Palou Triumphs in Thermal's Sprint for the Purse

In a race where strategies varied, Alex Palou showed that pure speed is a winning tactic. On Sunday, Palou clinched victory in the Sprint for the Purse event at the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club, taking home $500,000. This exhibition competition does not award points in the NTT INDYCAR series, but it does offer a substantial prize. Held at The Thermal Club, a private motorsport club near Palm Springs, California, Palou led all 20 laps from the pole position in his No. 10 Honda from Chip Ganassi Racing, finishing 5.7929 seconds ahead of Scott McLaughlin from XPEL Team Penske, who earned $350,000 for his second place.

Félix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing, in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda, completed the podium by winning $250,000. Both Rosenqvist and Palou won previous qualifying races, reducing the field of 27 cars to 12 for the Sprint for the Purse on the 17-turn, 3.067-mile circuit at the foot of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Colton Herta, in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda from Andretti Global, finished fourth, earning $100,000. He opted for a tire-saving strategy in the first 10-lap segment, which proved effective. Marcus Armstrong from Chip Ganassi Racing, in the No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda, rounded out the top five and won $50,000.

Palou, undisputed in both parts of the race, pulled ahead from the start in the first lap and on the restart on lap 11. His pace was unaffected by tire wear, distancing himself lap by lap from McLaughlin. Herta, using fresher tires, passed several competitors in the final laps, carefully managing the 40 seconds of push-to-pass assigned.

The most intense action of the last 10-lap segment came from Herta and Alexander Rossi. Rossi, who also saved tires in the first segment with his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, showed aggression from the restart on lap 11. He was involved in a duel with Josef Newgarden, with contact in the fight for fifth place, which allowed Lundqvist and Herta to pass. Rossi finished in seventh place, having used much of his push-to-pass and worn out the tires in these duels.

The next race in the NTT INDYCAR series is the iconic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, a points-awarding event, scheduled for Sunday, April 21st on the streets of Long Beach, California.