BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alex Palou celebrated his transfer to Chip Ganassi Racing along with his first profession IndyCar victory by beating a pair of sequence champions to win Sunday’s season-opening race at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Spaniard used a two-stop technique on the picturesque everlasting street course to take management of the race however nonetheless needed to maintain off hard-charging Will Energy and Scott Dixon over the closing laps. The 24-year-old beat Energy by .4016 seconds to say his first win in his first race driving for the storied Ganassi group.

“We knew (a win) was doable as a result of we knew we had the very best group and the very best vehicles,” Palou mentioned. “It is wonderful to be a part of the successful drivers.”

Dixon, the six-time and reigning IndyCar champion, completed third and was adopted by pole-sitter Pato O’Ward, who was on a three-stop technique.

Palou was the quieter offseason signing of the Ganassi group, which additionally added seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson to the four-car lineup. However Ganassi additionally took a raffle on Palou, who had spent one season driving for Dale Coyne Racing with one podium end and one lap led all 12 months.

He’d raced in Japan and Europe beforehand, and Ganassi warned Palou had been quick in preseason testing and can be a pressure this season.

“We did some testing some testing over the winter and he was fast all day lengthy on the exams, at one take a look at he was faster than Dixon,” Ganassi mentioned. “So we knew the potential was there however you do not know the place you’re relative to different groups.”

Ganassi completed with three drivers within the prime eight as Marcus Ericsson completed eighth.

Many of the consideration main into the race was on the stacked rookie class of Johnson, former Components One driver Romain Grosjean and three-time and defending Australian Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin.

Johnson, who at 45 is older than Palou’s father, is studying each session and taking small features. He celebrated not qualifying final on Saturday and was happy along with his Nineteenth-place end Sunday.

Johnson had a growing blister on his hand after the race, averted a first-lap crash and recovered from an early spin.

“Only a ton of studying experiences all through the day,” Johnson mentioned. “I simply can’t say too many instances how completely different that is and the way specialised this craft is.”

Grosjean, in his first race since a fiery November crash in Bahrain, completed tenth for Dale Coyne Racing. McLaughlin was 14th for Staff Penske.

Three-time Barber winner Josef Newgarden triggered an uncharacteristic opening lap crash that collected Colton Herta and Ryan Hunter-Reay, a pair of Andretti Autosport championship contenders, in addition to Felix Rosenqvist.

Rosenqvist, who briefly went airborne, additionally crashed in follow and had his qualifying lap disqualified, however was capable of get his automotive again on monitor. Herta, Newgarden and Hunter-Reay have been executed with out finishing a single lap.

“I bought free coming over the hill after which touched the grass. I feel as soon as I touched the grass I am mainly sideways,” mentioned Newgarden, the two-time sequence champion who was runner-up final season. “I really feel actually dangerous for anybody who bought concerned in that. Clearly my mess created a much bigger mess, so any of the vehicles that bought concerned I am actually sorry as a result of it was us that tipped it off.”

Herta, who crashed throughout Saturday follow, wasn’t involved concerning the hit he’d take within the championship battle.

“This sucks, man, and I am able to get out of right here,” Herta mentioned. “It is such a aggressive 12 months and guys are going to have dangerous races and guys aren’t going to do properly in every single place. It clearly sucks for us as a result of now we’re on the again foot however we’ve got loads of races left to get again in it.”