Alex Palou has driven plenty of cars around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This week, he’ll add another to the list.

Five-time and reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou (photo, top) will drive the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing entry in the annual Chris Griffis Memorial Test on Friday, Oct. 16, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Palou is filling in for CGR full-time INDY NXT driver Carson Etter, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.

The test honors Chris Griffis, the team manager for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports who died suddenly in September 2011. Friday’s session allows teams an opportunity to evaluate drivers and experiment with setups to begin preparations for the following season.

Palou is among 22 drivers scheduled to participate in the test, which runs from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. ET. The Turn 2 spectator mounds will be open to fans.

Palou’s participation puts him in a rare position. He’s the four-time defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion stepping into the sport’s top developmental series after establishing himself at its highest level. Palou has never driven INDY NXT machinery. He joined the INDYCAR SERIES in 2020 with Dale Coyne Racing after building his career in European and Japanese series.

An INDY NXT car produces approximately 200-300 less horsepower and less downforce than an INDYCAR SERIES machine, along with different braking characteristics.

“It’ll be tough,” Palou said. “It’s very tough always to go from a car that has more downforce and carbon brakes and stuff to some car that is a bit smaller, less downforce, less power, and it doesn’t have as much performance. I’m excited to help the team see how that car feels.”

Carson Etter

Palou believes familiarity with the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit helps the learning curve while testing the team's No. 11 INDY NXT car (photo, above). He’s a three-time Sonsio Grand Prix winner, each coming in the past four years.

“I’m excited to see what that car is capable of and helping the team as much as I can,” Palou said. “Its (the car) is probably like the current F3, which I drove almost eight to 10 years ago.

“So, yeah, it’ll take me a little bit to get used to. I know I won’t be at 100%. But I don’t think we don’t need to. The good thing is we’re not racing. We’re just testing. We’re just trying to learn as much as we can.”

Palou has been behind the wheel of many race cars lately. He drove an Acura prototype in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race Oct. 3 at Petit Le Mans for Meyer Shank Racing. Palou then practiced and qualified the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG in last weekend’s Intercontinental GT Challenge Indianapolis 8 Hour on this same track, but he never turned a racing lap due to an early accident by one of his teammates. On Monday, he tested the IR-28, the new INDYCAR SERIES chassis scheduled to debut in 2028, at Sebring International Raceway.

He’s aware this test represents an opportunity for Chip Ganassi Racing to pursue a milestone that has eluded one of motorsports’ most successful organizations. CGR has amassed 25 championships across racing disciplines, including a record 18th INDYCAR SERIES title in 2026. The team has earned more than 275 victories in motorsports, including six Indianapolis 500 wins, eight Rolex 24 At Daytona victories and six wins apiece in the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans. But an INDY NXT race victory remains missing from its résumé.

Ganassi aims to change that by bringing Palou in for the day as the team works to find speed and strengthen its program.

The team will also field the No. 10 entry for Alessandro de Tullio, who competed as a rookie with AJ Foyt Racing this past season. De Tullio finished sixth in the championship standings with two victories. His eight pole positions fell one short of Pato O’Ward’s single-season series record set in 2018. Alexander Koreiba and Frankie Mossman join the duo for Friday’s test with CGR.