Alex Palou is making all the right moves as he seeks to win the IndyCar championship for a third consecutive year.
Palou has opened the 2025 season with wins on the street course at St. Petersburg and followed that up Sunday with a win on the Thermal road course.
The closing laps of the race at Thermal was interesting with Palou using the right strategy in the closing laps to pass pole winner Pato O’Ward.
O’Ward led the majority of the race but as the laps declined, it was Palou with the right tire strategy that claimed the victory.
There should be little doubt that Palou is an up and coming star in IndyCar, but credit has to be given to the Ganassi Racing team for implementing the right strategy to finish the day with a victory.
The most impressive drive of the day was turned in by Will Power who started 21st in the field and drove to a sixth place finish.
Tire strategy is always critical in IndyCar as evidenced by the facing of Marcus Armstrong late in the race. After running in the top five for most of the day, Armstrong faded at the finish, but still managed to come home in seventh.
Kyle Larson punched his ticket into the NASCAR Chase by winning at Homestead, overcoming several mistakes to claim the win.
He joins Christopher Bell, Josh Berry and William Byron as race winners in NASCAR.
In other racing news: Anderson’s Trent Gossar finished third in the Vores Compact Touring Series race at Five Flags Speedway in Florida.
Tom Gossar of Markleville finished fourth and Lafayette’s Aaron Tatman emerged as the race winner.
Former Little 500 champion Jake Trainor has entered the 77th Little 500 at Anderson Speedway.
Trainor won the race as a rookie in 2024.
Two other drivers from New England have submitted entries for the Little 500 with Anthony Nocella looking to make his second start.
New Hampshire driver Chase Locke will be hoping to make his first Little 500 start.
