Palou Valiantly Chases History, But Rasmussen Steals Milwaukee Mile Victory
Give Alex Palou credit. He didn’t let up, and he didn’t give in – at least not without a fight.
The driver already assured of his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship valiantly chased history Sunday, dominating the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 in a bid to match A.J. Foyt’s record of 10 wins in a single season, a mark that has stood for more than 60 years.
As the top qualifier,Palou led 199 of the first 234 laps only to lose the lead of the 250-lap race on tire strategy. Palou and two other frontrunners didn’t retreat to pit road for new Firestone Firehawks during a late caution, and it cost them as Christian Rasmussen stormed to the front.
but Palou made Rasmussen earn what he got. Their two cars went side-by-side through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 235, and they appeared to have contact as they motored onto the front straightaway. Rasmussen’s fresher tires proved to be the difference, and he did the rest to become the series’ first first-time winner as Christian Lundgaard in 2023 at Toronto.”He always races hard,” Palou said of Ed Carpenter Racing’s spirited driver. “He was going to pass me or go to the fence.”
Palou settled for second place and confirmation that the most wins he can achieve this season is nine. One final opportunity will come next weekend in the season-ending Borchetta Bourbon Music city Grand Prix presented by WillScot (2 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) at Nashville Superspeedway.
“I knew he was fourth, then next corner he was third, then he was second,” palou said of Rasmussen’s march from the seventh position after the restart on Lap 222. “He was only a second and a half (behind). Then I started pushing 100 percent.
“I wanted to get at least one more second (ahead) or try and extend a little bit more the laps. I couldn’t make it. I knew that he was coming and (his getting alongside in Turn 3) caught me by surprise. obviously, I didn’t want him to overtake me. He was very good on the outside in (Turns) 1 and 2, getting great exits. Also, (Turns) 3 and 4.
“Yeah, I couldn’t do very much.”
Palou can’t be blamed for letting this win get away. He drove brilliantly, knifing through traffic better than anyone else for most of the race. At one point Palou led by nearly 10 seconds, and at the final restart he had a two-car buffer from second-place Scott McLaughlin. The winner of two other oval races this season was going to earn a third, barring a dramatic turn of events.
That turn of events came from the clouds. On Lap 209,