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EspañolNobody In IndyCar Can Stop Álex Palou
The IndyCar circus has been dormant since the 2025 season ended 183 days ago, and in spite of that lengthy off season, it doesn't seem any of the drivers in the series have figured out a way to beat four-time champion Álex Palou and his Chip Ganassi Racing team. Sunday's St. Petersburg Grand Prix once again went Palou's way as he brute forced his way to the front and delivered the largest margin of victory in the history of the event. Palou came home a full 12.49 seconds ahead of pole man Scott McLaughlin. He kept his cool and made it look easy.
It may be a little early in the season, but allow me to be the first to congratulate Mr. Palou on winning his fifth IndyCar title in 2026. Sure, there are still 17 races in the season to be run, but all that feels more or less like a formality at this point. I've seen this guy get better every single year, and while everyone else on the grid is still dang fast, they're not developing at the same pace.
On Sunday Palou ran a strategy that very few other drivers in the field chose to take. With the new 2026 rulebook requiring every car to run two stints on soft tires and one stint on hards, Palou started the race on softs, ran softs again in the middle stint, and moved to the hards to close out the race. The top competitors started on the hards and closed with two sets of soft tires, hoping to catch up to Palou in that final stint with a tire advantage. Not only did Palou work himself a huge gap to the chasing pack, but he stayed fast on the worse set of tires. It was magic.
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The once and future champ
IndyCar is a more or less spec series with some of the top international drivers and incredibly talented teams of individuals. There's no way any one driver should be able to dominate the way Palou routinely does. The cars are the same, the tires are the same, everyone has essentially the same equipment. In 2026 the main differences between cars on the grid are how their dampers are tuned, and teams are spending millions to have an infinitesimally small advantage over one another. All of that is moot if you don't have Palou in the car.
It looks like 2026 is shaping up to be another Palou versus the world season. I was hoping that McLaren could bring a tighter ship to the grid this year for its superstar driver Pato O'Ward, or Penske could figure out a few of the things that have been plaguing the team for the last couple of years. It's possible both will be able to improve through the season, but St. Pete didn't fill me with a ton of confidence that Álex will have anyone to push him to be faster, except himself. We're witnessing a generationally talented run in IndyCar right now, and I love to see the Spaniard succeed.
Nobody but Palou has led the IndyCar championship since June of 2024, so just let that little factoid sink in for a moment. This weekend's run at Phoenix will be Palou's 100th race in the series, and St. Pete marked his race victory. There isn't a driver in IndyCar right now who could deliver that kind of win rate, and now that Palou has essentially closed the door on a potential run in Formula One, there isn't anything coming to save the current grid from his pace.
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¡Tensión en los Lakers!: Saltan chispas entre Luka Doncic y J.J. Redick en pleno partido
Lakers reportedly could battle with Knicks, Warriors for $149 million seven-time All-Star
Lakers reportedly could battle with Knicks, Warriors for $149 million seven-time All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Los Angeles Clippers’ 34-year-old star forward isn’t set to be a free agent until 2027.
The two-time NBA champion is in the midst of completing the second year of his three-year $149 million contract extension he inked with the Clippers in 2024, meaning a trade must be completed for him to leave Los Angeles this summer.
However, Yahoo Sports’ Tom Haberstroh believes there’s a world in which the Los Angeles Lakers could battle the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks for the two-time NBA Finals MVP’s services this summer.
“Maybe it’s a case where Adam Silver levies some sort of punishment, whether it’s forcing Kawhi Leonard’s contract to be invalidated,” Haberstroh stated last Monday. And I think that would be one of the things that is on the table, because that is what David Stern did with the Joe Smith cap circumvention with the Minnesota Timberwolves decades ago.”
“The interesting thing on that is it provides a conundrum where I think if Kawhi Leonard is now a free agent, you’re now going to see a frenzy for his services, with the likes of the Lakers, with the likes of the Golden State Warriors, or the New York Knicks."
“They would try to go get Kawhi Leonard at this stage as a free agent. That would create more hysteria and chaos around the league.”
While Haberstroh’s idea is undoubtedly far-fetched, it isn’t completely out of the equation. If it somehow materializes, the Lakers could position themselves to sign the accomplished veteran after striking out on him in 2019 (he entered free agency after winning a title with the Toronto Raptors and eventually joined the Clippers).
Leonard’s two-way dominance when healthy would make him an ideal fit in JJ Redick’s system in Los Angeles. The San Diego State product is contributing 28.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals per game with the Clippers this season, shooting 49.4% from the field and 38.1% from three-point land in 44 contests.
If anything, Haberstroh’s report emphasizes the importance of closely monitoring Leonard’s situation in Los Angeles.
More NBA: Cavaliers acquire 6-foot-3 former Pacers star, two-time All-Star via G-League trade
I(O)U: Cignetti’s Revised Indiana Deal to Pay Over $100M Guaranteed
The market has spoken for Curt Cignetti.
The University of Indiana has committed to pay its national championship-winning head football coach $105.6 million over the next eight seasons, according to a letter signed by athletic director Scott Dolson and released Monday.
Cignetti’s existing employment agreement called for a “good-faith market review” if IU reached the College Football Playoff semifinal—which it did in January on the way to winning its first national title in school history.
Under the revised deal, Cignetti will earn $13.025 million in guaranteed compensation this coming season, with annual raises of $50,000 through Nov. 30, 2033. Before incentives, that would make him the second-highest-paid coach in college football this year, behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart and just ahead of LSU’s Lane Kiffin.
Cignetti’s raise represents a roughly 54% increase from the $8.5 million guaranteed salary the coach was set to earn this year under the contract he signed back in November 2024. All other terms remain in effect.
As such, if Cignetti is fired without cause, Indiana must pay the full remaining guaranteed tab, based on a provision triggered once his team appeared in the Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff.
Should the Hoosiers replicate last season’s success, Cignetti would easily clear $15 million.
And if that’s not enough to get him through the week, the contract also includes a $25,000 annual courtesy car allowance, free meals at the athletic dining facility and unlimited family use of the Pfau Golf Course and driving range in Bloomingdale, Ind., “including green fees, cart fees and range balls.”
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Report: Lions trading David Montgomery to Texans
Sonic and Knuckles will not play together in 2026.
The Detroit Lions are reportedly trading running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In return, the Lions will get:
- Texans’ 4th-round pick
- OL Juice Scruggs
- Texans 7th-round pick
There was clearly some tension between Montgomery and the Lions after the 2025 season, in which Montgomery saw his usage decline with the rise of Jahmyr Gibbs. Just last week, Lions general manager Brad Holmes suggested that there were still 0ngoing talks between the Lions and Montgomery.
“Obviously, look, we love David. He’s a great player. We would love to have him. Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But a player has to want to be at a certain place as well, so those conversations are still fluid and we’re just kind of seeing how it goes,” Holmes said last week.
With the move, the Lions will clear up just north of $3.5 million in cap space, but now they have a significant need at the second running back position.