Palou Steps Down a Tier to Power Ganassi’s INDY NXT Push at IMS Test

Alex Palou has driven plenty of cars around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This week, he’ll add another to the list – one that sits a rung below his usual office but carries significant weight for his team’s long-term plans.

INDYCAR Champion Drops into Development Ranks

Five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou will drive the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing entry in the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test on Friday, Oct. 16, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) road course. He is standing in for CGR full-time INDY NXT driver Carson Etter, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The outing places one of the elite drivers in North American single-seaters into the sport’s primary development category for a single day, a reversal of the usual talent pathway. For Ganassi, it is a rare opportunity to use the benchmark pace and feedback of an established champion to accelerate progress in a junior formula.

The Chris Griffis Memorial Test honors Chris Griffis, the team manager for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who died suddenly in September 2011. The event has become a key fixture for teams in the INDYCAR development ladder, offering a controlled environment to assess drivers and experiment with setups ahead of the following season.

Test Format and Fan Access

Palou is among 22 drivers scheduled to take part in the test, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. The Turn 2 spectator mounds at IMS will be open to fans, giving those on site a rare chance to watch an INDYCAR champion work through a development programme rather than a race weekend.

For Chip Ganassi Racing, having Palou in the car alongside its regular developmental line-up creates a live reference point for engineering staff. Direct comparison between Palou’s runs and those of full-season INDY NXT drivers can sharpen setup direction, highlight strengths and weaknesses in the current package and inform recruitment decisions for future campaigns.

Unusual Step for a Reigning Champion

Palou’s participation puts him in a rare position: he is a four-time defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion stepping into the sport’s top developmental series after establishing himself at its highest level. He has never previously driven INDY NXT machinery. His American open-wheel career began directly in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing after he spent his formative years in European and Japanese single-seater and GT categories.

That unusual pathway makes his return to a junior category particularly noteworthy. For INDY NXT regulars, it creates a unique performance benchmark. For Palou and Ganassi, it is an information-gathering exercise that could influence how the team integrates young drivers into its wider programme in future seasons.

Technical Challenge: Less Power, Less Downforce

An INDY NXT car produces approximately 200-300 less horsepower and less downforce than an NTT INDYCAR SERIES machine and uses different braking technology and characteristics. That means Palou will have to adjust his driving to suit a lighter, less powerful car with reduced aerodynamic grip and a different braking feel.

“It’ll be tough,” Palou said. “It’s very tough always to go from a car that has more downforce and carbon brakes and stuff to some car that is a bit smaller, less downforce, less power, and it doesn’t have as much performance. I’m excited to help the team see how that car feels.”

Those adjustments matter beyond lap time alone. Teams use driver comments to interpret data, refine setup windows and understand how changes might translate when drivers move between categories. Palou’s ability to articulate the contrast between INDYCAR and INDY NXT machinery offers Ganassi a strategic advantage in aligning its race and development operations.

Palou’s IMS Knowledge as a Competitive Tool

Palou believes his familiarity with the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course will reduce the adaptation time while he tests the team’s No. 11 INDY NXT car. He is a three-time Sonsio Grand Prix winner on this layout, each victory coming in the past four years, giving him a detailed understanding of braking zones, grip evolution and race lines at the venue.

“I’m excited to see what that car is capable of and helping the team as much as I can,” Palou said. “Its (the car) is probably like the current F3, which I drove almost eight to 10 years ago.

“So, yeah, it’ll take me a little bit to get used to. I know I won’t be at 100%. But I don’t think we don’t need to. The good thing is we’re not racing. We’re just testing. We’re just trying to learn as much as we can.”

That approach underscores the purpose of the day: development rather than direct competition. For Ganassi’s engineers, the value lies in correlating Palou’s feel in the car with his extensive experience on the same circuit in INDYCAR machinery and in other categories. That link can guide setup philosophies for both series over the longer term.

Busy Programme Across Multiple Categories

Palou arrives at the test amid a dense run of varied driving duties. He drove an Acura prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on Oct. 3 at Petit Le Mans for Meyer Shank Racing. He then practiced and qualified the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG in last weekend’s Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour on the same IMS road course, though he did not complete a racing lap after an early accident involving one of his teammates.

On Monday, he tested the IR-28, the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis scheduled to debut in 2028, at Sebring International Raceway. That range – LMDh prototype, GT3-based car, current INDYCAR and future IR-28 chassis – provides a broad perspective on vehicle behaviour that few drivers currently share.

For Ganassi, that versatility strengthens Palou’s role as a technical reference across programmes. Insights gained in the INDY NXT test can be considered alongside his impressions of the forthcoming IR-28, particularly in areas such as braking feel, aerodynamic response and tyre management.

Ganassi Chases a Missing Trophy Line

Palou is fully aware that this test represents more than a one-day substitution. Chip Ganassi Racing has amassed 25 championships across racing disciplines, including a record 18th NTT INDYCAR SERIES title in 2026. The team has earned more than 275 victories in major events, including six Indianapolis 500 wins, eight Rolex 24 At Daytona victories and six wins apiece in the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Yet an INDY NXT race victory remains missing from its résumé. That gap carries both symbolic and competitive significance. In an era where top teams increasingly manage drivers from junior categories through to premier series, success in INDY NXT is not only a matter of record books; it is also a signal to prospects and sponsors that a team can deliver results at every step of the pathway governed by the same series organiser.

The test is therefore part of a broader strategic effort. Ganassi aims to use Palou’s feedback and pace to strengthen its INDY NXT programme, refine car setups and ensure that its development operation can better support drivers when they step into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. With both series organised under the same competition umbrella, aligning performance expectations and technical understanding across tiers is increasingly important for long-term success.

De Tullio, Koreiba and Mossman Join the Programme

Alongside the No. 11 car driven by Palou, the team will also field the No. 10 entry for Alessandro de Tullio. De Tullio competed as a rookie with AJ Foyt Racing this past season, finishing sixth in the championship standings with two victories. His eight pole positions left him one short of Pato O’Ward’s single-season series record set in 2018.

Alexander Koreiba and Frankie Mossman will also test with Chip Ganassi Racing on Friday. Their participation, combined with de Tullio’s recent race-winning form and Palou’s championship pedigree, gives the team a structured mix of experience and youth. It creates a three-layered reference:

• Palou as the established INDYCAR champion and technical benchmark
• De Tullio as a proven INDY NXT race winner and qualifier
• Koreiba and Mossman as additional data points for future driver development decisions

This combination allows Ganassi to gather comparative information on driving styles, feedback quality and adaptability in the same conditions, on the same day.

Implications for the INDYCAR Pathway

The Chris Griffis Memorial Test sits within the formal development structure coordinated by the same organisation that oversees the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT championships. As teams invest more in long-term planning, the line between junior and senior operations continues to narrow.

By placing its lead INDYCAR driver into an INDY NXT car, Chip Ganassi Racing is reinforcing that connection. The session on Oct. 16 is not a championship event and will not alter standings, but the data and experience collected could shape how Ganassi identifies, develops and integrates drivers across its portfolio in the seasons leading up to the introduction of the IR-28 chassis in 2028.

For Palou, it is another demanding assignment in a crowded calendar. For Ganassi and for INDY NXT as a whole, it is a high-profile test of how closely the development series can be aligned with the competitive and technical standards of top-level American open-wheel racing.