Alex Palou captured his 12th career IndyCar victory at the 2024 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, holding off a late charge from teammate Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden in a thrilling 100-lap season opener.

Key Race Highlights:

• Palou took the lead on lap 75 and maintained it until the finish
• Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) dominated early before strategy calls dropped him to fourth
• Scott Dixon claimed second after Newgarden faced last-lap shifting issues
• First-lap crash eliminated Will Power, Nolan Siegel, and Louis Foster

Notable Performances:

• Andretti Global showed strong pace with Kyle Kirkwood (5th) and Marcus Ericsson (6th)
• Christian Lundgaard led 23 laps in his Arrow McLaren debut, finishing 8th
• Pato O'Ward recovered from 23rd to finish 11th despite a punctured tire
• Rinus VeeKay impressed with a top-10 finish in his Dale Coyne Racing debut

Disappointing Results:

• AJ Foyt Racing struggled despite their technical alliance with Team Penske
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had a soft start
• Colton Herta dropped from leading to 16th after pit stop issues
• Meyer Shank Racing squandered strong qualifying positions (3rd and 4th)

Technical Issues:

• Scott Dixon overcame radio problems using his low-fuel warning system
• Josef Newgarden's shifting issue on the final lap cost him second place
• Herta's extended pit stop and subsequent fuel issues required an extra stop

The victory marked Honda's first win of the season and Palou's continued dominance as the three-time IndyCar champion.

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