Up until 2022, Formula One was Alex Palou’s dream. But after a messy public contract dispute between Chip Ganassi Racing and McLaren over his future, that door quietly closed and Palou doubled down on IndyCar. Since then, he’s been nearly untouchable, winning across street circuits, road courses, and ovals, and making history as the first Spanish driver to capture the Indianapolis 500. He converted that momentum into back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, then opened 2025 with an even stronger run: eight victories, ten podiums in 15 starts, and, with two races left, his fourth championship already secured. Now Palou, with four IndyCar crowns in five seasons, says he’d “absolutely” race a NASCAR road course— but only on one condition.

Speaking to Speed Street, Dirty Mo Media, the NTT IndyCar series champion, who clinched the title with two races to spare, didn’t shy away from specifying the series of NASCAR he would like to try out: “And I would love to see the cars. I want to touch the cars. I want to see the cars. I’m interested. And if they allow me to drive one of them as well, let’s do it. I want to see it, man. I’m calling for that.” But the tone shifted when the co-host mentioned whether he would like to run a Truck race at St. Petersburg. And Alex’s answer was short and sweet. He hit them with, “Yeah, I’m not doing that. You do that.” Moreover, the IndyCar ace is not ready to take on double duty that day.

Palou later clarified why. Although he’s competed outside IndyCar before, including the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he said he would only consider a NASCAR Truck Series race if it didn’t overlap with his IndyCar schedule. “I would consider (doing the Truck Series race) if it was the week before or the week after. I would 100% consider it … but being the same weekend, I don’t think it would be a good idea,” he explained. “That would take a little bit of focus away from my job.” In other words, the door to NASCAR is open, but not during an IndyCar weekend.

NASCAR will make history by hitting the streets of downtown St. Petersburg. The Truck Series will run alongside the IndyCar season opener at the Firestone Grand Prix weekend. It is set for February 28, and the Saturday showdown marks the Trucks’ debut on a street circuit, at 1.8 miles, with a 14-turn layout that winds past the waterfront, airport runways, and city landmarks like the Dali Museum. While the venue is familiar territory for IndyCar, it presents a whole new challenge for the heavier, less aerodynamic trucks, where braking, handling, and visibility will test drivers in ways they have never experienced before.

But that still is an interesting wrinkle because Palou’s NTT IndyCar Series team owner, Chip Ganassi, was also a longtime NASCAR Cup Series owner before selling his team and assets to Justin Marks and Trackhouse Racing. Trackhouse now fields a part-time “PROJECT91” No. 91 entry that brings in world-class drivers for one-off Cup Series starts, the exact kind of opportunity that could suit someone like Palou if he makes the jump.

That crossover potential isn’t lost on Palou. As NASCAR trucks prepare to share the streets of St. Petersburg with IndyCar, he’s also thinking about how both series could work together more closely, a sentiment echoed by some of NASCAR’s biggest names.

Palou and Logano Push for Series Unity

Paulo said, “I would love if we could be a little bit more together, not like what we had, I would say, two years ago, that we were very separate. And I just wanted to see the NASCAR cars as well.” And even three-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano is calling for an IndyCar-NASCAR unity amid this news. 

He said, “I think that’s cool. I think, honestly, I think those two series together can be perfect together for both fans, right, with NASCAR fans, IndyCar fans, getting exposed, you know, kind of that cross-pollination, if you will. That’s important for all the motor sports to work together. So I think that’s great.” Unfortunately, only the Truck Series will be racing that weekend, and Alex will be busy getting ready in his Chip Ganassi for yet another dominant season.

 However, in an interview, Roger Penske, the team owner with counterparts in both the Cup Series and IndyCar, couldn’t hold back his praise for Palou’s dominance in 2025, saying that Alex has ‘blown us off’ and giving him a ‘triple A’ for his performance. Could that mean that Roger Penske has something up his sleeve for the young driver, especially in the Cup Series? Well, only time can tell us that.