Chip Gജanassi star Alex Palou says he is “more confident than ever” about his chances of sꦍcoring a maiden victory in the Indianapolis 500 this weekend.

Three-time IndyCar champion Palou will make his sixth start in the Indy 500 on Sunday, sharing the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:second row of the grid with t🎉eammate Scott Dixon and Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist.

The 28-year-old has made an exceptional start to the 2025 season, winning four out of the first five races - including the Son🔯sio GP at the Indianapolis Road Course - to pull out a comfortable lead in the championship.

Palou has now set his sights on adding an Indy 500 win to his CV, a race in which he has never finished higher than second in five attemp🅺ts.

"I feel mo🔯re confident than ever before," Palou told Fox Sports. "I got to experience different parts of the 500, like running up front, running in the back, having to overtake, having a fast car, 💫having not such a fast car.

“I feel more ready 🥀than ever, and I think it’s enough to win, so that’s wh🌳y. And I’m hungry to win it.

"We are ready. You start getting excited thinking about traffic and h🦩ow to get a fast race car for the Indianapolis 500. I’m excited for the race to come."

With three titles, 15 race wins and 36 podiums, Palou is easily the best IndyCar driver without an Indy 500 win.

In fact, the Spaniard has never won a race on an oval ꦛtrack, with his championship successes having been built on his superiority on road course꧅s and street circuits.

But Palou is now keen to shed that tag and finally clinch that elusive first♔ victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a sold-out crowd.

ಌ"It’s good and bad," Palou said. "It’s not what we want. We want to be introduced as the Indianapolis 500 champion, but it takes time. It’s hard to win. That✃’s why it is so important and separates some drivers who are really elite and amazing drivers.

"We’re pushing and that is all I think about. Hopefully, we can get riꦗd of that introduction this year."

Palou came the closest to winning the Indy 500 in 2021, his second year in𝄹 IndyCar and the first with his current team Chip Ganassi.

On that occasion, Palou hunted down Meyer Shank’s Helio🎐 Castroneves on the final lap of the race, but ultimately had to concede defeat to t⛦he Brazilian by just 0.49s.

Palou conℱceded that he lacked the eꦦxperience to outfox Castroneves that year, but is now in a better position to tackle the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

"My race against Helio in 2021 was amazing," Palou said. "He won it in a car that was a little bit slower t💃han mine. He won it because he was better than m♉e. That’s it. Period.

"I had the faster car than He💧lio, but he just had more experience. He was much better than me reading the traffic and knowing when to overtake, w𒁏hen to defend.

"I thinkꦯ I have a lot more experience now. I don’t have as much experience as Helio, but I believe I could have done something d𝔍ifferent."

Palou has already built a 97-point lead over Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward in t▨he standings, but feels the championship race will take a sidestep in the Indy 500.

"In that race, you don’t think about the championship at all," he explained. "A third pꦓlace is not good enough. A second place is not good enough. It’s only first that counts.

"You don𓂃’t act crazy, but I think everybody goes there to win the Indianapolis 500.

"Hopefully, all the moves we make will work."