In an unfortunate incident, Alex Palou, the current IndyCar champion and a four-time winner, saw his chances of victory exhausted in his hundredth start at the Phoenix Raceway circuit. Palou collided with the vehicle of Rinus VeeKay from Juncos Hollinger Racing after just 22 laps of racing.
After starting in 10th position, Palou quickly positioned himself among the top three under the green light. Despite a good start, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver was unable to maintain his line during the first restart on lap 19. In an attempt to pass VeeKay, the two vehicles made contact, causing Palou to crash into the outer wall.
Palou, with a limited view of the incident, shared: “I couldn’t see it. I don’t know if I compressed someone or if someone was trying to pass me. I really didn’t think there was anyone there.” The damage to his vehicle was severe enough to force him to withdraw from the competition immediately.
Rinus VeeKay, despite continuing to compete, expressed frustration over the contact, telling the team that Palou moved into him, causing the crash. At the time of writing, VeeKay was experiencing unrelated suspension issues and was running five laps down in 23rd position.
