CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
MAY 2-4, 2025
- Barber Motorsports Park is the fourth stop on the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule
- Chevrolet powered teams and drivers will be looking for their fourth straight and 10th overall victory at Barber Motorsports Park and the tenth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES introduced the 2.2-liter V6 in 2012
- Team Penske Chevrolet driver Scott McLaughlin is going for a three-peat having won at Barber in 2023 and 2024
DETROIT (APRIL 30, 2025) – The roller coaster twists and turns of Barber Motorsports Park, located in Birmingham, Alabama, have been kind to Team Chevy during the NTT INDYCAR SERIES recent visits to the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course.
Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske feels right at home amongst the almost country club setting of Barber Motorsports Park, winning the last two races while at the wheel of the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet. His 2024 trip to Birmingham included an NTT P1 Pole Award and a race-high 58 laps led.
The Kiwi led the recent two-day open test in preparation for the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 25, 2025.
“Since the debut of the 2.2 liter V6 engine formula, Team Chevy has won nine of the 12 races at Barber Motorsports Park, including Scott McLaughlin’s back-to-back victories the last two years,” explained Rob Buckner, Chevrolet INDYCAR Program Manager.
“That past success, along with the recent speed at a team test last month, combined with our Chevrolet engineer’s continued work with the drivers and teams, should equate to a very competitive weekend for Team Chevy drivers and teams.
“The perfectly manicured setting of Barber Motorsports Park conceals the difficulties of finding consistent speed around the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course. The ever-present elevation changes and the mix of low-speed and high-commitment corners equate to effective throttle application and fuel management, determining the winner. Team Chevy engineers, drivers and teams have worked hard to find that balance, and a win would be a great way to start the ever-important “Month of May.”
McLaughlin’s Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power, three and two-time winners at Barber, will have to decide whether a fuel-saving two-stop or go-all-out three-stop strategy will deliver them back to victory lane.
Team Chevy will be looking for their fourth straight victory at Barber Motorsports Park and the tenth since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES introduced the 2.2-liter V6 in 2012. Six different drivers, including active drivers McLaughlin, Newgarden, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward and Power, have won at Barber Motorsports Park while powered by the Chevrolet IndyCar 2.2 liter V6.
Eight drivers representing four teams, including current Team Chevy partners Arrow McLaren, Ed Carpenter Racing and Team Penske, have started the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Barber Motorsports Park from the pole.
Nineteen of the 27 NTT INDYCAR SERIES entries took part in a team test at Barber Motorsports Park on March 11, 2025. The top six times were set by Team Chevy drivers, with the two-time winner in Alabama, Team Penske’s Will Power, leading the combined timesheet after setting the quickest time in the morning and post-lunch test sessions. Ed Carpenter Racing sophomore Christian Rasmussen was the second fastest, with drivers from Arrow McLaren (Christian Lundgaard & Pato O’Ward), A.J. Foyt Racing (David Malukas) and Power’s teammate Josef Newgarden rounding out the top six testing times.
Tune-In Alert
Friday
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 3:30pm (ET)/2:30pm (CT)/1:30pm (MT)/12:30pm (PT) – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Saturday
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11:30am (ET)/10:30am (CT)/9:30am (MT)/8:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 1:30pm (ET)/12:30pm (CT)/11:30am (MT)/10:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Sunday
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
· Children’s Of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1:30pm (ET)/12:30pm (CT)/11:30am (MT)/10:30am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Team Chevy by the numbers since 2012
· 7 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver championships
· 9 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufacturer championships
· 9 – wins at Barber Motorsports Park
· 10 – earned poles at Barber Motorsports Park
· 19 – podiums at Barber Motorsports Park
· 122 – NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins
· 137 – earned NTT INDYCAR SERIES poles
· 219 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races
· 340 NTT INDYCAR SERIES podiums
· 694 laps led at Barber Motorsports Park
Chevrolet Wins at Barber Motorsports Park
Nine of 12 possible wins since the introduction of the 2.2-liter V6 engine formula.
