he finished last in the 33-car field.

The 37-year-old has logged 3,016 laps in the race, surpassing the total of his father, 1986 winner Bobby Rahal, who completed 2,007 laps across 13 starts.

“Yeah, feels like about 50 (years),” the younger Rahal said of his time at Indy. “This place ages you, that’s for damn sure. And it’s aged me. You see a lot of gray hairs that are all because of Indianapolis.” (Being a father of three has probably added a few gray hairs, as well.)

Rahal’s best finishes are third place in 2011 and 2020. He failed to qualify for the 2023 race, but he replaced Stefan Wilson, who was injured in a crash in practice. Then Rahal narrowly made the race in 2024, starting in the 33rd position.

“I truly do believe every day is a new day here,” Rahal said. “There’s always something you find, a change you make. At the end of the day, a race car is a race car, and while setups evolve, the fundamentals remain very similar.

“But every time you trim the car out for qualifying, the wind, the weight, the different generations, they all present new challenges. This is just not an easy place – ever.”

David Malukas

Malukas Gives Bike Safety Advice

May is National Bike Safety Month, which Team Penske’s David Malukas (photo, above) is fully aware of.

His mountain bike accident in February 2024 led to his release from Arrow McLaren, which led to a part-time ride with Meyer Shank Racing, a move to AJ Foyt Racing and now a job with Roger Penske’s organization.

“I was wearing my safety gear,” he said of the incident in Florida that dislocated his left wrist and tore ligaments requiring surgery and keeping him out of the 2024 season’s first eight races. “(My advice is), make sure you double up on the safety gear, and if it's a bike you don't know, make sure the front and back brake are not swapped.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Odds and Ends

  • The nine “500” winners in this year’s field gathered Wednesday on the east side of the Pagoda for BorgWarner’s annual winner’s photograph. Those drivers were Castroneves, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rossi, Takuma Sato, Will Power, Ericsson, Josef Newgarden and Palou.
  • Hunter-Reay’s Arrow McLaren No. 31 Chevrolet (photo, above) will be sponsored by PrizePicks, a leading sports picks app. The look of the car, which the driver called “edgy,” was unveiled Wednesday in Miami while Hunter-Reay was testing at IMS.
  • Malukas made quick work of his first IMS test with Team Penske, and he credited working with engineer James Schnabel for a second year. The pairing finished second in last year’s “500” in an AJ Foyt Racing entry.
  • Davey Hamilton, a two-time INDYCAR SERIES runner-up and 11-time “500” starter, will again be the strategist on Jack Harvey’s car. Ironically, both men are forgoing their broadcast duties – Hamilton on INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls, Harvey on FOX – for the “500.”
  • Eric Leichtle, a senior structures engineer for Starship Mechanisms, engineered Robert Shwartzman’s pole-winning car at PREMA Racing last year. This year, he is working with Harvey at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
  • Andy O’Gara, a longtime INDYCAR SERIES crew member and husband of former driver Sarah Fisher, is back at the Speedway leading Katherine Legge’s program with HMD Motorsports with AJ Foyt Racing.