Alex Palou Claims Pole for Java House Grand Prix of Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. (July 26, 2025) – The NTT INDYCAR SERIES title fight will take center stage at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday as the top two championship contenders will start together on the front row for the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou and Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward will be 1-2 when the green flag drops shortly after noon PT. They also happen to be the winners of the season’s past three races and four of the past five.

Palou’s best lap in Saturday’s Firestone Fast Six round was clocked at 1 minute, 8.3413 seconds. That time was nearly three-tenths of a second quicker than O’Ward’s fastest tour of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. O’Ward’s lap was 1:08.6280.

“It felt amazing,” Palou said. “Honestly, the car has been amazing (all weekend). I’ve felt we had a ton of pace, like all year. Everybody at CGR has been doing a tremendous job making me look good on track.”

Last year, Palou won this race for the second time in three years, and he has finished no worse than third in four starts in Monterey. He won the 2022 race by more than 30 seconds. A win Sunday would all but cement Palou’s third consecutive series championship and fourth in five years. He holds a 99-point lead heading to the season’s final four races, and winning the pole will add another point to his accumulation.

Colton Herta (Andretti Global) and Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) will start third and fourth, respectively.

In other racing action on Saturday, Brazilian driver Caio Collet (HMD Motorsports) led all 35 laps in INDY NXT by Firestone Race 1. Collet held off series points leader Dennis Hauger of Andretti Global for his second race win this season. Collet’s margin of victory was .2092 of a second, the closest INDYCAR-sanctioned INDY NXT by Firestone race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and the fifth-closest overall. Collet also is the series’ 11th consecutive pole winner to reach victory lane at this 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course. HMD Motorsports’ Josh Pierson finished third, his first podium finish in 33 series starts.

Racing action at the Java House Grand Prix of Monterey continues with three main events on Sunday, including Porsche Sprint Cup Challenge Race 2 (8 a.m.) and INDY NXT by Firestone Race 2 (10:05 a.m.). The 95-lap Java House Grand Prix of Monterey Java House Grand Prix of Monterey takes the green flag at noon PT (FOX, FOX Sports app, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio Network). Tickets are available for purchase at weathertechraceway.com and at the gate.

Photo Credits: Penske Entertainment/Joe Skibinski (feature), Penske Entertainment/Joe Skibinski, and Josh Hernandez