ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Alex Palou begins the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season in the same place he finished 2024 first in the championship points race.

Palou drove a masterful race on the streets of St. Petersburg on Sunday, leading the final 26 laps to score his 12th IndyCar Series victory of his career in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

It was also a 1-2 finish for Chip Ganassi Racing as teammate Scott Dixon passed Team Penskes Josef Newgarden on the final lap as Newgardens No. 2 PPG Chevrolet ran out of fuel.

Palou is a three-time IndyCar Series champion, including two-straight in 2023 and 2024. The last time the defending IndyCar Series champion won the first race of the season was 2011 when Dario Franchitti won on the streets of St. Petersburg. Franchitti went on to win his third-straight IndyCar Series championship later that season.

Palou is attempting to become the first driver to win three-straight IndyCar Series Championships in 2025.

Franchitti scored all three of his Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar championships in the No. 10 car. He also won the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship when he was driving for what is now known as Andretti Global.

Palous three IndyCar Series titles, including the 2021 championship, have been in the No. 10 CGR entry.

The numbers are looking good for Palou this year.

I couldnt be happier, Palou said. Its been a long off-season and a tough off-season for everybody at CGR and HRC (Honda Racing Corporation). This was one of the places that weve been struggling in the past, and we wanted to get a little bit closer to the competition.

I wanted to be here in Victory Lane, but I did not expect maybe to be here in Victory Lane.

That shows the amazing job that all the men and women did at Chip Ganassi Racing during the off-season. One-two for the team, I dont know what Chip said, but I bet hes pretty happy.

Team owner Chip Ganassi was certainly happy, especially after Dixon was able to race his way to second place as Newgardens Chevrolet was sputtering with a fuel issue.

Youre right, he told Palou after he made that comment.

Newgarden started 10th and was hoping to make amends for 2024 when he won the race at St. Petersburg, only to be disqualified six weeks later when IndyCar discovered Team Penske had manipulated the push-to-pass system in the car.

Newgarden was tracking down Palous Honda in the closing laps before encountering a fuel issue, a result of an air pocket in the No. 2 fuel tank prevented Team Penske from putting a full load of fuel into Newgardens machine.

We just had fuel miscues today two times, Newgarden explained. We had a shift that was unexpected with a lap to go, and we just had to hit the emergency button, which was unfortunate. We started that last lap like half emergency mode, and then they said, You just have to pull the chute here. Like just finish.

Yeah, it happens. Its unfortunate.

To have miscues like that and to still finish third I think is a great day in a lot of ways. Really pleased to come out of here with points. Obviously, theres a lot more that could have been.

Second-place finisher Dixon also had an issue throughout the race with his radio. It kept cutting in and out and his team in the pits were unable to communicate with the driver.

Yeah, no radio for the entire race, Dixon explained. It was kind of tough just to see what we were doing, mileage-wise. I knew it was going to be a lot tighter, obviously; once the first caution happened, it was going to be a strict kind of two-stopper.

The radio kind of worked on the warm-up laps and kind of for the first 10 and that was about it, but ultimately cost us the race, I think, with not coming in when I should have, I think, with about maybe the same lap as Alex. We caught that traffic with about five or six cars and lost about two or three seconds on that in lap, so that was a bit of a nightmare.

The car was good. I think pit stops were really good. I think all around, we had good speed.

I think anytime that we had clean air, we could definitely stretch out but spent most of the race in dirty air. Its kind of the first time Ive ever done a whole race without a radio, so that was interesting.

We needed like a lap board out there or something.

Im glad we got some good points and a nice one, too, for the team.

Pole winner Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske finished fourth after leading 40 laps. Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global finished fifth and complained the disparity between the Firestone Black primary tires and the Green Alternates were too drastic.

Firestone wanted a greater variation between the blacks and the greens this year to create more strategy. That was something many drivers favored, but not Kirkwood.

I didnt want any difference, I dont know who is telling you that, Kirkwood said. Firestone wanted some differences to spice of the strategy a little bit for the street courses to get more passes, but that is the nature of the street courses its hard to pass.

The green tires were very soft and only lasted a few laps. Everyone would jump off of them after a few laps. They were deadly, and everybody wanted to get off of them and that is due to how soft they are.

We nailed all the boxes, had good stops, we started on the right tire, on the same strategy as all the other guys and were definitely a top five, top four car today.

Powers Short Day

It was a miserable birthday weekend for two-time IndyCar Series champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power. He turned 44 on Saturday, but his team had to use three different Hybrid units after the Team Penske driver experienced issues in practice and qualifications.

When the green flag dropped to start the race, Power never made it through the third turn as he was in a crash with Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren Racing. Rookie Louis Foster of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was also involved in a crash on that lap, and the yellow flag waved for the only time in the race.

SPEED SPORT caught up with Power after the race for an exclusive interview.

Oh man, you put a lot into it, and it is frustrating, Power told SPEED SPORT. Everyone at some point gets caught up in a first turn thing every few years.

All the work we put in during the offseason, to be out on the first lap, it is frustrating. I was not ready for that checkup in Turn 3.

I dont know what happened. Nolan checked up heavily to the point where I got into him, he got into somebody and someone else got into me.

It was definitely a good hit. Hopefully, it didnt damage the engine. Im hoping no more hybrid issues and hopefully the gearbox isnt damaged.

I have to focus positively on the next race and the next few outings. Its funny how things roll.

I didnt have much to celebrate by birthday on the track, thats for sure.

Were going to move forward, man.

In the end, it was Palou that continued to move forward. He once again proved he is the coolest driver in the series and looked like he barely broke a sweat to score his 12th IndyCar win.

He makes it look easy, doesnt he? Ganassi said. He makes it look easy.

He doesnt sweat.