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LONG BEACH — Colton Herta of Santa Clarita connected Sunday day won the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, but Alex Palou of Spain won the NTT IndyCar title successful the season-finale.
Afterward, a thrilled Palou could beryllium seen hugging his begetter Ramon connected the way moments aft Palou became the archetypal Spanish operator to triumph an IndyCar title. He’s conscionable 24.
It was the archetypal clip this contention decided the bid championship.
Palou, Josef Newgarden of Nashville and Pato O’Ward of Mexico were the lone drivers with a accidental to triumph the bid rubric up of the race. All Palou had to bash was decorativeness 12th oregon amended to look with the hardware that is the Astor Cup, and helium came successful 4th down Herta, Newgarden and Scott Dixon, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate.
Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, celebrates aft winning the NTT IndyCar play title with a fourth-place decorativeness astatine the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention while. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Colton Herta, from Santa Clarita, heads down Shoreline Drive during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndyCar bid champion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, takes a selfie with Chip Ganassi Racing operator advisor Dario Franchitti pursuing the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndCcar operator Alexander Rossi, from Nevada City, California, races down Shoreline Drive during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndyCar operator Romain Grosjean is consoled by a teammate aft dropping retired of the contention during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pato O’Ward, from Monterrey, Mexico, makes a pit halt during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Takuma Sato, from Tokyo, Japan, heads down Shoreline Drive during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A fork assistance takes the wrecked contention car of Marcus Ericsson backmost to the store country pursuing the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A Graham Rahal unit subordinate waits for his operator to pit during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pole sitter Josef Newgarden (right), from Nashville, Tennessee, takes the greenish emblem on broadside Soctt Dixon (left), from Auckland, New Zealand to commencement the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndyCar operator Colton Herta, from Santa Clarita, races down Shoreline Drive during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, makes a pit halt during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Colton Herta, from Santa Clarita, makes a pit halt during the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pole sitter Josef Newgarden (right), from Nashville, Tennessee, takes the greenish emblem on broadside Soctt Dixon (left), from Auckland, New Zealand to commencement the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, is reflected successful the title trophy arsenic helium celebrates aft winning the Indycar play title pursuing the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndyCar operator Colton Herta, from Santa Clarita, takes the checkered emblem to triumph the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Colton Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal play championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
NTT IndyCar operator Colton Herta (top right) celebrates with his unit aft winning the 46th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach connected Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021. Herta won the contention portion Alex Palou, from Barcelona, Spain, won his archetypal bid championship. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Palou finished with 549 points, Newgarden ended up 2nd successful the bid with 511 points and O’Ward was 3rd with 487. Dixon took 4th with 481, Herta 5th with 455.
O’Ward finished the contention 27th aft completing lone 43 of 85 laps due to the fact that of gear-box issues.
This contention was made the season-finale erstwhile it was pushed backmost from April to September due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic, which was besides the culprit for the cancellation of the 2020 race.
Herta started 14th, truthful his 2nd consecutive triumph to decorativeness the run was peculiar successful its ain right. On Saturday, helium took the blasted for not qualifying higher aft having the fastest signifier time.
He was each smiles Sunday, though.
“Yes, this is the biggest contention for maine extracurricular of Indy,” said Herta, conscionable 21, of Andretti Autosport w/Curb Agajanian; helium won 3 races this season. “I said antecedently that this was the archetypal contention I was ever beryllium capable to travel to being from Santa Clarita. I was 2 months aged erstwhile I archetypal came to Long Beach — my begetter (Bryan) was driving successful 2000.
“It was the lone contention I could spell to due to the fact that I was truthful young and I couldn’t alert yet. … I retrieve increasing up astir present and coming to this contention each twelvemonth erstwhile I was 5, 6, 7 — each the mode up until I was racing successful IndyCar successful 2019, truthful I can’t judge I won it connected my 2nd try.”
Herta successful 2019 went retired of the contention from interaction connected Lap 50.
Palou entered with a 35-point pb implicit O’Ward and a 47-point pb implicit Newgarden aft Newgarden earned a constituent Saturday for winning the pole. Newgarden had to triumph and person Palou decorativeness 25th oregon worse successful bid to assertion the championship, truthful his was a precise agelong shot.
Palou entered the media halfway astir 40 minutes oregon truthful aft the race. He said his lofty accomplishment had not rather deed him.
“Not yet, not yet,” said Palou, who raced successful Long Beach for the archetypal time. “I don’t deliberation I recognize what we conscionable did. But I’m conscionable ace blessed my dada was capable to spot it and observe with me. Hopefully, I tin get him to enactment tonight. I deliberation helium can, he’s young.”
After the laughter stopped, helium continued.
“Then my woman is besides here, large portion of maine being here,” Palou said. “Not each my household tin beryllium here, but I’m definite we observe erstwhile I’m there. And, yeah, ace arrogant to beryllium the archetypal Spanish feline to triumph and I anticipation I’m not the past one.”
Newgarden, a two-time victor of the bid championship, praised Palou for winning astatine specified a young property successful conscionable his 2nd play successful IndyCar. He intimated it helps to beryllium connected a squad similar Chip Ganassi Racing.
“Yeah, I deliberation he’s done a bully occupation of maximizing his opportunity, right?” said Newgarden, of Team Penske. “Coming up we each imagination of having that benignant of squad astir you. Certainly wrong your 2nd year, that’s a imagination opportunity. And truthful he’s surely got each the resources and radical astir him to marque it happen.
“But he’s done the job, clearly. He’s been coagulated each year, been good wrong the fight. I said earlier successful the year, I deliberation from the young harvest of drivers, helium looks the astir complete. And possibly that’s conscionable due to the fact that he’s got a mates of much years connected a batch of the different younger guys.”
Six-time bid victor Dixon, Palou’s teammate, was stoked to spot the young antheral marque history.
“Super arrogant of Alex, man, he’s done a tremendous job,” Dixon said.
Team proprietor Ganassi made his mode into the post-race quality conference.
“This is arsenic bully arsenic it gets,” helium said.
Any accidental O’Ward had astatine winning the title ended connected Lap 18 erstwhile helium went retired with gear-box issues that whitethorn person stemmed from interaction from Ed Jones connected Lap 1. O’Ward, 22, really came backmost retired connected Lap 53 and ran 26 much laps for a full of 43 of the 85 earlier again checking out. He finished 27th.
Simon Pagenaud finished 5th Sunday, two-time defending contention champion Alexander Rossi was sixth, Jack Harvey seventh, Sebastien Bourdais eighth, Takuma Sato ninth and Will Power finished 10th.
The attendance implicit 3 days of racing was 180,000, according the Jim Michaelian, CEO of the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach.
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