In a race that featured two cautions in the first six laps and another two before the halfway mark, strategists across the paddock were deep in calculations, analyzing fuel targets and optimal pit windows in order to maximize both track position and efficiency toward the end.

Palou didn’t agree with the strategy call

“I didn’t agree with Barry’s strategy call,” Palou admitted afterward. “I got to be grumpy for a couple of laps, and then I saw it was working out, and I started saying ‘thank you’ again.”

“That was our only set of alternates because yesterday I was pushing to try and get the pole -which we didn’t get- and that kind of put us on the back foot against Lundgaard, [Scott] McLaughlin, and everybody else who made the Fast Six.”

“I knew having the alternate tires for the second stint was going to help us then, but would hurt us a lot in the final stint. But honestly, the pace we had today in the 10 car was amazing, and we were able to save fuel even on primaries while still being pretty quick.”

Wanser explained the thinking behind his decision: “We made some strategy changes on the tires during the race that went against what we had agreed on pre-race, so he wasn’t very happy about that. But we saw what our competitors were doing and who we were racing, so we had to make that change to stay with them—and then beat them. And it worked out.”

Still, he acknowledged the element of chance: “Look, today was luck to be on the right strategy because it was hard. There were several different strategies going on”.

Palou credited Wanser’s call on when to make the second of three stops as the defining moment of the race.

“That was the moment that gave us the win,” he said. “We still had about five laps of fuel left, but that wouldn’t have been enough. If there’s another yellow, you’re done. So that was a great call.”

The Dixon factor

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing

Photo by: Gavin Baker / Lumen via Getty Images

“I was following Scott and could see that he wasn’t saving as much as I was. I thought, ‘This guy is crazy. How’s he going to make it?’ But I didn’t know. I don’t have all the data. If it were another driver, I probably would’ve just focused on myself, but I know Scott can make crazy stuff happen,” Palou said.

The No. 10 pit crew was equally concerned about engaging Dixon in a fuel-saving duel to the checkered flag.

“We were equally concerned,” Wanser admitted. “I even said to all of the engineers on the stand: are we missing something here? Because Dixon is running (fuel) numbers, lap times, he’s not going to be able to get it, based on the number we gave him. They double-checked everything, triple-checked, but we were pretty confident we were going to be fine.”

When asked if he could have passed Dixon with help from a late-race yellow, Palou responded: “It depends. If it’s only a one-lap yellow, yes, I think we would have been able. But if it was like a back-to-back yellow and then ends up being like four laps, he’s going to make it on a good number and we’re going to be like on the same number almost. So you never know”

“I thought we were at a disadvantage on tires, obviously. He was on the faster tire, and he was able to get out of the corners so well. I was struggling a lot to try and catch him. I think a very big yellow or two yellows in a row would have made it really tough for us. But you never know. It was a crazy race”.

In the end, Dixon had to pit with just two laps to go for a splash of fuel, handing the lead—and eventually the win—to Palou.

“It was tough. A crazy race. I don’t know how it looked from the outside, but from inside the car, it felt like there was a lot going on. Lots of yellows that shook everything up,” Palou said.

“We looked really bad at the beginning, then really good, then terrible, then really good again. It was tough to stay up there. But yeah, we just had to stay focused on racing the people who were on our same strategy.”