The big IndyCar record Palou could still break this year

Written by Morgan Holiday

Credit: Joe Skibinski

Álex Palou has eight race wins so far in the 2025 IndyCar seasons. That’s a feat he’s tied for completing with IndyCar legends Al Unser Jr., Sebastien Bourdais, Michael Andretti and Tony Bettenhausen. 

One more race win this year would tie Palou with Mario Andretti, who took nine wins on his way to the title in 1969. Two more race wins would tie Palou for the most wins in one season with Al Unser Sr. and A.J. Foyt, equalling the current record.

A third race win would put Palou at the top of this list, the only driver in IndyCar to date to take 11 race wins in a single season.

How many races are left in the 2025 season? Three. Exactly how many Palou needs to win to beat this record.

Breaking the record

In order to break the record, Palou will need to win the final three races of the year, which would be four race wins in a row since he won last time out at Laguna Seca. 

Four race wins in a row is a feat Palou has yet to achieve this year - while he won five of the first six races he has yet to take more than three consecutive wins.

The Spanish driver, who could very well officially secure the 2025 championship at Portland this weekend, knows that beating this record is a bit of a long shot.

“No. I mean, obviously I'm aware [of the record],” he told DIVEBOMB earlier this week. “And I know that the chance is still there, although it's very low, just because we would need to win three or at least two to match it, and that's a lot. Although it's been a really good year, I think it's pretty tough to do that.

“I know that the best way to try and get there is to win Portland and get one more and then just be one closer. That's what I'm going to try and do, try and win Portland and then see if we can win another race.

“I don't really think about it. I think, although I would love it, I cannot really change it. The only way I can change it is by just focusing on Portland and taking it step by step like we've been doing all year.”

Winning in Portland

To remain with a chance of securing the most wins in one season, Palou will need to secure his ninth race win of the year this weekend at the Portland International Raceway.

Fortunately, this track is a good one historically for Palou, who has taken two wins here in the past and has only finished off the podium once in his visits to this track with IndyCar. 

Credit: James Black

Why is Palou so good at Portland? He’s not exactly sure.

“Every time I've been there, I've just felt really comfortable,” he said. “I've felt like the car has been responding the way I needed and also the way it flows. It just really matches my style, I guess.

“It's really narrow, and although it's a road course, it just bites you like a street course. As soon as you go off, unless it's Turn 1, you normally end up in the wall.

“It's one of those tracks that you need to drive it 99 percent. You cannot drive it 100 percent all the time because otherwise you go off pretty easily, and I think obviously having good cars there helps. It helps you feel better. It helps you perform better. Yeah, a combination of both just makes us perform really well.”

Still, Palou’s history at this track is no guarantee that he’ll be able to win this weeknd, and especially in a chaotic series like IndyCar, there will be plenty of challenges standing in his way.

For the Spanish driver, getting the speed required to win the race will be one of his biggest challenges.

“I think a little bit of everything,” he said when asked about the challenges of securing a win this weekend. “I don't think that we had the ultimate speed that the other cars had and especially Will. I know that there could be some other cars that are as fast as him or faster. So we need to do some work on speed.

“Hopefully we can get some stuff from other tracks like Laguna that's been working for us this year and try and put it there and see if it works.

“Yeah, I think speed, obviously it's a big point. Without speed at Portland, there's really low chances of winning. But then I am a little bit concerned, in a good way concerned about tire deg, in a way that it's going to make a big impact during the race and it's going to be key to make sure you treat the tires right and that you choose the right strategy to start with the tire that you want and end with the tire that gives you more chances to fight for the win.

“I think there's different stuff to try and win as always, but it's going to be interesting. I think it's going to be one of those tracks where you need speed but you can also do quite a lot of stuff with strategy.”

Will Palou win at Portland to secure the championship and notch another race win into his 2025 record? Tune into the race at 12:00 local time in Portland on Sunday August 10th.