Alex Palou sends a clear verdict after shattering polesitter Pato O’Ward’s dreams at the Thermal Club Grand Prix

Alex Palou, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, won the Thermal Club Grand Prix in Thermal California on Sunday, March 23. Pole sitter Pato O'Ward was forced to settle in for second place after being passed by Palou during the final 15 laps.

Palou and his strategist put together a masterful race strategy. He won the race by 10.1854 seconds to clinch his 13th career win. While O'Ward looked to take the chequered flag, his dreams were soon crushed.

Speaking to Indycar staff writer Paul Kelly after the race, Alex Palou reflected on the weekend and what worked for them during the race.

“What an amazing weekend. We had a really fast car since practice, and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing on the 10 car executed perfectly. We knew it was aggressive to start with the used reds (alternate tires), and we knew that we were looking toward the end of the race with that 10 car, and we did it,” Palou said.

On Saturday, March 22, Alex Palou qualified in third position. During the initial stages of the race, the McLaren duo Pato O'Ward and Christian Lundgaard managed to keep Palou away. However, the last pit stop changed the course of the race.

Towards the end of Lap 49, Palou chose the Firestone Firehawk alternate compound tires, while O'Ward opted for the Firestone Firehawk primary compound tires. The alternate tires allowed Palou to blaze past Lundgaard and O'Ward.

Even though O'Ward controlled most of the race, Palou dominated the last 15 laps. This victory also made Palou the first driver to win the season's first two races since Scott Dixon in 2020.

Alex Palou apologizes to the fans for the loss of broadcast during the Thermal Club Grand Prix

FOX's Thermal Club Grand Prix broadcast was interrupted from lap 28 through lap 65. During his post-race interview with Jack Harvey from IndyCar, Alex Palou apologized to IndyCar fans about the issue.

"Thank you, and thank you to all of the fans. I heard there were some issues with the broadcast, so sorry to all the fans, and thank you for sticking with us," Palou said.

Will Buxton explained that the main cause for the interruption was the loss of power at the Thermal Club. While the IndyCar broadcast was down, FOX began broadcasting the NASCAR race.

FOX has been in hot waters since the beginning of the season, with multiple disrupting the St. Petersburg race broadcast. IndyCar's long-term broadcast partner will look forward to resolving all the issues before the next race at ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach scheduled for April 13.