When Alex Palou won the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series championship, it was impossible to deny his dominance in the world’s most competitive racing series. Palou has now earned three titles and become the first champion to go back-to-back in over a decade. His consistency and his poise, even in the face of freakish events that could’ve ruined his entire season, are remarkable. Palou is the next Scott Dixon—on the same team with Scott Dixon.
But the battle between Palou and Will Power for the title felt like a clash of generations. Power was also looking for his third championship, having experienced another surge in an already impressive career that has included passing Mario Andretti in the history books. He was the veteran driver who’d grown and changed after facing on and off-track challenges, and who was reminding fans that IndyCar’s established names weren’t done yet. That parity, the way in which experienced drivers are just as relevant and celebrated as the young guns, is one of the many reasons why IndyCar is special.
Ultimately, it was Palou’s day. A seatbelt coming undone early in the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix forced Power to pit for safety reasons, and the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet went multiple laps down, from which it could never recover. Meanwhile, the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda overcame a dismal starting position to plow through the field, and at one point Palou was on the podium before falling back due to a late-race need for fuel. Still, by then he’d already secured the championship.
The battle was much closer than it ultimately ended up being. What transpired between Palou and Power, and a little bit with Power’s irrepressible teammate Scott McLaughlin, was a wonderful back-and-forth that showcased the best and worst of professional sports. “That’s not the way obviously you want your biggest competitor to go down on the season finale,” Palou told reporters in the post-race press conference. “At the same time that’s what happened to us two weeks ago. It’s racing. It’s motorsport. That’s what makes this sport so hard.”
He was referring to both drivers’ struggle with terrible misfortunes—Power’s seatbelt mishap was preceded by Palou stalling before the green flag even dropped at the Milwaukee Mile. Plus, Power was hit with a deduction from Team Penske’s push-to-pass penalties in St. Petersburg, though he was found to have done nothing wrong individually. Each also made mistakes; the Ganassi driver referenced a spin at Iowa Speedway that cost points, while Power spun at Milwaukee when he could’ve gained ground.
Yet each of them dropped their heads and got on with it. Palou’s attitude when his car was out of commission was nothing short of inspiring; not only was he not upset, but he was seen smiling and even able to laugh. He kept his optimism and his focus in a time when any other driver would have at least broken a sweat. And even though his championship hopes died quickly at Nashville, Power continued to drive hard throughout the race until the checkered flag. Once it was over, the respect the two men have for one another was evident; the duo shared a hug after Power came to Palou’s championship celebration.
Talent is one thing but IndyCar has a level of sportsmanship and personality that make it rise above the rest. That extended off-track as well, as the 2024 IndyCar season was NBC Sports’ last as the series’ media home; IndyCar signed a massive new rights deal with FOX Sports earlier this year. Before that, fans were forced to say an early farewell to longtime IndyCar voice Leigh Diffey when NBC moved Diffey to its NASCAR booth and gave the remainder of the races to Kevin Lee.
Lee was on the call Sunday alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe, and while Diffey’s powerful voice and his unbridled enthusiasm were dearly missed, his successor and his colleagues made sure he had a place in NBC’s swan song. Lee, Bell and Hinchcliffe were clearly emotional as they reflected on what could also be their last IndyCar season (FOX has not announced who their on-air talent will be), and they also made a point of acknowledging Diffey’s contributions. The NBC Sports team hasn’t always been perfect—they used a NASCAR transition graphic twice during the IndyCar race—but the commentary group’s final minutes made clear how much they all love this amazing sport.
And frankly, Leigh Diffey is one of the great announcers of all time in any sport, on or off a racetrack. Not to diminish the contributions of his friends or any others, but Diffey’s voice is both powerful and comforting, able to convey every ounce of drama while also soothing during the most painful or emotional moments of every season. There’s a reason he represents NBC Sports on the world stage of the Olympics. And no one among that broadcast crew showed more enthusiasm or excitement than him. He was a true professional who, at the same time, felt like one of the fans.
He was to IndyCar what Don Orsillo is to Major League Baseball, and it’s a shame that he won’t be calling IndyCar races in 2025—although at least audiences can still hear him working NASCAR and other events. Hopefully Lee, Bell and Hinchcliffe will make the move to FOX and continue on the journey, because the greatest thing about IndyCar, beyond the fantastic product on track, is that sense of community. It’s the camaraderie between the drivers, which is passed on to the fans, and continues up into the broadcast booth. In 2024, as a veteran champion battled a new one and pages were turned, sports fans were reminded of that more than ever.
The 2025 IndyCar Series begins March 2, 2025 with the 2025 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Photo credit: Header image by Joe Skibinski, courtesy of Penske Entertainment. Video credits: Race highlights courtesy of IndyCar; highlight reel from NBC Sports via Twitter.
Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
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