IndyCar News: Children’s of Alabama Indy GP at Barber Preview
While Formula 1 is racing in Miami before a crowd of over 100,000 and an international TV audience of 80 million, The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to beautiful Barber Motorsports Park in nearby Alabama with an attendance of around 25,000 and a TV audience under 1 million.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has staged races at Barber Motorsports Park since 2010. The undulating track puts a premium on shocks, and no one has better shocks than Team Penske.
Penske driver Will Power won in the 2011 and 2012 races. Then Ryan Hunter-Reay won two in succession (2013, 2014).
Penske driver Josef Newgarden won the events in 2017 and 2018.
Penske driver Scott McLaughlin is the latest double winner.
McLaughlin’s win last year was particularly impressive. He led 58 of the 90 laps, controlling the first 27 laps as the pole winner. A late caution brought Power and his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet closer to the front, but McLaughlin held him off by 1.3194 seconds for the first of his three wins during the season.
Power is one of three drivers to have competed in all 14 races at the track – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda) are the others – and he has consistently strong. He has amassed 216 laps led at the track, pacing the field in nine different races. He has completed every lap in all but one race (he went off course midway through the 2018 event).
As for finishes, no driver can match Power’s productivity. He has 11 top-five finishes, including last year’s second-place effort. He finished second in 2021 and third in 2023.
Can Anyone Beat Alex Palou?
Palou, whose No. 10 Honda features HRC sponsorship and a different, colorful livery this weekend, has started the season with race finishes of first, first and second to build a 34-point lead over his nearest championship contender, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda).
Palou, the winner at Barber in 2021, has been consistently strong in the races at Barber Motorsports Park, posting top-five results in each of the past four races. In succession, he has finished first, second and fifth twice, leading 72 laps in those starts.
Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, May 2-Sunday, May 4
Track: Barber Motorsports Park, a 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course (clockwise) in Birmingham, Alabama
27-Car Entry List
|
CAR |
DRIVER |
HOMETOWN |
CAR NAME |
TEAM |
ENGINE |
|
|
1 |
2 |
Josef Newgarden |
Nashville, Tennessee |
PPG Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
2 |
3 |
Scott McLaughlin |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
Good Ranchers Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
3 |
4 |
David Malukas |
Chicago, Illinois |
AJ FOYT RACING |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
4 |
5 |
Pato O’Ward |
Monterrey, Mexico |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
5 |
6 |
Nolan Siegel |
Palo Alto, California |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
6 |
7 |
Christian Lundgaard |
Hedensted, Denmark |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
7 |
8 |
Kyffin Simpson |
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |
Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
8 |
9 |
Scott Dixon |
Auckland, New Zealand |
PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
9 |
10 |
Alex Palou |
Barcelona, Spain |
HRC |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
10 |
12 |
Will Power |
Toowoomba, Australia |
Verizon Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
11 |
14 |
Santino Ferrucci |
Woodbury, Connecticut |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
12 |
15 |
Graham Rahal |
New Albany, Ohio |
Hendrickson International |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
13 |
18 |
Rinus VeeKay |
Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
askROI |
Dale Coyne Racing |
Honda |
|
14 |
20 |
Alexander Rossi |
Nevada City, California |
ECR Java House |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
15 |
21 |
Christian Rasmussen |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
ECR Splenda |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
16 |
26 |
Colton Herta |
Valencia, California |
Gainbridge |
Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian |
Honda |
|
17 |
27 |
Kyle Kirkwood |
Jupiter, Florida |
PreFab |
Andretti Global |
Honda |
|
18 |
28 |
Marcus Ericsson |
Kumla, Sweden |
Bryant |
Andretti Global |
Honda |
|
19 |
30 |
Devlin DeFrancesco |
Toronto, Canada |
EVTEC |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
20 |
45 |
Louis Foster (R) |
Odiham, England |
Mi-Jack |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
21 |
51 |
Jacob Abel (R) |
Louisville, Kentucky |
Abel Construction |
Dale Coyne Racing |
Honda |
|
22 |
60 |
Felix Rosenqvist |
Värnamo, Sweden |
SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian |
Honda |
|
23 |
66 |
