Bruce Martin
Special to FOXSports.com
INDIANAPOLIS — In a city full of institutions, two of the most famous in the capital city of Indiana are the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and a venerable establishment downtown — St. Elmo Steakhouse. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened in 1909 and held the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. St. Elmo Steakhouse opened in 1902 and has become famous for its tongue-burning, sinus-clearing shrimp cocktail, made with fresh horseradish and its thick, juicy steaks.
So, to continue that theme, Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is the appetizer — or in this case — the St. Elmo’s shrimp cocktail. It whets the palate for the feast that follows on May 25, the 109th Indianapolis 500.
Saturday’s 12th running of the Sonsio Grand Prix was as predictable as the fiery burn from the first bite of the shrimp cocktail, as Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing won it for the third year in a row.
It was also his fourth victory in the first five races of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season. Palou has won three NTT IndyCar Series championships in four seasons, including the last two in a row. He enters the 109th Indianapolis 500 with a 97-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global in the battle for the championship.
Palou’s latest victory was a spicy affair. He started on the pole but lost the lead in Turn 1 when Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing passed him on the outside.
Rahal would lead 49 laps in the 85-lap race, but Palou was sizing him up like a 90-day, dry-aged ribeye, ready to devour the juicy piece of meat.
It finally happened on Lap 58, when Palou’s No. 10 DHL Honda went side by side with Rahal’s No. 15 Honda through the infield portion of the road course. Palou completed the pass in Turn 7 and never looked back.
“I happen to like the shrimp cocktail,” Palou told FOXSports.com. “It’s very spicy and very hot.
“But I really like a big juicy steak, and to me, that would be winning the Indianapolis 500.”
Palou knows all about bringing the heat, as he is on fire in INDYCAR and nobody has an extinguisher.
Then came another shocker to the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.
A yellow flag.
That’s right, the yellow flag actually made its second appearance of the season, its first since it was displayed from Laps 1-6 in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2. Since that time, INDYCAR races have included 408-straight laps of green flag racing.
That meant no late-race restarts and ultimately, no chances to compete for position. This has played into Palou’s dominance this season.
On Lap 70, David Malukas’ No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet ran off course in Turn 8 and stalled. The fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway seated on the frontstretch reacted by imploring the flagman to wave the yellow flag.
When INDYCAR Race Control finally issued the caution and the yellow flags waved, the fans let loose with the loudest cheer of the race.
Who knew that caution periods were so popular?
“I thought there was going to be a caution in Lap 1 today because Turn 1 is tough. But especially Turn 7, we’ve normally seen a lot of accidents,” Palou said afterward. “So, when that didn’t happen, I was, like, ‘Oh, man, there’s a chance that with everybody running the same strategy because we’re forced into doing that, there might be no yellows at all.’
“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if it was a mechanical issue or just a contact. But yeah, I didn’t like that, to see the caution. Whenever there was a caution, I was, like, ‘No, come on, I just got the lead, let me go.’”
POST-RACE INTERVIEWS: Álex Palou and Pato O’Ward
Palou had no reason to worry because when the green flag waved on Lap 72 and Pato O’Ward’s Chevrolet was second, Palou was able to maintain his advantage and drive away to his 15th career win.
“Yeah, I’m happy that even with the restart we were able to hold the lead,” Palou said.
The other drivers in the race did not share the same sentiment.
Rahal told his race strategist and timing stand after the race that the Chip Ganassi Racing Honda’s have such superior speed and handling that they can accelerate at a different pace on the straightaways and can easily overtake and still pull away in the corners.
Palou defeated O’Ward by 5.484 seconds in the final 13 laps. Rahal was visibly frustrated in pit lane that after a brilliant race, he lost grip on the rear tires late in the race and finished sixth.
“Those Ganassi cars are just in a league of their own,” Rahal said. “The grip they have, the ability to follow so close compared to everybody else, I don’t know.
“It’s not just Alex. It was the same with Scott Dixon. I was genuinely proud. I didn’t lock up once, I didn’t put one wheel wrong, I defended as best as I could.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Sonsio Grand Prix Highlights
“They are just in a league of their own. It’s a different stratosphere of grip.
“I did my best. I tried to drive as flawlessly as I could because that was the only way to beat them. We’re just not in their league right now.”
But nobody in INDYCAR is in Palou’s league right now. He won the first two races of the season, then finished second in the April 13 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach to Kyle Kirkwood.
Since that time, Palou has rebounded with two-straight victories, including last Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park and Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
“I tried,” Rahal told FOXSports.com. “They are so fast and not just a little. It’s everywhere. They accelerate on a different pace. It’s like they have 10 extra pounds of boost.
“It’s wild.
“I had every driver come up and down pit lane today telling me to take it to him. We did the best we could, and I tried to make them proud, but they are on a different level right now and we all have a lot of catching up to do.”
Bruce Martin is a veteran motorsports writer and contributor to FOXSports.com. Follow him on X at @BruceMartin_500.
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