Alex Palou goes all-in for the $1 Million Challenge

The inaugural $1 Million Challenge at the Thermal Club has rounded out a dramatic weekend of IndyCar Racing.

The 27 drivers taking part in this event were split into two heats and took part in two Heat races. The top 12 drivers across the two races going into the All-Star Race.

The All-Star Race was split into two parts of 10 Laps, and it was Alex Palou who took victory across the two-part race. This means the Spanish driver secures $500,000 for himself and his team.

Colton Herta tried a different strategy in the opening half of the race as he dropped back off the pace and looked after his Firestone tyre. The drivers could not switch tyres in between the two lap races.

Pietro Fittipaldi was forced to drop to the back of the race as his Rahal Letterman Lanigan team did not put enough fuel into his car. The Brazilian was disqualified after the first half due to not following IndyCar rules.

Fittipaldi’s teammate Graham Rahal also pulled out of the second part of the race due to a stuck throttle. With the final Rahal Letterman Lanigan car of Christian Lungaard being sent to the back after emergency mechanical work being done on his car in the break.

Alex Palou was on top at the half time break, but the mixture of strategies in the first half meant the second set of 10 laps would be more eventful than a rather tame first 10 laps. Only 10 cars took to the track after the break.

Alexander Rossi and Josef Newgarden collided early on after the restart and lost two places each. This allowed Herta, who had been saving his tyres, to gain an extra couple of places on his charge through the field.

Palou was firmly in control throughout the day of racing as he takes home the full amount of money possible of $500,000. The Spanish driver had the best strategy overall and has been rewarded for his immense driving throughout the weekend.

Scott McLaughlin had a solid weekend and has earnt $350,000 for his second-place finish behind Palou. The final podium place went to Felix Rosenqvist who made $250,000.

Colton Herta and Marcus Arnstrong made up the final big money positions as he made $100,000 and $50,000 respectively from finishing fourth and fifth.