Marcus Armstrong |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
SiriusXM/Root Insurance |
Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian |
Honda |
|
24 |
76 |
Conor Daly |
Noblesville, Indiana |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
25 |
77 |
Sting Ray Robb |
Payette, Idaho |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
26 |
83 |
Robert Shwartzman (R) |
Tel Aviv, Israel |
PREMA Racing |
PREMA Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
27 |
90 |
Callum Ilott |
Cambridge, England |
PREMA Racing |
PREMA Racing |
Chevrolet |
Race distance: 90 laps / 207 miles (NTT INDYCAR SERIES) | 35 laps / 80.5 miles / 55 minutes (INDY NXT by Firestone)
Push-to-pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum single duration of 20 seconds. Push-to-pass is not available on the initial start or any restart unless it occurs in the final two laps or three minutes of a timed race. | INDY NXT by Firestone: 150 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 385 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary (hard) and five sets alternate (soft) to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires in the first practice session. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race. INDY NXT by Firestone: Three new sets to be used during the event weekend, with one new set used for qualifying and another new set used during the race. Two carryover sets from recent testing may be used during practice.
X: @BarberMotorPark @IndyCar, @INDYNXT, #INDYBHM, #IndyCar
Instagram: @BarberMotorPark, @INDYCAR, #INDYBHM, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @BarberMotorsportsPark, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYBHM, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.indyalabama.com
2024 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet)
INDY NXT by Firestone
Jacob Abel (No. 51 ABEL Motorsports)
2024 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet), 1 minute, 5.9490 seconds, 125.552 mph
2024 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Jacob Abel (No. 51 ABEL Motorsports), 1:11.3507, 116.047
Qualifying records:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Pato O’Ward, 1:05.5019, 126.409 mph, April 17, 2021 (set in Round 2 of qualifying)
INDY NXT by Firestone
Christian Rasmussen, 1:10:7371, 117.053, April 29, 2023
FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Practice 1, 3:30 p.m. ET, Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, 11:30 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Warmup, 10 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live); Race, 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. | INDY NXT By Firestone: Practice 1, 2:30 p.m. ET, Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, 10:10 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Race, 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone alongside analyst Jack Harvey. Georgia Henneberry is the pit reporter, while guest analyst Tim Cindric will join for the race telecast.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Alex Wollf, Drake York and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst race (1 p.m. ET), INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama (11:25 a.m. ET) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. All INDY NXT by Firestone practices, qualifying sessions and races are available on SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (All Times Local/Central Time):
Friday, May 2
1:30- 2:15 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 1, FS2 (Live)
2:35 -3:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (split group format), FS2 (Live)
Saturday, May 3
9:10-9:55 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, FS1 (Live)
10:30-11:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (Limited green flag guarantee of 45 minutes), FS1 (Live)
12:30-1 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (Two groups, 12-minutes each), FS1 (Live)
1:35-3 p.m. – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (Live)
Sunday, May 4
9:02-9:27 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS1 (Live)
10:30 a.m. – FS1 on air
10:31 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama “Drivers, start your engines”
10:36 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama (35 laps/55 minutes), FS1 (Live)
12:30 p.m. – FOX on air
12:40 p.m. – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
12:47 p.m. – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps / 207 miles), FOX (Live)
“WHAT TO LOOK FOR” AT BARBER:
- Dixon Needs a Barber: It can be argued that Scott Dixon is the most successful NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver in Barber Motorsports Park history, yet he doesn’t have a win to show for it. Dixon’s stat line at the 17-turn, 2.38-mile permanent road course is impressive: Nine podium finishes in 14 starts, including six runner-up finishes. That’s impressive by any measure. But he still would like a win at the track and kick off the Month of May with a W.
