Alex Palou Pads Championship Lead With Iowa Win: 'It's Magical'

NEWTON, Iowa — Alex Palou could skip the next two races and still have at least a 21-point lead over the next closest driver with three races remaining.

Palou has no plans to skip a race. But with a 129-point lead on Pato O’Ward with five races remaining, he can race knowing it would take a total collapse for him to lose the championship.

Alex Palou celebrates in victory lane with his team during Race 2 at Iowa Speedway

The thing is, Palou, following his win Sunday at Iowa Speedway, said they have raced that way all year, that they have raced that way in most of his championship seasons in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

"Honestly, that’s how we've been racing since Race 1 in St. Pete," Palou said. "We started racing not thinking about the points because it was the first race of the season. And I raced hard today, as hard as I could, risking everything because I wanted to get the win and I wanted to fight hard.

"I don't think we've ever raced for points. The only places I remember was probably Nashville last year and Long Beach in 2021, where you know that if you finish in [a certain] position, you can be the champion."

The contenders just know they are racing against greatness. 

O’Ward finished fifth on Sunday in the second race of the Iowa doubleheader, a day after he won the first race of the weekend. That would, on most weekends, cut into the championship lead.

Pato O'Ward interview in Victory Circle after winning Race 1 at Iowa

But Palou built on Saturday's fifth-place finish and rode to a victory on Sunday. With a pole and the number of laps he led, he actually earned four more points over the weekend than O’Ward.

"He’s got to not finish for two races, and we’ve got to be on the podium — or even winning — and maybe we’ll