Alex Palou, Alexander Rossi provide rave reviews after 1st weekend of testing the new IndyCars

Alex Palou and Alexander Rossi were sold on the new IndyCar at first glance.Then they climbed inside the cockpit, took it around Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course and were even more impressed.Palou, the four-time series champ, and Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, became the first test drivers of the new model and both left the track giving the car rave reviews.“I am very happy to announce that we will race it next year,” Palou joked Sunday. “I wish (it was next year) — like that's the level of excitement I think among everybody. I think everybody, when we saw it live for the first time, I was shocked at how good it looked and how excited I was to give it a try."The Spaniard who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing certainly would be leading the pack again if he actually competed in the IR-28 next year because it isn't scheduled to debut until 2028. Naturally, though, Palou, who has won 21 of the last 64 races including Indy in 2025 and is on the cusp of cl