The return of IndyCar to Thermal Club for the second race of the 2025 season revealed a major advantage that Alex Palou now holds over his competitors.
Palou, the reigning two-time and three-time overall series champion, overcame a 12-second deficit and ultimately beat Pato O’Ward by 10 seconds in a caution-free race. Driving the No. 10 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, Palou has now won both races to start the 2025 season, including the opener in St. Petersburg, Florida.
No driver had opened a season with back-to-back victories since Scott Dixon did so in 2020. That year, Dixon won the championship even with just one additional win later on.
In Palou’s case, whenever he’s secured a win before the season finale, he’s always gone on to win the championship. His early dominance this year — with two wins and a 39-point lead over O’Ward, who has only one top 10 so far — makes him an even stronger favorite to win a third straight title.
Palou has already equaled his win count from the 2024 season. Notably, one of those wins came at Thermal Club, but it didn’t count for points since it was an exhibition “All-Star” event featuring heats and a main race, which Palou dominated from pole.
Now that Thermal Club hosts a full points-paying race and the Milwaukee Mile — where Palou struggled in 2024 — has lost one of its two scheduled races for 2025, Palou’s path to another championship appears even smoother, raising concerns among his rivals.
