By: Spencer Neff
March 29, 2026

2026 Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Results

Alex Palou started on the pole and dominated early but ended some misfortune down the grid in order to find his way back to the lead. The No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver’s pace, coupled with miscues from his competitors, allowed him to win Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.

Palou takes his second victory in four races, the first repeat winner in four NTT INDYCAR SERIES races of 18 on the 2026 calendar. He led 79 of 90 laps, including the final 22 laps.

In 102 career starts, Palou now has 21 victories, 23rd on the all-time list. The victory also ties Josef Newgarden for most at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course in Leeds, Alabama, with three. CGR also earns their 147th INDYCAR victory as a team.

He previously won in 2021 and 2025. Palou is also the first driver to repeat at Barber since Scott McLaughlin, who did so in 2023-2024. Palou is the fifth driver to score consecutive victories there, joining Will Power (2011-2012), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013-2014) and Newgarden (2017-2018).

Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard finished 13.2775 seconds back of Palou and earned his second podium finish of 2026, finishing second after starting tenth. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal earned his best finish since 2023’s race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, finishing third.

Team Penske’s David Malukas continued an impressive start to his first season with the organization, finishing in fourth. Despite extending his streak of Top Five finishes to start 2026, Kyle Kirkwood leaves the fourth race of the season with second win points. Kirkwood now leads Palou in the standings by just two points in the standings.

Dale Coyne Racing’s Dennis Hauger finished in 15th at his INDYCAR debut on this course and leads the Rookie of the Year standings (17th overall) by six over A.J. Foyt Racing’s Caio Collet (19th) and 26 over Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Mick Schumacher (25th).

Collet finished 21st, last driver on the lead lap, while Schumacher ended his first race at Barber in 24th.

Recap

Palou held command of the race from the green flag and stayed up front past his Lap 27 pit stop.

The lead of the race would not change hands until Lap 44, when Palou opted for a set of used primary Firestone tires during his second pit stop. Rahal would take over the lead of the race for a lap before Lundgaard used the overcut to stay out and lead until Lap 51.

During the ensuing stint, Lundgaard utilized the alternate tires and made up a massive amount of ground on Palou. With 20 laps to go, it would all unravel.

On his final pit stop of the day, the No. 7 crew experienced issues changing the right-rear tire, putting them behind Rahal in third.

From there, Palou cruised to the victory and back atop the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points standings.

He, Rahal and Lundgaard exchanged the lead a total of five times. As in 2025, the race was run caution-free and finished with a track record average speed of 117.210 mph. Last year’s race was the most recent caution-free race in the series.

Up Next

Following two weeks off, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads out west for its lone race in the month of April- the historic Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Opening practice at the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit in California is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 17 (FS2). Practice 2 is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18, with qualifying at 6:30 p.m. ET. Sunday, April 19 begins with the morning warmup at 1:00 p.m. ET. Practice 2, qualifying and the warmup are slated for broadcast on FS1.

The 90-lap race on April 19 will air on FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET, with a 2:57 p.m. expected green flag time. Stick with IndyCar1909.com for the latest on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Header Image By Chris Owens/INDYCAR