The NTT INDYCAR SERIES made their second visit to The Thermal Club on March 23, 2025 and this year’s race was run for championship points as opposed to last year’s 1$ Million Challenge. Just like last year, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, dominated the competition. However, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, it was an all-McLaren front row lockout with pole-sitter Pato O’Ward and teammate Christian Lundgaard. At the drop of the green flag, O’Ward checked out building a big lead. Lundgaard was able to keep Palou at bay, but with not a lot of breathing room.

The near 90 degree heat every day during the weekend made it challenging for not only the teams and drivers, but also the cars. Trying to nail the perfect setup was difficult as the silty dirt off-track was so fine that even a slight breeze could blow it on track and reduce traction. I spoke with Conor Daly after Saturday morning practice and he couldn’t get enough grip in his car even with maximum aero downforce. I asked Lundgaard how fun the esses were and he said that it’s really quite sketchy through there. This was after he was quickest in the morning practice! I asked him how the esses were during the post-qualifying press conference and he said that it was still the same! That section of track is high-speed with elevation changes and also leads into a hard braking zone with very little room to get the car pointed straight before heavy braking into the hairpin.

Other stories from the weekend included rookie Robert Schwarzman not getting a single lap on track until qualifying due to an engine fire on Friday and a gearbox issue Saturday morning. Furthermore, Team Penske’s three drivers had a miserable qualifying session starting 17th (Newgarden), 21st (Power) and 25th (McLaughlin). Things went from bad to worse for Scott McLaughlin as he got punted before the green flag by Devlin DeFrancesco and then had an MGU (Motor Generator Unit) overheating issue during the race which ultimately led to his retirement.

The race really came down to two things at the end: tire strategy and hybrid activation. With 15 laps to go, Palou (down by 11 seconds) pitted for a set of new “Reds” (Firestone softer alternate compound) while O’Ward went for the new “Blacks” (Firestone harder primary compound). Although Palou came out in third behind Lundgaard (and the McLaren driver tried in vain to keep Palou behind), anyone could see that Palou was not only going to pass Lundgaard, but focus on catching O’Ward. After disposing of Lundgaard, the gap rapidly shrank and the pass for the lead not only stuck, but the gap extended to almost the same amount of time that he had been behind prior to the final stop. As it turned out, O’Ward was a bit hamstrung by his hybrid system overheating and he wasn’t able to deploy the extra power for about half of the race. This issue happened with numerous other cars and speculation was that it was because the radiators were blocked too much, not allowing enough airflow in to help cool the ERS (Energy Recovery System).

With the first two races of the season in the books, it’s an all-Palou show with two wins. Heading to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 11-13th, He has a 39-point lead over O’Ward in second place. It’s the 50th Anniversary of the AGPLB, and we’ll have a special interview coming up just prior. Stay tuned, and don’t miss it!

Copyright © 2025 Larry Mason

Alex Palou makes his way around one of the numerous 180-degree corners at The Thermal Club race track. Beautiful palm trees and expensive mansions provide the glamorous desert backdrop.

Palou in the foreground, race teams on pit lane in the middle, and the majestic mountains in the background provide the key ingredients for a picturesque racing weekend.

After earning pole position and rocketing out to an early lead, it looked like Pato O’Ward was going to leave everyone in the dust (quite literally) of the desert. Unfortunately, tire choice and hybrid issues left his charge short by one position finishing second.

Christian Lundgaard described driving through the sweeping and fast esses of The Thermal Club as “sketchy” in an Indy car.

Lundgaard’s burning passion to win is extremely strong. A true competitor, he’s not satisfied until he’s beating his teammate and winning. Neither of which happened at Thermal. . .

A new set of “Reds” was the key strategy move by Palou’s strategist Barry Wanser that helped seal the victory for the team.

Palou has plenty to smile about these days. He’s won three of the last four championships, the first two races of the 2025 season, and is leading the points standings heading into Long Beach.

Once Palou made the pass on O’Ward, this is the only sight the pole-sitter could see as the DHL car disappeared into the distance.

Interview and photos Copyright © by Larry Mason (unless otherwise noted)