Former NASCAR team owner hails “unbelievable” Alex Palou after his Indy 500 win 

Chip Ganassi, the former NASCAR team owner, showered praise on his IndyCar driver Alex Palou after the latter's 2025 Indy 500 triumph on Sunday. Palou secured his career's first Indy 500 victory to trigger a reaction from the Motorsports Hall of Famer.

Ganassi is a renowned American motorsports team owner whose organisation, Chip Ganassi Racing left a significant mark on NASCAR over two decades. Entering the NASCAR Cup Series in 2001, Ganassi’s teams fielded a variety of top drivers including Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch.

While CGR never captured a Cup Series championship, the team achieved over 44 wins across the Cup Series and Xfinity Series including victories at Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400. Ganassi in the Cup Series was known for his notable approach of bringing in drivers from diverse racing backgrounds. He is also known for bringing open-wheel racing stars including Dario Franchitti and dirt racing stars like Kyle Larson into NASCAR.

After his Spanish driver's long-awaited triumph at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chip Ganassi said via IndyCar on FOX:

"The guy is just unbelievable. I don't know what else to say. I mean, you know, we saved fuel all day doing this, doing that. And, you know, we were in the draft. And then at the end, we had those guys in front of us helping us. And he just beat everybody today. It's just great."

Chip Ganassi Racing is one of the most successful and storied teams in INDYCAR history having amassed 15 INDYCAR Championships and over 125 race wins since its inception in 1990.

Meanwhile, Alex Palou became the first Spanish driver to win the Indy 500. Palou made a decisive move with 15 laps remaining, overtaking Marcus Ericsson.

---

Chip Ganassi driver Alex Palou's reaction after the race

Alex Palou achieved a career-defining victory at the 2025 Indianapolis 500, finally conquering the prestigious race that had eluded him since his IndyCar debut in 2020.

After the race, he thanked his team for delivering an amazing win for him. Alex Palou said via live broadcast,

"I cannot believe it. What an amazing day. What an amazing race. Sorry, I'm out of breath. Just got really tired. The 10-crew, everyone at CGR, HRC, I cannot believe it. It's amazing to be here. It's amazing to win. There were some moments I felt really good, but at the end, I didn't know if I was gonna be able to pass Marcus. But yeah, made it happen. First oval win, what a better place (to do it than this)."

Andretti Global's Marcus Ericsson finished second and David Malukas of A.J. Foyt Enterprises claimed the third spot in the 2025 Indy 500 podium.