NTT IndyCar Series driver Alex Palou. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alex Palou wins IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Mar 2, 2025 2:37 PM ET

Alex Palou opened up his NTT IndyCar Series title defense in the best way possible.

The three-time IndyCar champion held off runner-up Scott Dixon and third-place finisher Josef Newgarden to earn his 12th career victory in his 82nd IndyCar start.

Palou's lead ballooned to five seconds at one point in Sunday's season-opening race, but the 27-year-old was stuck behind the slower car of Sting Ray Robb in the closing laps as Robb attempted to stay on the lead lap.

Newgarden reeled in Palou, closing the gap to as little as nine-tenths of a second, but Newgarden's Chevrolet began the fade with every passing lap.

Palou was able to cross the line with a 2.86 second lead over Dixon, who got around Newgarden for second on the final lap.

The champ is HERE! @AlexPalou wins the @GPSTPETE to open the 2025 season! pic.twitter.com/ShhaIH64BX
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 2, 2025

"What an amazing job by everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing," Palou told Fox Sports. "It (St. Petersburg) has been a place we've struggled at in the past, especially me personally. To start with a win in 2025, it's amazing."

Dixon and Newgarden made up the rest of the podium, with Scott McLaughlin and Kyle Kirkwood completing the top-five. Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, Rinus VeeKay and Alexander Rossi rounded out the top-10.

Two-time IndyCar champion and 2018 Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power finished 26th after a lap 1 crash.

The second race of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season will take place at the Thermal Club in Thermal, California, on March 23.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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