Empire State of Mind: Indy 500 champ Alex Palou having star moment in NYC

NEW YORK — Alex Palou went to throw out the first pitch at the New York Mets game Tuesday night and figured someone would recognize him and possibly heckle him.

Not for winning the Indianapolis 500 but for walking around in an Indiana Pacers jersey at the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers playoff game Sunday night while still sporting the 500 winner’s wreath.

“There was one or two people that said I was at the Pacers game [a couple nights] before,” said Palou, who, like most INDYCAR drivers, lives in Indianapolis. “And I was like, ‘Yeah.’

“But we won last night.”

Palou even went to the NBA store on Wednesday and stood outside of it wearing a Tyrese Haliburton jersey to show his Pacers fandom. 

So it appears Palou was having fun during his two-day media tour in New York City and was really enjoying himself.

“I just get to a van and they take me to different studios, different places, different TV shows,” Palou said Wednesday morning, as he stood on a balcony near the top of the Empire State Building.

“It’s been amazing. It’s been overwhelming. So fun. But this [view] is amazing.”

Palou couldn’t name all the media outlets he visited or the photos he took as he was shuttled from stop to stop, like the one he took in front of the NASDAQ building.

Amid the media stops, he has barely had any time to think about or talk to his team about the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend. He admits that, while he has gotten a little bit of sleep, he’s behind in race preparation.

“It’s not the ideal scenario or preparation or conditions,” Palou said. “But it’s amazing. I’m trying to enjoy every single second of it.

“And I think it’s a great opportunity to see how we can do with big challenges ahead.”

Palou also gets plenty of questions about his goals, especially about whether a move to Formula 1 is a possibility.

He said, as far as he knows, the Indy 500 win didn’t spark any inquiries from F1 teams. To be fair, his road-course prowess is what would attract F1 teams. And with the Indy 500 win, some might assume he’s accomplished everything a driver would want in INDYCAR and that he could be looking for a new challenge.

“Nothing has come up [from F1],” Palou said. “I’m perfect here. I’m super happy, the happiest I’ve ever been.

“At the end of the day, that’s what everybody looks for — being happy, winning races, being with my family. And here I just have an environment that is perfect.”

And there’s another league that’s not calling Palou, and that’s the MLB, after seeing his first pitch. 

His pitch ahead of the White Sox-Mets game needed a hop to get to the plate.

“That was not good,” Palou said. “I prepared a little bit, but the distance that we were preparing with was a lot shorter than the real one.

“And once I did the first pitch, it just went down. So not good. But it is what it is.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.