sports

Palou Dominates St. Pete to Open 2026 IndyCar Season

Defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou dominated the St. Petersburg Grand Prix to open the 2026 season, securing his third career street course win.

Palou started fourth but quickly moved to the front, leading the field by over 14 seconds before the final pit sequence. He rebuilt a lead of nearly 13 seconds in the closing laps to hold off Kyle Kirkwood for the victory.

Scott McLaughlin and Christian Lundgaard completed the podium. The race featured a lap-one incident involving Sting Ray Robb, while Will Power finished 31 laps down following a difficult weekend.