CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
LEEDS, ALABAMA
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
APRIL 26-28, 2024
CHEVROLET READY FOR THE CHALLENGE OF BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN THE CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX
DETROIT (April 25, 2024) – The third race of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season sees Chevrolet drivers and teams facing a quick turnaround from Long Beach to head to Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.
Capturing victory eight times in 11 years at the 2.3-mile pavement road course also known as “The Augusta National of Motorsports” for its beauty and picturesque facility, Chevrolet also has nine poles in the 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected V6 era since 2012. Additionally, Team Chevy has led 622 laps in the V6 era, while finishing on the podium 17 times.
Looking to the 90-lap, 207-mile Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on the 17-turn course with 45 ft. of racing ribbon and 80 ft. in elevation change, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, talks of his love of Barber Motorsports Park and how it holds a fond place in his heart.
“I’ve had a lot of success at Barber, not just in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES but pretty much every series that has taken me here, so this track holds a special place in my heart,” said O’Ward. “I always get super excited to go back there, so let’s get on the Barber rollercoaster and make it a good weekend for the team.”
The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Kicks off with first practice on Friday, April 26, at 3:55 p.m. ET. Saturday sees the second practice at 12:15 p.m. ET, with qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 3:30 p.m. ET. A Final warm-up will kick off race day at 10:15 a.m. ET, with the 90-lap, 207-mile Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. All practice sessions and qualifications will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“The track is just very unique on its own, super elevated, very blind, very quick, a lot of the big braking zones, which was familiar to me as I was coming back from Europe, so I did quite well. And we had a test day there so I could understand the dynamics of the track. Last year we didn’t qualify because we had a mechanical issue. So, that kind of prevented us from doing anything. It’s very difficult to progress in the season now unless you qualify very well.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“Barber is one of my favorite tracks, even though it is quite different from any other track we go to. The elevation changes, varying radius corners, and track surface make it a great place to drive. There are some unique corners like the uphill section at Turns 12 and 13, that make the track physically challenging. It is high grip, fast, and hilly.”
Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I’m looking forward to racing at Barber and discovering another new track. I have a better understanding of the car and the team entering this weekend compared to last weekend in Long Beach, which should be good. Barber seems like a very different track with more high-speed corners, elevation changes and some blind corners. I think it’ll be a great track and I’m sure I’m going to love it. I hope we can perform better in qualifying this weekend, and I trust the team will put me in a position to do so. Arrow McLaren has done well here in the past, so I’m looking forward to learning from them so we can bring home a good result.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“Back to back races make the pain of a difficult weekend disappear pretty quickly. We had a strong test at Barber earlier in the year, so we’ll look to take that positivity into this weekend and generate some positive momentum into the Month of May.”
Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:
“Going to Barber this weekend presents some great opportunities for us. It gives us the chance to move on quickly from a mixed race in Long Beach, and we get to compete at a track we’ve been quick at historically. Pato (O’Ward) has a win here and I’m confident we can fight for the win this weekend. Rossi topped the times on a very productive test day we had at Barber. And finally, we are all very excited to see what Théo (Pourchaire) can do in his 2nd race weekend in IndyCar after a strong debut last weekend.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I am very excited to go back to the Alabama rollercoaster! There is no place quite like it, it is one of my favorites in the country! It’s also one of the few tracks I have already driven an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car on, so I think we are in for a good weekend!”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I’m very excited for Barber! It’s a cool track and it’s the venue of my last podium. We’ve showed good there in the past and I’m ready to get started on our first official road course race weekend! It should be a good weekend, it’s a track that Christian (Rasmussen) is familiar with and he also did his first test with ECR there. Let’s really get the season started now!”
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“Super excited to go to Barber. I feel like we’re going to have a fast cadence now, that started in Long Beach, and we’re going to go really quickly through May, June, and July. There’s a lot of work to do. We’re focused on the work. But Barber is one of my favorite tracks. It’s the track I had my first INDYCAR win at, so it’s always been special to me. It’s close to my home. It used to be my hometown race before we had a race in Nashville. Can’t wait to get there. I feel like Chevrolet has done a tremendous job in the offseason. I feel like as a complete team and unit, together with Chevrolet, we’re in a great spot to secure more results, and that’s where our focus is.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“Barber is one of my favorite road courses in America, and having won there last year, it’s instant confidence heading there. I think as a Team Chevy driver, we’ve improved so much in the offseason which not only is going to help us more at Barber. I think we punched above our weight there last year, so to win was great. I think we can certainly do it again.”
Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“I’m looking forward to going back to Barber. The last couple of years we’ve had a few issues. We’ve been really fast in race. Chevy has made some good ground, so I think we’re going to be pretty competitive everywhere.”
CHEVROLET IN BARBER:
Wins at Barber (since 2012): 8
2012: Will Power
2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay
2015: Josef Newgarden
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: Josef Newgarden
2018: Josef Newgarden
2022: Pato O’Ward
2023: Scott McLaughlin
Earned Pole Awards at Barber: 9
2012: Helio Castroneves
2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay
2014: Will Power
2015: Helio Castroneves
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: Will Power
2018: Josef Newgarden
2021: Pato O’Ward
2022: Rinus VeeKay
Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Barber Motorsports Park (since 2012): 17
Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Barber Motorsports Park (since 2012): 622
2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:
201: NTT INDYCAR Series races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.
112: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.
128: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 133 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather.
8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.
7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.
12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era.
26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.
9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.
46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.
*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
