Indy 500 Champion Alex Palou Breaks Silence on Potential NASCAR debut

2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou has expressed interest in trying his hand at NASCAR, despite his limited experience on Ovals.

Indy 500 Champion Alex Palou Breaks Silence on Potential NASCAR debut

Alex Palou (via Getty)

Alex Palou recently made history by winning the 109th running of the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Notably, Palou became the first Spanish driver to ever emerge victorious on the ovals of the Indianapolis. Now, being fresh off his winning streak, the 28-year-old has shared his opinion on wanting to try his hand at other categories of motorsports, particularly NASCAR.

Alex Palou won his first-ever race on an oval track at the Indy 500 after participating in it for multiple years. The Spaniard started from P6 on the grid and maintained his performance throughout the race without making any mistakes. Palou won the Indy 500 in his sixth year, and it is safe to say that he has enough experience racing around the ovals.

Due to this, Palou now feels confident to potentially try out racing in the oval-dominated motorsport, NASCAR. Moreover, the American sport also contains multiple street circuits, which might provide a great challenge to the 109th Indy 500 winner. Following his massive feat on Sunday, the Spaniard expressed his willingness to compete in NASCAR soon.

Alex Palou asserts his readiness to race at the Ovals of NASCAR, albeit in a completely different car setup. The 28-year-old reckoned that the completely different racing style of NASCAR attracted him furthermore to trying it out. The Spaniard didn’t hesitate to accept that he would remain outperformed by the other drivers, as he would still try to give it a fair shot.

Oh, absolutely, I would be down for that. I mean, it’s a very different car, very different kind of racing. I know I would get smashed by all of you guys on ovals, but I would love to give it a try on a road or a street course.

Alex Palou said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.

Alex Palou refuses to leave IndyCar despite achieving success in other categories

Alex Palou has been participating in the IndyCar since the 2020 season, and he has achieved great success in the sport. The Spaniard has achieved over three coveted IndyCar championships over the course of his career. As such, despite achieving success in other categories, Palou refuses to call it quits from the motorsport that gave him his everything.

Alex Palou showcasing three IndyCar championships (via The-Race)
Alex Palou showcasing three IndyCar championships (via The-Race)

Palou lists out his fears of quitting IndyCar and its consequences if he were to then return to the sport after a few years. The 28-year-old reckoned that he would lose all his capabilities and potential against the newer generation of drivers in IndyCar if he were to leave at any point. As such, the Spaniard clearly states that leaving the sport entirely was something that didn’t cross his mind in the recent couple of years.

I don’t want to leave now. Even if they say, ‘No, don’t worry, you can come back in one or two years.’ What if suddenly everyone is here and I’m never able to catch back up to them? And it wasn’t in my mind last year, and it’s not in my mind this year.

Alex Palou said on the Indianapolis Star.

NASCAR is continuing to evolve in terms of track style and racing format, as it now has over six different street-style circuits. This means that Alex Palou has a great shot at succeeding in some of the races if he manages the stock car well. Plenty of other IndyCar drivers have debuted in NASCAR in a similar manner, and achieved success as Palou could be the next big thing in the sport.

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