Alex Palou faced a challenging situation during the race when Sting Ray Robb's defensive driving significantly reduced his five-second lead over Josef Newgarden to less than a second.

Palou compared the experience to highway driving, where a slow driver in the fast lane suddenly speeds up when passed. The situation was complicated by Robb's ability to use push-to-pass boost while Palou, as the race leader, needed to conserve his overtake time for potential challenges from Newgarden.

While Robb's actions were within IndyCar's rules, the incident highlighted a common scenario where drivers about to be lapped defend aggressively, sometimes benefiting their engine manufacturer's interests. For smaller teams like Juncos Hollinger Racing, such moments provide rare television exposure for their sponsors.

Regarding potential rule changes, Palou opposes implementing blue flags for cars at risk of being lapped, as he understands both perspectives having been in similar situations. However, he suggests modifying the push-to-pass rules in these scenarios might be more fair, noting how Robb depleted his overtake time from 70 seconds to nearly zero in approximately 10 laps.

"I like the fact that you don't have to give up your position," Palou concluded, while acknowledging that some adjustments to the current regulations could improve racing fairness.

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