Alex Palou defends title in Alabama in runaway fashion

Alex Palou of Spain got back to dominating the competition when he beat the field at the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix by 13.2775 seconds Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

Palou, winner of four of the past five IndyCar Series championships, started from the pole and led 79 of the race's 90 laps.

It was his second win in four races this season and his first since the season opener March 1 at St. Petersburg, Fla. It also marked Palou's third win at Barber, following 2021 and last year.

"Incredible day," Palou said. "I told you qualifying was one of the best car balances I've ever driven. Today in the race, it was pretty good in the beginning, really good at the end, but we suffered a little bit on the used blacks (Firestone Firehawk primary tires) that we had to use.

"Another win here. Love this place, love the fans. What a great day."

Palou's No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was rarely tested, but Christian Lundgaard of Denmark rose up from 10th on the grid to lead 10 laps on his way to claiming second place.

Lundgaard picked up the lead during Palou's final pit stop, but when it was time for the Dane to pit his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet he lost valuable time on his right-rear wheel change.

Lundgaard said he believed he could have beaten Palou but did not want his pit crew to hang their heads.

"We know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him. It's unfortunate," Lundgaard said. "The guys have done an amazing job, and I don't think (that mistake has) ever really happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it's OK."

Graham Rahal finished third, about one second behind Lundgaard. David Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five.

--Field Level Media