Palou predictably quickest in Indy NTX test

Five-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou’s first day in an Indy NXT car ended in predictable fashion, as Chip Ganassi Racing’s best driver also proved to be the fastest at the Chris Griffis Memorial Test in the No. 11 CGR entry.

The Spaniard, whose name was adorned with an "R" for “Rookie,” posted a best lap of 1m14.5050s, which was considerably quicker than HMD Motorsports’ Tymek Kucharczyk (1m14.8209s), Andretti Global’s Max Taylor (1m14.8453s), HMD’s Max Garcia (1m14.9443s), Andretti’s Jack Beeton (1m14.9577s), and Ganassi’s Alessandro de Tullio (1m15.0009s).

“Feels strange, but it feels good,” Palou said. “Feels kind of strange to be a rookie, but I'm a rookie. I've never been in this car before, so I'm a rookie in this series. I think a lot of people think that it's like other sports, where you go down and it's like you're so much higher level. Here, it's tough. I didn’t expect to be first.”

The Ganassi team made use of Palou to assess the quality of its NXT cars and showcase its capabilities while it looks to complete its four-car roster.

“I love driving cars, any kind of car,” Palou added. “Obviously, it's a bit different to what I'm used to. But you learn so much. These kids are really, really fast in these cars, but any track day is good. Obviously, I wouldn't do a race, but test day, 100 percent. I think we have an incredible reference in our team with de Tullio. He's been so fast all year, and I've been following him a lot.”