Breaking down Will Power's exchange with Alex Palou during IndyCar at Mid-Ohio practice
Power approached Alex Palou after Saturday morning's practice at Mid-Ohio, frustrated by what he felt was Palou's tepid pace, preventing him from turning full-speed laps in preparation for qualifying.
Fox Sports cameras caught their exchange on pit road, bleeping out some of Power's language. After Power walked away, Palou laughed and suggested Power complain to Barry Wanser, Palou's strategist, who was sitting on the timing stand.
"He came out a lap later in front of me, staying there, and spent four laps going slow. Backing up, backing up, backing up, which is frustrating," Power told Fox Sports, adding that process repeated itself minutes later.
Insider: Buckle up, IndyCar's silly season revolves around wily veteran Will Power. What we're hearing
Power said Palou acknowledged the issue.
Several drivers complained during practice and qualifying that others didn't allow them enough space to run full out on the 13-turn, 2.26-mile road course.
"Look, I think if you look at Practice 1 or 2, everybody is complaining about traffic, and we're all angry that we don't get clear laps. But maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure that was not the intention," Palou said in his post-qualifying news conference. "I don't know if you saw, but I was always like a second or two seconds in front of him. He was just having to back off. I never tried to defend or anything.
"I think he was just a little bit upset, and that's OK. But yeah, I knew that he was coming (down pit road) — I just didn't want to start to get into an argument. Yeah, it happens. It was my first time with him, so it's good."
Starting grid: IndyCar Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio qualifying
"We're struggling," Power said. "We're trying to get an idea of what our car is doing, and if you keep backing up, losing tire temps, you don't know."
Palou qualified for pole position and Power 22nd.
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IndyCar Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio qualifying, starting lineup, time
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Championship points leader Alex Palou wins pole position for the IndyCar Series race in the Ohio countryside, his third pole start of the year. Christian Lundgaard will also start on the front row for the 90-lap race on Mid-Ohio's 13-turn, 2.26-mile road course. Scott Dixon has won 6 times at Mid-Ohio, most recently in 2019. Josef Newgarden has won twice and Pato O'Ward won in 2024. Advertisement Nathan Brown is your best IndyCar follow, and keep up with coverage throughout the season with IndyStar's motorsports newsletter. IndyCar starting grid for Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on July 6, 2025 Row 1 1, Alex Palou 2, Christian Lundgaard Row 2 3, Kyffin Simpson 4, Nolan Siegel Row 3 5, Colton Herta 6, Louis Foster Row 4 7, Kyle Kirkwood 8, Marcus Armstrong Row 5 9, Scott Dixon 10, Christian Rasmussen (will start 6 spots further back after making an unapproved engine change) Row 6 11, Marcus Ericsson 12, Alexander Rossi Row 7 13, Conor Daly 14, David Malukas Row 8 15, Pato O'Ward 16, Felix Rosenqvist Row 9 17, Santino Ferrucci Advertisement 18, Josef Newgarden Row 10 17, Sting Ray Robb 20, Graham Rahal Row 11 21, Scott McLaughlin 22, Will Power Row 12 23, Devlin DeFrancesco 24, Callum Ilott Row 13 25, Jacob Abel 26, Rinus Veekay Row 14 27, Robert Shwartzman Will Power is upset with Alex Palou after IndyCar practice at Mid-Ohio Who is leading IndyCar? 2025 IndyCar results Alex Palou has won six races and Kyle Kirkwood three. Palou's points lead is almost two full races of max points. Who won at Mid-Ohio in 2024? 2024 IndyCar results at Mid-Ohio Pato O'Ward edged Alex Palou at the finish line, swapping their starting positions. Scott McLaughlin completed the podium after starting 7th. Advertisement Alex Palou to Formula 1? Williams boss has 2 reasons for why not, and Palou agrees 'I missed it': Ex-Team Penske IndyCar leader relishing new chapter with Arrow McLaren Back to full strength: Team Penske names new leadership atop IndyCar, sports car teams IndyCar expert picks, predictions for Mid-Ohio From Nathan Brown, IndyStar We're in the back half of a 17-race season, and Palou and Kirkwood are the only drivers to take checkered flags. Is anyone besides Alex Palou or Kyle Kirkwood allowed to win a race? If so, who? Marcus Ericsson. Of all the drivers in the field sorely in need of a pick-me-up, the fact that Ericsson sits 21st in points just a single top-10 is one of the year's biggest headscratchers. 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Breaking down Will Power's exchange with Alex Palou during IndyCar at Mid-Ohio practice
Will Power's temper isn't quite what it once was, but he still isn't shy about airing complaints — even with the driver dominating the IndyCar Series in recent years. Power approached Alex Palou after Saturday morning's practice at Mid-Ohio, frustrated by what he felt was Palou's tepid pace, preventing him from turning full-speed laps in preparation for qualifying. Advertisement Fox Sports cameras caught their exchange on pit road, bleeping out some of Power's language. After Power walked away, Palou laughed and suggested Power complain to Barry Wanser, Palou's strategist, who was sitting on the timing stand. "He came out a lap later in front of me, staying there, and spent four laps going slow. Backing up, backing up, backing up, which is frustrating," Power told Fox Sports, adding that process repeated itself minutes later. Insider: Buckle up, IndyCar's silly season revolves around wily veteran Will Power. What we're hearing Power said Palou acknowledged the issue. Several drivers complained during practice and qualifying that others didn't allow them enough space to run full out on the 13-turn, 2.26-mile road course. Advertisement "Look, I think if you look at Practice 1 or 2, everybody is complaining about traffic, and we're all angry that we don't get clear laps. But maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure that was not the intention," Palou said in his post-qualifying news conference. "I don't know if you saw, but I was always like a second or two seconds in front of him. He was just having to back off. I never tried to defend or anything. "I think he was just a little bit upset, and that's OK. But yeah, I knew that he was coming (down pit road) — I just didn't want to start to get into an argument. Yeah, it happens. It was my first time with him, so it's good." Starting grid: IndyCar Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio qualifying "We're struggling," Power said. "We're trying to get an idea of what our car is doing, and if you keep backing up, losing tire temps, you don't know." Advertisement Palou qualified for pole position and Power 22nd. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Will Power mad at Alex Palou after IndyCar practice at Mid-Ohio
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Mexico, meantime, crashed out in the group stage in Qatar, failing to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in decades. Still, Sunday will mark an unfamiliar experience for many of the younger Americans, most of whom have never participated in a U.S.-Mexico match. "I'm super excited to go out there and play in a game that I've dreamt of since I was a little kid," said Luna, who along with Tillman has scored three goals so far, good for second in the Gold Cup Golden Boot race. "Being a Mexican-American, it's in my blood." The opportunity isn't lost on the older heads, either. Just ask the 37-year-old Ream, a Premier League and World Cup veteran. "I've been in this program for 15 years. It's my fourth Gold Cup. I've not won one yet," Ream said. "Are we underdogs? Maybe. Does it matter? No. It's one game to lift a trophy. That's all the motivation we need." How they pull it off doesn't matter, either. The beautiful game, this probably won't be. This will be a dogfight from beginning to end if history is any guide. That's just fine with this U.S. squad. "We kind of like the fight," Richards said. "That's something that maybe has been missing from the national team over the last few camps, few months, few years." Sunday provides the chance to show they can stand toe-to-toe with Mexico on the biggest stage this region has to offer. "It doesn't have to be perfect, doesn't have to be pretty," Freese said. "The goal is to win, plain and simple." Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men's and women's national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ ByDougMcIntyre . recommended Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