- Penske Perfect: As for reaching the top step of the podium in Birmingham, Alabama, Scott McLaughlin has been the track’s recent master, winning the last two races. In fact, Barber has been a Team Penske kind of place. Josef Newgarden has won three of the past nine races while Team Penske teammate Will Power (No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet) has won two races. Power is a four-time NTT P1 Award winner at Barber, part of the record 70 poles he has scored in his career.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
Kyle Kirkwood became the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winner this season not named Alex Palou as he earned his third career win April 13 at Long Beach. Palou finished second and leads Kirkwood by 34 points heading into the critical Month of May, which has more than 150 points on offer over the next four weeks with races at Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will be the 15th NTT INDYCAR SERIES event conducted at Barber Motorsports Park. Active race winners who are expected to compete are: Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin.
| ACTIVE RACE WINNER | WINS | SEASONS |
| Josef Newgarden | 3 | 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Will Power | 2 | 2011, 2012 |
| Scott McLaughlin | 2 | 2023, 2024 |
| Pato O’Ward | 1 | 2022 |
| Alex Palou | 1 | 2021 |
Six drivers have won the Barber race from the pole – Will Power in 2011, Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2013, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2018, Takuma Sato in 2019 and Scott McLaughlin in 2024.
| ACTIVE POLE WINNER | POLES | SEASONS |
| Will Power | 4 | 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017 |
| Scott McLaughlin | 1 | 2024 |
| Rinus VeeKay | 1 | 2022 |
| Pato O’Ward | 1 | 2021 |
| Josef Newgarden | 1 | 2018 |
- Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in nine of his 14 previous starts at Barber Motorsports Park – including six runner-up finishes – but he has yet to finish on the top step of the podium at the picturesque road circuit.
- Three drivers have competed in every NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Barber Motorsports Park – Scott Dixon, Will Power and Graham Rahal. All are entered this weekend.
- Team Penske has eight wins at Barber Motorsports Park (2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023 and 2024). Andretti Autosport, Chip Ganassi Racing, Ed Carpenter Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Arrow McLaren have also won at the track. Andretti Autosport won in 2013 and 2014 with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Ed Carpenter Racing won with Josef Newgarden in 2015, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing won in 2019 with Takuma Sato, Chip Ganassi Racing won in 2021 with Alex Palou and Arrow McLaren won in 2022 with Pato O’Ward.
- Twenty-three of the 27 drivers entered in the event have competed in NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Barber Motorsports Park. Eleven entered drivers have led laps: Will Power 216, Josef Newgarden 141, Scott McLaughlin 82, Rinus VeeKay 58, Alex Palou 72, Pato O’Ward 52, Scott Dixon 46, Graham Rahal 25, Santino Ferrucci 14, Alexander Rossi 3 and Felix Rosenqvist 1.
- Three NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year contenders – Jacob Abel, Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman – are entered and will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Barber Motorsports Park for the first time, as will veteran driver Nolan Siegel.
- Milestones: Felix Rosenqvist will attempt to make his 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start … Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 343rd consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history.
INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
- INDY NXT by Firestone resumes its 2025 season this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. Dennis Hauger led every lap to win the season opener at St. Petersburg but will face an equally tough test at Barber. Hauger and his Andretti Global teammates should enter with confidence as they have been among the fastest cars during this season’s recent testing at Nashville Superspeedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
- The 20-car field for the INDY NXT Grand Prix of Alabama is among the largest INDY NXT by Firestone fields at Barber Motorsports Park. There were a record 21 cars last season. While none of the current field of drivers has won an INDY NXT by Firestone race at Barber, Myles Rowe has visited victory lane at the picturesque road course, winning a USF 2000 Championship race in 2022.
Group qualifying will decide the starting grid on road and street circuits. Based on the best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding qualifying, the fastest driver in that session will choose which group will compete in the first of the two qualifying sessions. With 12 minutes allotted for each group (with a guarantee of one timed lap), the fastest driver between the two sessions will be awarded pole position with the drivers who finished behind that driver, in order and in that group, occupying the odd-numbered starting positions (3, 5, 7, etc.) for the race and the drivers who finished in order from the other group occupying the even-numbered starting positions (2, 4, 6, etc.). One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group.