· 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
· 2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
· 2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren
· 2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
· 2015 – Josef Newgarden – Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racng
· 2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global
· 2012 – Will Power – Team Penske
Chevrolet Wins at Barber Motorsports Park
Ten of 12 possible poles since the introduction of the 2.2-liter V6 engine formula
· 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
· 2022 – Rinus VeeKay – Ed Carpenter Racing
· 2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren
· 2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2017 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
· 2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
· 2014 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global
· 2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
Podiums by Team Chevy drivers and teams at Barber Motorsports Park since 2012: 19
Drivers: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Helio Castroneves (2), Scott Dixon (2), Scott McLaughlin (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Pato O’Ward (1), and Rinus VeeKay (1)
Teams: Team Penske (12), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Ed Carpenter Racing (2), Andretti Global (1), Arrow McLaren (1), and Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing (1).
What They’re Saying:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet: “Barber is one of those tracks I really enjoy – it’s fast, flowing and super physical, which makes it a real fun place to race. You’ve got to be on it every lap. It’s a place we’ve been really strong at before, so this is a great opportunity to kick off May on the right foot. We’re ready to fight and set the tone for what’s to come”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet: “We had a really strong test at Barber last month, and that gives us a solid foundation heading into this weekend. The team has been working hard to apply everything we learned, and I’m feeling confident about where we’re at. We haven’t quite put it all together in a race yet this year, so hopefully we can have a complete weekend and fight for some good points.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet: “It’s been a strong start to the season, and the momentum we’ve built so far is something I really want to keep pushing forward. Barber is always a challenging track, but it’s one I enjoy. The goal this weekend is to stay consistent, fight at the front and get some valuable points. Every race counts, and we’re focused on making sure we’re in the mix all year long.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet (Ed Carpenter Racing): “Barber is such an amazing facility and the weather this weekend looks nothing short of perfect to take advantage of that! ECR has had some very fast cars here in the past and we had a strong test a couple months ago, so we will look to roll off the truck strong and carry that throughout the entirety of the weekend. I can’t wait to get back out there!”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet: “Barber is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar! It’s fast and flowing with plenty of elevation changes. We had a very promising test there earlier this year where we showed good speed, so I’m excited to see what we can do there this weekend.”
Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet: “We tested in Barber earlier this year and for me it was quite a difficult test day if I’m honest, so my personal hope is to go there with improvements and to be more competitive. If we look at the weather forecast for this weekend it looks quite mixed with possible rain, but I usually like those conditions and adapt well to them, even with rain. These variable conditions could also mix things up and Barber being a challenging track putting the car in the right window will be fundamental. My main goal for the weekend will be to improve compared to the test we did here but also generally keep improving our overall package which has been going in the right direction.”
Callum Ilott, No 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet: “Looking forward to returning to Barber this week. We’ve tested there before so we already have some knowledge of the track. The weather looks like it could throw some uncertainty but overall being back at the road courses should be fun. I think we had good pace at Thermal so hopefully we can carry that onto Barber and build up a bit and each race gets better and better.”
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet: “Everyone on the No. 2 PPG Chevy is looking forward to Barber this weekend. We’ve been working super hard on our setup for Barber over the last couple of years, looking to get back to producingnthe results we were used to early in my Team Penske career. This team is certainly capable of it. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the schedule, and it’s nice to race close to home. Birmingham and Nashville are fairly close together. We just want to put a good result on the board – hopefully a win – and continue to gather momentum as we head into the month of May.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet: “To have the chance of winning three races in a row at Barber is something that the Good Ranchers Chevy team is keen on getting done this weekend. I love racing there because it reminds me of some of the tracks in Supercars. Very high commitment needed to run well there. It’s like you are racing in the middle of a national park or golf course and while that doesn’t sound like a big deal, you definitely appreciate the beauty of the place when you are behind the wheel.”
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet: “Barber has been a good track for us in the past. We need to come out of there with another solid run. It hasn’t been a bad start to the year outside of our incident at St. Pete. Even at Thermal we were right there fighting for a top five, and if a caution comes out late it would have made things interesting. The Verizon Chevy has shown the speed to contend; we just need to have some breaks go our way. The next several tracks coming up are all places where we can go get a win. I have no doubts that we can do just that.”
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