Alex Palou is taking on a new endeavor while celebrating his fifth NTT IndyCar Series championship. He is taking over the Indiana Hoosiers pre-game ritual.
According to a video released on Thursday, the Chip Ganassi Racing driver will replace Hoosier the Bison in the custom-built Indiana IndyCar. He will drive it onto the field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday while hyping up the home crowd.
When it comes to winning and speed, these two get it 😤
Alex Palou is in the driver’s seat for Hoosier the Bison at this weekend’s @IndianaFootball game 🏈 pic.twitter.com/ZlK2jsMdNb
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) October 15, 2026
The defending National Champion Hoosiers will host the Ohio State Buckeyes in a battle of playoff contenders. These teams will face off at noon while Fox provides coverage.
Hoosier the Bison, the official mascot of the championship-winning university, made waves earlier this season with his pre-game ritual. He first zip-lined into Memorial Stadium, and then he climbed into the open-wheel race car, a new addition for this season.
Hoosier the Bison has since used the IndyCar to lead the football team onto the field for each home game this season. He has continued to make a lap while the marching band has performed.
Palou, the dominant driver in IndyCar for several seasons now, will take over this car this weekend. He will don his Indiana firesuit while leading the football team out onto the field.
This trip to Memorial Stadium will continue what has been a unique week for Palou. He will also make his debut in a lower-tier series while helping out Chip Ganassi Racing.
Palou will take part in the Indy NXT Chris Griffis Memorial Test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Friday. He will climb behind the wheel of an Indy NXT entry for the first time, and he will gather data for Chip Ganassi Racing.
The five-time champion, who has a “rookie” designation for this test, will join fellow drivers Alessandro de Tullio, Alexander Koreiba, and Frankie Mossman.
“It is an exciting group for us to be taking to the Chris Griffis test,” said Chip Ganassi Racing’s Chris Wheeler, per Racer.
“Our program has grown significantly in the first two years and to have a mixture of veteran pace and young promise, we are looking forward to maximizing their skills on track.”
