MONTEREY, Calif. — Two-time IndyCar champion Álex Palou reclaimed the lead within the factors standings by profitable from the pole Sunday at Laguna Seca Raceway.

Palou, now a two-time winner on the everlasting highway course, has completed on the rostrum in all 4 of his profession begins on the California monitor. His win there within the 2022 season finale was believed to be the catalyst for him altering his thoughts to go away Chip Ganassi Racing for a transfer to Arrow McLaren Racing.

It’s the second win of the season for the Spaniard, not counting his victory within the $1 million exhibition race in March. He wasn’t in a position to clarify his dominance on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile jewel of a highway course.

“I want I knew, that means hopefully I might attempt to analyze and see if I might do the identical in different tracks the place I am not as quick,” Palou mentioned. “I really like this monitor. If you love a monitor a lot, I feel you get one thing additional that helps every little thing. The truth that we had actually good automobiles right here helps so much.

“I’d say it is a correct monitor. You can not actually do any errors,” he continued. “It lets you push actually laborious. It is essentially the most lovely place we go to, for certain.”

Palou misplaced the lead exiting the primary flip of the race to Kyle Kirkwood however reclaimed it by technique. He then needed to maintain off Herta, who was in fuel-saving mode on the finish of the race, by three late cautions.

Palou finally led 48 of 95 laps.

“I did a mistake and misplaced the lead. I used to be not likely pleased with myself originally and the crew needed to do a very dangerous technique, too dangerous,” Palou mentioned. “It was too dangerous, nevertheless it labored out.”

Colton Herta completed second for Andretti World and Alexander Rossi completed third to earn his first podium of the season — and solely his second general since becoming a member of Arrow McLaren.

“It was a great consequence for us. Clearly it is irritating to not win right here, being from California,” Herta mentioned. “We had quite a lot of tempo and it sucks to not win right here. I actually wish to win right here, however I am pleased with a podium.”

Rossi, who can be from California, led 10 laps. Herta led eight.

“We’ll take quite a lot of positives out of the weekend,” mentioned Rossi, who’s in a contract 12 months with McLaren. His seat is the one of the three at McLaren but to be locked down for 2025.

Romain Grosjean was fourth in his finest end since becoming a member of Juncos Hollinger Racing this 12 months. It was the very best end ever for a JHR driver.

Kirkwood of Andretti light to fifth. He was adopted by Scott Dixon of Ganassi after which Will Energy of Crew Penske. Energy had held a five-point lead over Palou within the standings previous to Sunday’s race.

It was an OK Arrow McLaren debut for 19-year-old Palo Alto native Nolan Siegel, who was simply employed for the seat earlier this week. The youngest driver on the grid spun off the monitor and into the gravel to attract a full-course warning on a restart halfway by the race.

“Sorry about that,” he radioed. “I am actually sorry.”

He completed twelfth after beginning twenty third and was the “largest mover of the race.”

“All performed with my first race at Arrow McLaren. General, I feel it was a profitable day,” Siegel mentioned. “It wasn’t with out its challenges, however everybody pushed by and saved at all of it race lengthy. We had been in a position to make up a ton of spots on the finish there. I am grateful for my crew and may’t wait to work with them extra sooner or later.”

Siegel is the third driver within the No. 6 this season because the journey was purported to go to Palou, who modified his thoughts in a breach of contract dispute with McLaren. The crew then employed David Malukas, who broke his wrist in a mountain biking crash one month earlier than the season opener.

After he missed the fourth race of the season, it triggered a clause in Malukas’ contract that allowed McLaren to fireplace him and the crew lastly settled on Siegel as his full-time substitute this week.

Malukas, in the meantime, was employed by Meyer Shank Racing. He made his season debut Sunday and completed sixteenth. There had been questions on whether or not his health was adequate to finish the 95-lap race.

“Undoubtedly a bummer to complete the place we did, particularly with the tempo we had,” Malukas mentioned. “I feel we had been monitoring to be about eighth. However I suppose for us to be unhappy about this result’s OK once we actually simply got down to end. I do know for me, I simply needed to get throughout the road. However general it was an incredible first outing with a brand new crew and a brand new hand.”

Due to a rain stoppage on the NASCAR race in New Hampshire that prompted that occasion to run lengthy, NBC Sports activities aired the IndyCar race on its Peacock app slightly than USA Community. The Cup Collection remained on the USA Community for its greater than six-hour length.

IndyCar’s subsequent race is July 7 at Mid-Ohio, the place hybrid engines shall be launched for the rest of the season.