Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh driver Alex Palou’s #55 Guaranteed Rate Honda was the quickest car on track, but in a race where passing was extremely limited, the rookie had to settle with a 12th place finish in Race 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday.

Starting 14th, Palou lost a couple of positions at the start but managed to gain one spot back to move into 15^th place. With passing being very difficult for everyone on track, the Spaniard held his position for the majority of his first stint.

Once all cars on track had completed their first pit stops, Palou had moved into 14th, where once again he would remain until his second stop on Lap 92.

Shortly after completing his third and final pit stop that allowed him to gain a couple more spots, Palou registered the fastest race lap on Lap 147 with a time of 25.69 seconds around the 1.25-mile oval. Despite his speed, the rookie would take the checkered flag in 12^th position.

“That was an uneventful race. It was super difficult to pass. I think the only passing that happened was at the start and with the pit strategy where we gained four or five positions. It was easy to follow other cars but just very hard to get a run on them, and that was the same for everyone on track. It ended up being about strategy and trying to make that work in our favor. It’s a shame because we had a really fast car, we had the fastest race lap and that shows how good our #55 Guaranteed Rate car is. I felt really comfortable with the car, it’s too bad we couldn’t finish any higher,” shared Palou.

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh driver Alex Palou’s race got off to a bad start at World Wide Technology Raceway after a questionable penalty sent him to the back of the field at the start. The rookie went on to cross the finish line in 15th place aboard his #55 Guaranteed Rate Honda.

Palou, who qualified 11th earlier in the day, was heading down the front stretch for the start of the race when cars in front of him slowed down as they waited for the green flag to fly. In order to avoid contact with the car in front of him, Palou jumped out of line and made it through unharmed while others spun behind him. However, the rookie would end up being penalized for getting out of formation before taking the green flag, even if it was to avoid contact.

The penalty meant that Palou had to take the Lap 14 restart from 18th. The driver of the #55 Guaranteed Rate Honda made it back up to 11th before his first pit stop on Lap 63 but continued on in 15th once stops had cycled through.

Palou climbed into the top 10 on Lap 102 a few laps before a caution for very light rain falling on the raceway. However, the rookie fell back to 13th when the race resumed on Lap 122.

In the later part of the race, the Spaniard stayed out as long as possible before making his final stop, in the hopes a caution would play in his favor, but it wasn’t meant to be, and Palou ended the race in 15th.

“The race didn’t start off like we wanted. I tried to avoid hitting the car in front of me as we were coming to take the green flag. They checked up in front of me and I pulled out of line to avoid contact, but I still got penalized for pulling out of line before the green. Because of that we got sent to the back and started last. From there, we just tried to make our way back up. We were a bit lucky with the yellow and made it back to the top 10. However, on the last restart I lost some places. We tried to go long before our last pit stop, hoping that a caution would come out, but it didn’t go our way. Tomorrow we have another race and the #55 Guaranteed Rate car is really strong so I’m looking forward to it.”

Palou will be starting Race 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway from the 14th place on the grid. The second part of the doubleheader weekend  goes green at 2:45pm local time (3:45pm ET) and will be broadcast live on NBCSN.

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh driver Alex Palou saw his impressive performance at his first Indianapolis 500 end in heartbreak after contact with the wall. The rookie was running ninth when he lost control of his #55 Guaranteed Rate Honda coming out of Turn 1 on Lap 122.

Starting seventh, Palou lost a few positions at the start of the race, falling just outside of the Top 10. Despite moving back in the field, the rookie kept up with the lead pack all while gaining valuable experience around the 2.5-mile famed oval.

Palou made it back into the top 10 by lap 61 and climbed all the way to fourth before making his second pit stop of the race three laps later. With other cars on a different pit stop strategy, Palou exited the pits in 20th. However, by the time he was ready to make his next stop under caution at the end of Lap 87, the Spaniard had moved up to 12th.

The rookie was running 13^th when the race returned to green flag conditions on Lap 101. Palou started moving up, passing veteran drivers like Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay on his way back up to ninth.

Sadly, that would be as high as he would get as he spun coming out of Turn 1 on Lap 122, putting an end to what has been an impressive debut for the rookie at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Palou, who ended up 28th, still leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 127 points.

“It’s a shame. I don’t really know what happened, if I was too low or too high. It’s difficult to say when you are going so quick. I had been working on getting a run on Newgarden for 2 or 3 laps because I think our car was quicker than his,” explained Palou. “It’s just a big shame for all the Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh crew, Guaranteed Rate and our other sponsors that were behind us, and for me. It was my first Indy 500 and I wanted to finish. I think we had a car capable of winning. We’ll come back stronger for sure. When I look at my experience as a whole, it’s been awesome being here, it’s really nice to drive at this historic place, I just want to go back out there now. I learned a lot about driving. I turned so many laps and I was learning every lap. It was a lot of fun. I just wish it didn’t end the way it did.”

Despite the disappointing end to his first Indianapolis 500, Palou put in an outstanding performance over the two weeks, completing every practice session in the top 10, making it into the Fast Nine for qualifying, registering the fastest single lap (231.901mph) of the nine drivers in the Fast Nine qualifying session and posting the fastest trap speed of all drivers at 240.288mph.

Palou and his Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh squad will be back in action next weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway for a doubleheader weekend.

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh driver Alex Palou took part in the Fast Nine qualifying session on Sunday in which he secured himself a seventh place on the starting grid for next Sunday’s 104th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Despite registering the fastest single lap of the nine drivers in the session with a speed of 231.901 mph around the 2.5-mile oval, Palou experienced an issue with his weight jacker on his first lap which made it impossible to make adjustments on his next three laps to help keep up his speed. The rookie ended up with a four-lap average speed of 229.676mph which initially placed him second on the provisional grid.

