Alex Palou, winner of the recent IndyCar race, faced significant challenges when Juncos Hollinger Racing's Sting Ray Robb slowed his progress, causing his five-second lead over Josef Newgarden to shrink dramatically.

Palou compared the situation to highway driving, where a slow driver in the left lane refuses to move over, only to speed up after being passed. The frustration was compounded by Robb's ability to use push-to-pass boost while Palou, as the race leader, needed to conserve his overtake allowance for potential late-race scenarios.

The incident, while frustrating for Palou, was completely within IndyCar's rules. Such defensive driving is common, particularly among smaller teams like Juncos Hollinger, who benefit from the extended TV exposure when holding off race leaders.

Despite the challenges, Palou maintains that the current blue flag rules should remain unchanged. However, he suggested modifying the push-to-pass regulations for cars about to be lapped, noting that Robb used nearly all his available boost (going from 70 seconds to zero in approximately 10 laps) while defending his position.

The situation ultimately didn't cost Palou the race victory, though his comfortable lead was significantly reduced. While acknowledging the frustration, Palou recognized that such traffic management has both helped and hindered him throughout his career, considering it a natural part of IndyCar racing.

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