Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou won a "chaotic" IndyCar Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca on Sunday to move to the top of the season standings.
The Chip Ganassi driver from Spain started from pole, surrendered the lead to Kyle Kirkwood on the opening lap but emerged from a welter of re-starts from cautions to earn his second victory in three years at the Northern California circuit.
He has finished on the podium in all four of his starts on the 2.238-mile track.
"It was a chaotic race, man," Palou told broadcaster NBC. "Didn't do a really good job on the start and those re-starts at the beginning.
"We've been working so hard in qualifying to get that first position, but (the team) did a tremendous job.
"(It) was fun. Too much intense at the end with those restarts but overall an amazing week," added Palou, who led Herta on a restart with 10 laps remaining, then, after Kyffin Simpson spun out to bring out another caution flag, got a clean getaway on the restart with four laps to go.
Palou finished 1.9780sec in front of Andretti Global's Colton Herta.
Alexander Rossi finished a season-best third for Arrow McLaren while Romain Grosjean and Kirkwood rounded out the top five.
Australia's Will Power, who entered the race with a five-point lead over Palou atop the standings, finished seventh after a late-race brush with Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin.
With nine races remaining, Palou tops the standings with a 23-point lead over Power.
