English
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.
Read more: Anyone Can Drive Volvo's New VNL Semi Truck, But That Won't Make You A Trucker
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.
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Detroit Lions trade David Montgomery to Houston Texans for draft pick
Sonic and Knuckles are no more.
The Detroit Lions traded running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans on Monday, March 2, a person with first-hand knowledge of the deal told the Free Press, less than a week after Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he would "love" to keep Montgomery in Detroit.
"Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward," Holmes said at the NFL combine last week in Indianapolis. "But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’ll just kind of see how it goes."
Montgomery was unhappy with his reduced role last season, when he had career-lows in rushing yards, attempts and total offensive touches while playing as the Lions' clear No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
In 2023-24, Gibbs and Montgomery – nicknamed Sonic and Knuckles – formed one of the best 1-2 running back tandems in the NFL.
Montgomery, who turns 29 in June, is scheduled to make $6 million this fall in the first year of a two-year extension. The Lions save about $3.5 million in cap room with the trade, though they’ll have to use at least some of that savings to find a replacement.
The Lions do not have enough cap room or available playing time to be in the top of the running back market, but cost-effective options who could be available in free agency include Brian Robinson, Najee Harris and Arizona Cardinals running backs Michael Carter and Emari Demercado (a restricted free agent), both of whom played for new Lions offensive coordinator Petzing last season.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: David Montgomery traded from Detroit Lions to Houston Texans for pick
Tottenham ban three fans over Nazi salutes during Champions League tie
Uefa sanctioned the London club for the behaviour, imposing a €30,000 (£26,212) fine
Why Patriots Should Not Sign Trey Hendrickson
Why Patriots Should Not Sign Trey Hendrickson originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots should be looking to add to their pass rush this offseason, but should not be fooled by some big names on the market.
Trey Hendrickson is a player the Patriots should avoid, even though on paper, he may seem like a phenomenal addition. He has been in a contract dispute with the Cincinnati Bengals for a couple of years now, and may finally be wearing a different jersey next season. However, despite his track record of success, he may not be worth it.
He is still looking to get paid after the Bengals ended up coming to short-term resolutions with him the last couple of years. He has 81 career sacks and led the NFL in sacks in 2024. However, he will turn 32 in December and missed most of last season thanks to an injury. He is an aging player who is going to cost plenty of money, coming off a poor year.
Some team is going to pay Hendrickson what he wants. However, the Patriots have a solid team and are not reportedly operating like a team that feels it needs to spend big to win the Super Bowl right now. The pass rush needs to be addressed, but there are options besides Hendrickson.
If the Patriots are going to invest in a pass rusher, it would be wise to spend on a younger player. Maxx Crosby is a name to watch in trade rumors. In free agency, Jaelan Phillips, Boye Mafe and Odafe Oweh are young players who could be solid additions. If the Patriots are not overly enthused by free agent options, the NFL Draft could provide them with a young pass rusher.
Regardless, the point is that Hendrickson may no longer be worth what he is looking for in guarantees. The four-time Pro Bowler and 2024 First-Team All-Pro is a great player, but did not do himself any favors last season. Signing him is not a risk the Patriots need to take right now, especially with needs elsewhere on the roster as well.