Unlike Kyle Larson, Alex Palou has a respectful reaction to Scott McLaughlin's Indy 500 crash
2025 Indy 500 winner Alex Palou came out after the iconic race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and reflected on the 500-mile race. While doing so, the Spaniard shared his thoughts on Scott McLaughlin's crash during the warm-up laps. However, unlike Kyle Larson, Palou had a respectful reaction to the Team Penske driver’s crash.
McLaughlin crashed into the wall during the warm-up laps behind the pace car. The Kiwi driver was weaving on the main straight to generate tire temperature when the #3 Chevrolet broke traction and went into the wall.
NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson had a drastic initial reaction to McLaughlin's crash. As the Team Penske driver ended up in the wall, the HMS driver on the team radio said:
“Someone just crashed, fucking idiot.”
However, as Larson passed by McLaughlin's car, the NASCAR star gave a thumbs up to the Kiwi driver, asking whether he was okay. Alex Palou was questioned about Scott McLaughlin’s crash during the post-race press conference.
Palou was asked whether he was stunned to see McLaughlin crash because the Kiwi driver was among the favorites to win. The CGR driver replied:
“Yeah, for sure. I didn't really see what happened, but obviously that was one of the favorite cars, one of the fastest cars that I knew was going to be up front at the end. Obviously you want to be fighting with one of the best drivers out there, but yeah, it's sad that it wasn't his day.”
The race start was delayed due to rain showers hitting the track. The rain and the cloud cover drastically dropped the track temperature, making it increasingly difficult for the drivers to get the tires in the working window. Scott McLaughlin got a little too aggressive with the warm-up and ended up spinning the rear tires, which sent him into the inside wall on the start-finish straight.
Alex Palou took his first-ever oval victory at the 2025 Indy 500
Alex Palou, ahead of the 2025 Indy 500, detailed how an IndyCar driver's career is incomplete without winning the Indy 500. The Spaniard had been racing in IndyCar for over five years, winning three championships, but didn't win a single race around an oval before the 2025 Indy 500 win.
The Spaniard broke the drought at the ovals by winning the most coveted race of the IndyCar season.
“It's incredible. Honestly, I think I get a lot of credit because you see that I'm the only one driving the car. But there's a huge team behind that is making me look very good on track. We have fast cars every single weekend, and that's really tough to do here in INDYCAR, especially nowadays,” said Alex Palou at the post-race press conference.
Palou started the race in P6, was with the lead pack throughout the race and made the crucial move on Marcus Ericsson in the final eighth of the race to take the win.