Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
When he captured the pole for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, 26-year-old Alex Palou took another step towards achieving a feat only two other drivers have done; sweep the month of May.
RETWEET to congratulate @AlexPalou!
#Indy500 POLE WINNER! pic.twitter.com/dZ3ulkBYoV
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 21, 2023
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After taking the GMR Grand Prix on the road course at IMS back on May 13th, Palou put himself in position to join Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) as the only drivers to complete the rare accomplishment.
The next step in that process was getting ready for Indy 500 Qualifications and fighting to earn a spot in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Earning a spot is a battle in and of itself, but to actually be the pole sitter by the time the dust settled for the fastest field in Indy 500 history? That’s an entirely different ball game.
The run that sealed it all.
#INDYCAR // @AlexPalou pic.twitter.com/glctRCavju
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 21, 2023
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Yet Palou managed to get it done on Sunday, outlasting the competition in the Firestone Fast Six and set a new record for fastest four lap pole run average in Indy 500 history with his 234.217 mph average.
Records are meant to be broken.
@AlexPalou now holds the fastest 4-lap average pole speed in Indianapolis 500 history. pic.twitter.com/E6tFP0LOWT
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 21, 2023
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The mark surpassed the previous record set of 234.046 set by Scott Dixon just last year. To put into context just how fast things were at Quals even further, the entire first row for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 posted four lap averages faster than Dixon’s 2022 record.
Of Power and Pagenaud only Simon was able to be both the pole sitter and the race day victor, a spot Palou hopes to find himself come Sunday. He’d also be the first Indy 500 winner to win the pole and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing since Pagenaud’s historic month of May in 2019.
It’s well within the reach of Alex Palou, but can he take advantage of the opportunity and secure his first Indy 500 win?
POLE FOR THE 107th RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500!
@AmericanLegion @CGRTeams #Indy500 pic.twitter.com/drExpKGMW6
— Alex Palou Montalbo (@AlexPalou) May 21, 2023
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Monday on The Fan Midday Show the TV Voice of the Pacers and a member of the incredible broadcasting team for the 107th Running of the Indy 500 Chris Denari stopped by to give us his takeaways from Alex Palou’s continued dominance this May.
Denari also spoke with us about:
- the bumping of Graham Rahal by Jack Harvey
- how the Indy Car radio broadcasts seem so seamless and perfect every year
- what his biggest takeaways were from Indy 500 Qualifications
- the chances Alex Palou completes a sweep of the month of May
Plus, we talked a little Pacers with Chris including the importance of this offseason in the team’s rebuild and potential avenues for the team with the 7th pick in next month’s NBA Draft.
Check out our full conversation with Chris Denari below and keep listening to The Fan Midday Show, weekdays 12-3pm Eastern, on The Fan.
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The post Alex Palou On The Doorstep Of Rare “Month Of May” Sweep appeared first on 93.5 / 107.5 The Fan.
Alex Palou On The Doorstep Of Rare “Month Of May” Sweep was originally published on 1075thefan.com
