Q&A: IndyCar champ Alex Palou on hitting 243 mph during record Indy 500 pole win
When the green flag flies Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Alex Palou will lead the fastest Indianapolis 500 field in history to green, starting on the fastest front row in race history after he broke the race record for fastest pole-winning speed.
All records last set in 2022, and all indicating the Indy 500 just keeps getting faster and faster.
Palou claimed his first Indy 500 pole Sunday with a stunning four-lap average speed of 234.217 miles per hour, breaking teammate Scott Dixon’s mark set last year. As for the 33-car field as a whole, the average speed is 232.184 miles per hour, and it’s the third straight year the fastest Indy 500 field record has been broken.
The No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda driver just hopes he has the lasting speed to stay out in front of this quick group. Should he win his first Indy 500 from the pole, he’ll celebrate with an ice-cold bottle of whole milk.
Ahead of the 107th Indy 500, For The Win spoke with Palou on Monday about his pole, the wild speeds and his expectations for Sunday’s race.
What a qualifying run for @AlexPalou!
The fastest pole speed in #Indy500 qualifying history: 234.217 mph! pic.twitter.com/nJkx0Gr6id
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 21, 2023
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.