Alex Palou To Rev Up Indiana Football Fans Before Buckeye Showdown

Alex Palou has a new role for Saturday’s college football showdown between Indiana University and Ohio State on FOX. He’s the honorary driver of an Indiana University-themed NTT INDYCAR SERIES race car.

Palou was named Thursday to fill in for Hoosier the Bison, IU’s mascot, who has driven the car while leading the Hoosiers out of the tunnel before each home game at Memorial Stadium this season.

The five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, a native of Spain, has become an avid Indiana University sports fan since making Indianapolis his home. He also has visited IU’s Bloomington campus several times ahead of big games as part of FOX Sports’ promotional activities.

“I’m following IU now,” Palou said during FOX Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” before a game last year. “It’s (IU atmosphere) a little more rowdy than I thought. I love it.”

Palou’s honorary role is the latest stop in a busy stretch behind the wheel of a variety of race cars -- none of them his No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

On Oct. 3, he competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Petit Le Mans for Meyer Shank Racing. He then drove the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG in last weekend’s Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour during practice and qualifying but never turned a wheel in the race due to being taken out in an accident before his first stint. On Monday, Palou tested the IR-28, the new NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis scheduled to debut in 2028, at Sebring International Raceway.

Friday, Palou will drive INDY NXT by Firestone machinery for the first time, participating in the Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He is filling in for Chip Ganassi Racing’s full-time INDY NXT driver Carson Etter, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery.

Saturday’s game adds another dimension to Palou’s growing connection with IU. FOX Sports, which became the exclusive television provider of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES ahead of the 2025 season, will broadcast the Ohio State-Indiana matchup.

Palou, the 2025 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner, enters Saturday’s game following a championship season in which he captured his fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES title. His fourth consecutive championship in 2026 tied him with Sébastien Bourdais, who won four straight titles from 2004-07. No driver has won five consecutive championships. Only A.J. Foyt, with seven titles, and Scott Dixon, with six, have won more career championships than Palou.