The 28-year-old is unstoppable. Dominating four of the first five races of the IndyCar season? Impressive. He even managed to conquer the crown jewel, the Indianapolis 500. After such a masterclass in precision, speed, and adaptability with four championships for Chip Ganassi Racing, the question on everyone’s mind was impossible to ignore: would Palou venture beyond open-wheel racing? Could NASCAR be next? And Palou sure waved a green flag on the idea of it and told Kevin Harvick, “Absolutely.” But not so soon, folks. There are some conditions.
Alex Palou kicked off the year with a win at the Firestone Grand Prix of Saint Petersburg, setting the tone for a string of impressive performances, including victories at the inaugural Thermal Club IndyCar Grand Prix, Grand Prix at Road America, and the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey. And that Indy 500 victory, where he made a decisive pass on Marcus Ericsson with 16 laps to go? Historic. He became the first Spanish driver to claim the iconic race. Across a mix of road courses, street courses, and ovals, Palou has showcased exceptional skill, adaptability, and racecraft. Luckily for him, NASCAR is not falling short of road courses.
Speaking to Speed Street, Dirty Mo Media, the NTT IndyCar series champion, who clinched the title with two races to spare, didn’t shy away from specifying the series of NASCAR he would like to try out: “And I would love to see the cars. I want to touch the cars. I want to see the cars. I’m interested. And if they allow me to drive one of them as well, let’s do it. I want to see it, man. I’m calling for that.” But the tone shifted when the co-host mentioned whether he would like to run a Truck race at St. Petersburg. And Alex’s answer was short and sweet. He hit them with, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. You do that.” Moreover, the IndyCar ace is not ready to take on double duty that day.
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NASCAR will make history by hitting the streets of downtown St. Petersburg. The Truck Series will run alongside the IndyCar season opener at the Firestone Grand Prix weekend. It is set for February 28, and the Saturday showdown marks the Trucks’ debut on a street circuit, at 1.8 miles, with a 14-turn layout that winds past the waterfront, airport runways, and city landmarks like the Dali Museum. While the venue is familiar territory for IndyCar, it presents a whole new challenge for the heavier, less aerodynamic trucks, where braking, handling, and visibility will test drivers in ways they have never experienced before.
And even three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano is calling for an IndyCar-NASCAR unity amid this news. He said, “I think that’s cool. I think, honestly, I think those two series together can be perfect together for both fans, right, with NASCAR fans, IndyCar fans, getting exposed, you know, kind of that cross-pollination, if you will. That’s important for all the motor sports to work together. So I think that’s great.” Unfortunately, only the Truck Series will be racing that weekend, and Alex will be busy getting ready in his Chip Ganassi for yet another dominant season.
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However, in an interview, Roger Penske, the team owner with counterparts in both the Cup Series and IndyCar, couldn’t hold back his praise for Palou’s dominance in 2025, saying that Alex has ‘blown us off’ and giving him a ‘triple A’ for his performance. Could that mean that Roger Penske has something up his sleeve for the young driver, especially in the Cup Series? Well, only time can tell us that.
Palou has proven his adaptability across motorsport disciplines, from testing a Formula 1 car with McLaren in 2022 to competing in endurance events with Meyer Shank Racing, but a Cup car remains completely uncharted territory. That makes the prospect of his hopping into one not just a challenge; it’s a thrilling, high-stakes experiment that could push one of IndyCar’s brightest stars into entirely new territory.
Alex Palou looks forward to the NASCAR-IndyCar showdown in Phoenix
Alex Palou is stepping into bold, unfamiliar territory, and he knows that. Fresh off a dominant 2025 IndyCar Series season, the Spaniard arrives with confidence but also with a healthy respect for the challenge ahead. For a driver once doubted on ovals, that season wasn’t about collecting trophies; it proved that Alex could adapt, evolve, and thrive no matter what track lay before him. But now, with a highly anticipated NASCAR-IndyCar crossover showdown looming, he is tempering that confidence with caution.
He said, “I would love if we could be a little bit more together, not like what we had, I would say, two years ago, that we were very separate. And I just wanted to see the NASCAR cars as well.”
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For Palou, this crossover is far more than a one-off spectacle; it is a rare opportunity to join the lineup against some of the best drivers from another major discipline and test himself on unfamiliar ground. Moreover, the physicality of NASCAR, with its heavier stock cars, stands in stark contrast to the razor-sharp, high-downforce IndyCar he has mastered. He has to rewire his instinct and adjust fast.
The crossover event kicks off the season at Phoenix Raceway in March 2026, staged by both Series, which will share the spotlight. Open-wheel sports President J Douglas Boles teased the start as action-packed, with four races scheduled in five weeks, setting the tone for what promises to be a high-octane, boundary-pushing kickoff.