Palou Sets the Pace at Sonsio Grand Prix

(SPEEDWAY, IN) – Friday’s opening practice session for the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway delivered a familiar storyline: Alex Palou once again proved why he’s the driver to beat on the IMS road course. The 4-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion topped the charts with a blistering lap of 1:10.0904, continuing his remarkable run of form at this venue.

Palou’s speed in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda reaffirmed his mastery of the 14-turn, 2.439-mile layout, where he has won the last 3 editions of the event. Despite cool conditions—air temperatures in the high 50s and a track surface barely above 60 degrees—Palou quickly adapted, noting that the team was “trying a couple of things” to dial in the car for the evolving track.

 Practice Results

“It was a good start,” Palou said. “The No. 10 car was really, really fast. Same as last year here. We’re just trying a couple of things, seeing if we can get it more toward these track conditions.”

Behind him, Graham Rahal in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda continued his strong history at IMS by securing 2nd with a lap of 1:10.1979, while Kyle Kirkwood in the No. 27 JM Bullion Andretti Global Honda slotted into 3rd at 1:10.2146, keeping pressure on the championship leader. The top five was rounded out by Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 Morgan Wallen Radio Meyer Shank Racing Honda and David Malukas, the latter emerging as the quickest Chevrolet-powered driver in the session in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske entry.

The session also highlighted the narrow performance gap across the field—less than half a second separated Palou from 12th-place Louis Foster in the No. 45 Desnuda RLL Racing Honda—suggesting a tightly contested weekend ahead. Chip Ganassi Racing, which has won the last 4 IMS road course races, once again showed formidable depth with Kyffin Simpson in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda and Scott Dixon in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda both inside the top ten.

With more practice, qualifying, and an 85-lap race still to come, the Sonsio Grand Prix weekend is shaping up to be another thrilling chapter in the 2026 INDYCAR season. All eyes remain on Palou, whose early pace signals he may be poised for yet another victory at the Racing Capital of the World.