3 Takeaways After A Dramatic Indianapolis 500 Filled with Penalties, Wrecks and Historic Wins

Jeffrey Hrunka - Staff Writer

This is an opinion story about what Motorsports Today thinks fans need to watch heading into INDYCAR’s Summer Stretch. The take in each question is an opinion of Staff Writer Jeffrey Hrunka. 

Alex Palou continued to defy history with a win in the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 last Sunday, for his fifth victory of the season's first six races. Amid the celebrations, the race provided multiple storylines left unanswered, as penalties, underdog runs, and the fall of powerhouse teams highlighted the weekend. 

Here are three questions fans need to look at as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES progresses down its summer stretch.

Alex Palou deserves to be in Formula 1, but should he?

With the win, the three-time champion extended his championship lead to 112 points over the Arrow McLaren duo of Pato O' Ward and Christian Lundgaard. Similar to its international counterpart, it's a dominant multi-time champion fighting it out with a Papaya duo.

This presents the question of whether Palou should make the jump to Formula 1. Cadillac Racing has two vacant seats to fill for its debut season in Formula 1 in 2026. Hiring a driver who dominates an American motorsports series may be the way to go for an American outlet if the team wants to attract a large home audience.

However, for Palou and INDYCAR, this may be the worst decision imaginable. INDYCAR has the opportunity to call itself the most competitive open-wheel series, with the field running the same chassis, with the only thing separating teams being engine power and car adjustments. 

With Palou being so dominant, INDYCAR is calling for someone with equal or better talent to take him down, rather than relying on better equipment, as seen in Formula 1. As for Palou, it doesn’t make sense to leave a series where he is the class of the field, for a seat in a backmarker team that doesn't have the opportunity to win championships. It would continue to waste his talent.

Will Arrow-McLaren and Pato O’Ward become title challengers?

A constant topic of debate is whether Arrow-McLaren and O’Ward will challenge for an INDYCAR championship. The closest the pair got to accomplishing this feat was in 2021, when O’Ward claimed his first career win at Texas Motor Speedway. Since that standout performance, it has been a difficult three years of would-have, could-have and what-ifs.

If there was ever a year to break this cycle, it's 2025. Arrow McLaren has O’Ward and Lundgaard second and third in the standings, respectively, trailing championship leader Palou by 112 points.

While the gap is significant, O’Ward’s consistency on the ovals matched with Lundgaard's dominance on the road courses could spell bad news for the three-time champion. All they need is bad luck from Palou.

The issue Arrow McLaren and O’Ward consistently face is poor qualifying efforts, which puts them at a disadvantage compared to Palou, who frequently starts at the front of the field. That’s been the difference in podiums for the Mexican at Barber Motorsports Park for the Children's of Alabama Grand Prix and in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

If they clean up these issues, Palou could seem less invincible than we make him out to be.

Could the last set of INDYCAR veterans be on their way out?

Scott Dixon and Will Power have not had the start they wanted this season, as both drivers sit outside the top five in points. 

On paper, the results may not look bad, Dixon and Power have obtained penalties this season that have not only set them back but also put them out of contention for the podium places, with the duo combining for two to six races.

Power is in the last year of his contract, with young star David Malukas, primed to take his seat at Team Penske after a runner-up finish in the Indy 500. The 44-year-old Australian has shown a similar pace, with a best finish of third in the Sonsio Grand Prix. However, Malukas put up his result in worse equipment.

With Power only at a decline, a young, promising talent may show the door to the 44-year-old. If Power is forced to a worse team, will he still show the same drive to stay and compete?

As for Dixon, he has been in INDYCAR title contention once since winning his sixth championship back in 2020. He has not shown the same pace as his teammate Alex Palou, with the Kiwi earning a best finish of second in St. Petersburg to start the season. 

For everything Dixon has accomplished at Chip-Ginassi Racing, he won’t be forced off the team until he wants to retire. My only worry is that he may face a similar fate to his former teammate Jimmie Johnson, who continued to run in the NASCAR Cup Series far past his prime, ultimately tarnishing his legacy.