Palou concludes successful IR-28 oval validation test for IndyCar at Indy

The five-time IndyCar Series champion wrapped up testing early after completing the team's full checklist for the 2028 next-gen car

Five-time IndyCar Series champion and 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou completed the second day of IndyCar’s IR-28 oval validation test Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, wrapping up running 15 minutes early after finishing his team's full checklist.

Palou, representing Honda teams for Chip Ganassi Racing, took over testing duties following Wednesday's initial oval runs by ECR’s Alexander Rossi, who represented Chevrolet. While Rossi logged laps in sweltering 90-degree heat and high humidity, an approaching cold front dropped temperatures nearly 10 degrees Thursday, providing IndyCar and chassis manufacturer Dallara with a broader spectrum of environmental data.

The primary objective focused on evaluating aerodynamic configurations and extreme ride-height adjustments rather than chasing raw lap times. Even without focusing on speed, Palou noted that the car naturally picked up pace throughout the session.

“We got a lot more laps than I expected with the weather, and the car felt good,” Palou said. “We actually got quite a lot of speed. We improved over 2 miles an hour throughout the day, and we didn’t really work too much to get it.”

When comparing the experience to the car's initial track debut on the IMS road course last month, Palou observed that the oval configuration felt far more familiar to the series' current machinery.

“On the road course, like you're battling a lot more with the car and it was quite different,” Palou said. “Here, although it felt smooth, but I feel like it's very similar to our current car.”

Late in the day, the team trimmed out the car for a late run, picking up more than 1 mph - a jump that surprised Palou given that it was not a dedicated qualifying setup. The team also used the session to address cockpit heat concerns reported by Rossi during Wednesday's test.

“I think temperature was an issue for Rossi yesterday, but we actually changed and were able to open up some cooling that is available on this car that we don't have on our current one,” Palou said. “And it was very good. So yeah, I just have like a couple details, not performance like at road course.”