Today’s qualifying result ties Palou’s best oval start of the season.

Position: 7th

Lap 1: 231.901 mph

Lap 2: 230.364 mph

Lap 3: 228.083 mph

Lap 4: 228.398 mph

Average: 229.676 mph

Alex Palou – #55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh

“We had some issues on our run. The team is looking into it, but it looks like the weight jacker malfunctioned. We had the speed, it was in the car, we just couldn’t put the lap together. It’s a shame, but at the end of the day, we are in the Fast Nine which was our first objective. I would have loved to be on pole, just like the 32 other drivers that are here, but it’s ok. I’m not happy with my run today, but overall, I’m super happy with how the week is going. We can now focus on the race. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The 104^th running of the Indianapolis will go green on Sunday, August 23 at 2:30pm ET and will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm ET.

– Rookie driver will be fighting for pole position in Fast Nine Qualifying on Sunday –

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh rookie Alex Palou continued to impress on Saturday during the first day of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 by placing seventh quickest and giving himself the opportunity for a shot at pole position in Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying session.

Palou was the 23rd driver to take to the 2.5-mile oval and he immediately jumped to the top of the timing charts thanks to a first lap of 231.552 mph. However, with a small loss of speed over his next couple of laps he fell to fourth following his third lap and ended up placing sixth after his run. Ultimately, Palou’s four-lap average of 231.034mph was the seventh quickest on the day. Next weekend’s Indianapolis 500 start will only be Palou’s third oval race of his career.

Position: 7th

Lap 1: 231.552 mph

Lap 2: 231.211 mph

Lap 3: 230.808 mph

Lap 4: 230.546 mph

Average: 231.034 mph

Team Goh Motorsports; driver Alex Palou; Indy 500 Practice and Qualifying; Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, August 13-16, 2020.

Alex Palou – #55 Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh

“That was awesome to complete a qualifying run here at Indy. The Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh crew gave me such a great car. It’s so enjoyable to drive, every lap. I think we had a really good first three days of practice. We already felt really comfortable yesterday. The speed was there. The car has a lot of speed, so I was really confident and comfortable with the car balance. We just did the job we’ve been doing all these days and we’re in the Fast Nine. I think that’s really amazing in my first year here for me, for the team, for everybody. It shows how all my crew worked to give me the best car possible. I think we’re able to fight. I don’t know about fighting for the pole because there are a lot of really fast cars out there, but we will study tonight and see if we can go for it. Just starting in the top 9 is going to be awesome for my first Indy 500. I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be a bit easier going into tomorrow because now I know how it works, what you feel when you’re waiting there with the engine off and you hear all the cars go by and you don’t really know what’s going on. I think it’s going to be a bit calmer. I know what to do now. It was the first four consecutive laps I did in qualifying mode. We’re ready for tomorrow. I’m super happy and this gives me a lot of motivation for the Fast Nine qualifying. I think it’s going to be a great day for the team.”

Team Goh Motorsports; driver Alex Palou; Indy 500 Practice and Qualifying; Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana USA, August 13-16, 2020.

Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying session will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm to 3:00pm ET.

The 104^th running of the Indianapolis will go green on Sunday, August 23 at 2:30pm ET and will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm ET.

Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh rookie Alex Palou took to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first time on Wednesday. The driver of the #55 Honda successfully ran through all phases of rookie orientation (ROP) and was 8th quickest out of the 33-car field at the end of first day on track.

Palou ran through the three ROP phases during the rookie session at 1pm completing 10 laps in the 205mph to 210mph range, another 10 laps in the 210mph – 215mph window and 10 laps at 215mph and higher.

Following rookie practice, Palou was able to take to the track with the whole field for a 2.5-hour practice session in which he ran a fastest lap of 223.104mph.

“This is such a different place than the two other ovals I’ve been to. It’s a crazy place, in a good way,” expressed Palou. “That was a lot of fun getting to run with everyone after the Rookie Orientation earlier today. Right now, running alone is easier than with traffic. I think I got really comfortable in the rookie session and again this afternoon running alone. But then I was just getting up to speed running in traffic. I was able to follow the cars ahead of me but I’m still working on overtaking them. I’m taking it one step at a time. We have a full day tomorrow and Friday to keep working on that. I think we have a fast car. The Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh crew did a really good job on the set up and preparing the car.”

Palou will have two more days of practice on Thursday and Friday with sessions running from 11am to 5:30pm, ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.

Saturday’s qualifying session will go green at 11am ET and will be streamed live on the NBC Sports Gold app. Fans can also watch the final two hours of qualifying from 3pm to 5pm live on NBC.

Positions 10 to 33 will be determined on Saturday, August 15, while Saturday’s top 9 cars will have a chance at pole position on Sunday, August 16.  Sunday’s Fast Nine qualifying will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm to 3:00pm ET.

The 104^th running of the Indianapolis will go green on Sunday, August 23 at 2:30pm ET and will be broadcast live on NBC from 1:00pm ET.

Alex Palou, Rookie Driver of Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh got a new helmet with special graphics designed by Veneratio Designs for the upcoming Indianapolis 500-mile race.

Alex is introducing his new special helmet for 2020 Indianapolis 500. 

Here is 360°visual

Alex is relaxing with his new helmet at home this weekend.

Cannot wait for the opening day of Indy 500!  Practice 1 will be held on 12 Augusut.

Check out the detailed on -trak schedule.