Since joining Chip Ganassi Racing six seasons ago, Spanish driver Alex Palou has shown to be a generational talent who is quickly working his way through IndyCar’s record books. For that, Palou has earned a multi-year contract extension on his current deal that ran through the 2027 season. The extension was finalized following this week’s two-day Indianapolis 500 test. Ganassi never publicly discloses contract terms. The reward capped a celebratory week for Palou, who drove into Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the defending Indy 500 winner for testing and saw a larger-than-life banner of himself chugging the traditional winner’s milk.

The Brickyard seems to be doubling as a wildlife sanctuary during Indianapolis 500 testing. One day after French driver Romain Grosjean’s car hit and killed a bird as it topped 200 mph, two-time Indy 500 champ Takuma Sato barely avoided a collision with a fox when the animal ran across the track on Wednesday. Sato then posted the fourth-fastest lap in afternoon testing at 225.109. Two-time Indy winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske jumped to the top of the speed chart in the final test session with a lap of 225.617. Points leader and defending Indy champ Alex Palou was next at 225.272.

Romain Grosjean’s first Indianapolis 500 test session took flight quickly Tuesday. As he navigated a 200-plus mph lap through the third turn on the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, Grosjean’s No. 18 Honda clipped a bird — not far from the 12th green of the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course where the goal is to make birdies. Grosjean, left with no choice at such a high speed, did the only thing he could. The implications of that regrettable result were splattered across the left leg of Grosjean’s fire suit. He posted the sixth-fastest lap of the day at 224.307 mph. Conor Daly turned the fastest lap of the day at 225.384. Jack Harvey had the fastest now-tow speed at 220.318. A second day of testing is scheduled for Wednesday. The race is set for May 24.