Alex Palou would “absolutely” take part in a NASCAR race if given a chance
Alex Palou may not be interested in racing in F1, but he is very much open to making a cameo appearance in NASCAR.
Newly-crowned Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Palou says he would “absolutely” love to give the NASCAR Cup Series a try in the future.
The Chip Ganassi Racing star added a major missing piece to his resume last weekend with a breakthrough victory in the Indy 500, which was also his first on an oval track.
The Spaniard had already won three IndyCar titles coming into 2025, but his dominant run this season has catapulted him among the greatest drivers in the series’ history.
Palou has never raced a stock car, but does possess some experience outside of single-seaters. He contested a full season of SUPER GT in 2019, and has made select IMSA SportsCar Championship appearances over the past four years.
But while a full-time switch to another discipline isn’t on his radar, the Spaniard admitted he is intrigued by the idea of a one-off NASCAR outing.
On Kevin Harvick’s podcast, Palou was asked whether he’d be interested in following in the footsteps of other IndyCar drivers and contestng a NASCAR race on a road course.
The 28-year-old replied: “Oh absolutely. I will be down for that.
“It’s a very different car, it’s a very different kind of racing. But I know I would get smashed by all of you guys on ovals. But I would love to give it a try on a road or street course.”
Larson’s enthusiasm for NASCAR is in stark contrast to his reluctance to move to F1, having stated in an interview earlier this week that he doesn’t “want to leave [IndyCar] now.”
Interestingly, this year’s Indy 500 saw 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson make a second consecutive appearance as he attempted the famous ‘double’.
The Hendrick Motorsports star also invited IndyCar drivers to give a crack at NASCAR and compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
