By: Spencer Neff
April 26, 2024
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads south for its first points-paying race on a permanent road course this season. On Sunday, Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama hosts the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.
It will be the 14th INDYCAR event hosted by the 2.3-mile, 17-turn undulating and picturesque road course.
Now, here’s some of the biggest stories as we head into the weekend.
Headlines
Despite Scott Dixon’s victory in Long Beach, it was events from the March 10 season opener at St. Petersburg that has grabbed most of the headlines.
On Wednesday, INDYCAR announced that the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 12 entries of Team Penske, driven by winner Josef Newgarden, runner-up Scott McLaughlin and fourth-place Will Power had been found in violation of the series’ “Push-to-Pass” system.
The violations, while found during Sunday morning’s warmup at Long Beach, were traced back to the season opener.
“The integrity of the INDYCAR SERIES championship is critical to everything we do,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said in a release on Wednesday.
“While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, INDYCAR discovered the manipulation during Sunday’s warmup in Long Beach and immediately addressed it ensuring all cars were compliant for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Beginning with this week’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, new technical inspection procedures will be in place to deter this violation.”
INDYCAR deemed they were in violation of the following:
Rule 14.19.15-An indicator to enable Push to Pass will be sent via CAN communication from the timing and scoring beacon on board the Car to the team data logger. This signal must be passed on to the ECU unmodified and uninterrupted during all Road and Street Course Events.
Rule 14.19.16-Race Starts and any Race Restart that occurs before the lap prior to the white flag or prior to three minutes remaining in a timed Race Event will have the Push to Pass system disabled and will be enabled for a given Car once that Car reaches the alternate Start/Finish line.
Per INDYCAR-
“It was determined that the No. 2 and the No. 3 gained a competitive advantage by using Push to Pass on restarts while the No. 12 did not.
Additionally, all three entries have been fined $25,000 and will forfeit all prize money associated with the Streets of St. Petersburg race.”
The No. 2 and No. 3 entries were disqualified while the No. 12 was docked 10 driver points. The results credit Arrow McLaren’s Pato O”Ward with his fifth career victory.
“Unfortunately, the Push to Pass software was not removed as it should have been, following recently completed hybrid testing in the Team Penske Indy cars,” Team Penske President Tim Cindric said.
“This software allowed for Push to Pass to be deployed during restarts at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix race, when it should not have been permitted. The No. 2 car driven by Josef Newgarden and the No. 3 car driven by Scott McLaughlin both deployed Push to Pass on a restart, which violated INDYCAR rules. Team Penske accepts the penalties applied by INDYCAR.”
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon now leads the standings by two points over Andretti Global’s Colton Herta.
After making up a race-high 11 positions and finishing 11th in his series debut, Théo Pourchaire returns to the No. 6 for a second time as David Malukas continues to recover from wrist surgery.
Pourchaire will be joined on the grid by another winner in FIA Formula 2.
On Thursday morning, Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing announced that Luca Ghiotto will drive the No. 51 entry this weekend.
It will be the series debut for Ghiotto, who will be in the car for the May 11 Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Team Penske holds the record with seven victories at Barber, including two of Josef Newgarden’s series-leading three. Chip Ganassi Racing has won the last seven events on permanent road courses, including the March 24 Thermal Club event.
Two-time and defending INDYCAR Champion Alex Palou scored his first INDYCAR triumph at Barber in 2021, CGR’s only victory at Barber. Eight of Palou’s nine victories have been on permanent road courses.
While teammate Scott Dixon has yet to reach the podium’s top step at Barber, the six-time INDYCAR Champion does have podium finishes in 11 of 13 races at Barber while finishing no worse than 10th. Dixon also has made the Fast Six at Barber in all but one qualifying session (2022-started 13th).
Andretti Global, the only team besides Penske with multiple Barber victories is seeking their first win since Ryan Hunter-Reay won in 2013 and 2014.
Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, April 26-Sunday, April 28
(Pit assignments determined by Long Beach qualifying results)
Track: Barber Motorsports Park, a 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course (clockwise) in Birmingham, Alabama
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. The 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
Firestone tire allotment (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Six sets primary, four sets alternate. One additional set is available to rookie drivers for use in the Friday afternoon practice session.
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Event website: www.indyalabama.com
NTT INDYCAR SERIES website: www.indycar.com | INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com
2023 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet)
INDY NXT by Firestone
Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports with Dale Coyne Racing)
2023 NTT P1 Award winner (NTT INDYCAR SERIES): Romain Grosjean (No. 28 Delaware Life/DHL Honda), 1 minute, 5.8396 seconds, 125.760 mph
2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports) 1:10.7371, 117.053 mph.
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 mph, April 29, 2023
NBC Sports race telecast: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, April 28, NBC (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe.
Peacock live streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product. NBC’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst race telecast will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama will be streamed on Peacock (11:10 a.m. ET) with practice and qualifying shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young and Alex Wollf 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 a.m. ET) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (All Times Local/Central Time):
Friday, April 26
1:30-2:15 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE
2:40-3:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (75 minutes), Peacock
Saturday, April 27
10:05-10:50 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice, INDYCAR LIVE
11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice (45 minutes), Peacock
1:35-2:05 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12-minute session), INDYCAR LIVE
2:30-4 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock
Sunday, April 28
9:15-9:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, Peacock
10:10 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama “Drivers, start your engines”
10:15 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock.
Noon – NBC on air
12:33 p.m. – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix “Drivers, start your engines”
12:40 p.m. – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps / 207 miles), NBC (Live)
Header Image By Chris Jones/INDYCAR
Spotter Guide and Pit Assignments by INDYCAR
IndyCar1909.com 