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Defending Winner Palou Earns First Pole of Season at Barber

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Official Release
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, March 28, 2026) – It may be time for every NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver not named Alex Palou to take a deep breath after qualifying Saturday for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst.

Four-time series champion Palou appears to be back on peak form, and that’s a very, very frightening prospect for his rivals – especially at Barber Motorsports Park.

Palou earned his first NTT P1 Award of the season and the 13th of his career by leading the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 1 minute, 6.2341 seconds in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The Spaniard won this race last season by 16.0035 seconds – the largest margin of victory in the series in 2025 – after starting from the pole. He led practice this morning, too.

“Honestly, one of the best cars I’ve driven,” Palou said. “This morning (in practice) I already felt the car was really, really good, really well balanced. We just wanted to start up front, capitalize on a really good car we had today and see for tomorrow. Really happy to get our first pole this year.”

Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. A 30-minute warmup precedes the race at 10 a.m. ET (FS2, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

David Malukas continued the strong start to his Team Penske tenure, joining Palou in the front row by qualifying second at 1:06.3478 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Graham Rahal will start third – tying his season best set on the oval at Phoenix – after his best lap of 1:06.5181 in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Marcus Armstrong qualified fourth at 1:06.5312 in the No. 66 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian.

Series leader Kyle Kirkwood qualified fifth at 1:06.8326 in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda fielded by Andretti Global. But he pulled an interesting strategic ploy by running the entire Firestone Fast Six on used tires, saving a valuable, grippier pair of new Firestone Firehawk alternate tires for the race. Romain Grosjean qualified sixth – tying his season best from St. Petersburg – at 1:06.8363 in the No. 18 Bmax Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

There was tremendous team parity in the starting lineup, as seven different organizations were represented among the top seven qualifiers. Santino Ferrucci will start seventh for AJ Foyt Racing, as Andretti Global is the first repeat team on the grid with Marcus Ericsson qualifying eighth.

The first group in the first session of qualifying was halted when the tough start of the Andretti Global tenure of two-time series champion Will Power continued. Power said his rear brakes failed entering the downhill approach to the tight Turn 5 hairpin, and he speared head-first into the energy-absorbing foam barrier behind the gravel trap. Power was unhurt and will start 23rd in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda.

Another two-time winner at Barber, Scott McLaughlin, rebounded from a big crash in Turn 1 during practice this morning to qualify a backup No. 3 Odyssey Batteries Team Penske Chevrolet in 14th.

Rookie Mick Schumacher, the son of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, was the quickest among the three rookies in the 25-driver field, qualifying 20th at 1:06.8140 in the No. 45 ENVE Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR QUALIFYING – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road course
Birmingham, Alabama
Saturday Qualifying Report
March 28, 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 28, 2026) – David Malukas will start the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on the outside of the front row in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, improving his average starting position on the season to 4.3, tied for the series lead with today’s pole winner Álex Palou.

Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet were the other Chevrolet-powered drivers to qualify in the top ten.

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Qualifying Results:

A crazy few hours for McLaughlin and Team Penske

McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet dropped the right rear in Turn 1 at Barber Motorsports Park, spinning 180 degrees and impacting the tire and foam barrier and ending up halfway through the catch fence. McLaughlin was seen and released by INDYCAR Medical. He told the INDYCAR Radio Network:

“I just dropped the right rear, unfortunately. It’s a testament to the safety of the INDYCAR and what Barbers has done here. Honestly, I think the crash looked a lot worse than it felt. I hope we can get this thing fixed and go out and ship it again in qualifying. I knew the impact was coming, so I tried to brace myself, and then I ended up halfway through the fence, so it was pretty exciting. I’m sad for my guys. I’ve got the best crew on pit land, and they’ll fix it as fast as they can. It’s a shame.”

The team made a quick decision to go to the backup car, swapping the undamaged Chevy Indy V6, and replacing the damaged parts, getting the car already wrapped for the Streets of Long Beach, prepared in plenty of time for qualifying.

“We’re race drivers,” said McLaughlin to Harvey before qualifying. “You’re paid to push the limits. It’s what you have to do. I have full confidence in the car. I felt really good on that run, it was just a small error with big consequence. It looked pretty crazy, right. For me, it’s just business as usual. Just get in this Odyssey Battery Chevy, feel it for the first lap and send it.”

McLaughlin, in the second group, barely missed out on advancing to the Fast 12, with a lap that was only one-hundredth of a second behind O’Ward, saying after qualifying:

“First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.”

What they’re saying – qualifying:

David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified:

“I’m satisfied for sure, but I think it still hurts because we could have gone for the pole. It was so close between me, Palou and Kirkwood, especially in that Fast 12; I couldn’t believe how tight it was. Overall, we did well. I made a call there in the Fast Six, and we definitely overstepped it on the car. I thought in my head, this is going to be perfect. I went a few corners and said man, I overdid it, so that’s on me. I wanted to be aggressive on the set-up. Overall, this Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet has been awesome. From Practice One, we’ve been on such a good streak and really happy that we can start on that front row and keep this consistency we’ve had in 2026 going.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 7th:

“Honestly, one of our new things this year is try and start with the car we rolled out with and just build on it. We had it, we’ve been missing time in Turn 12 & 13, and it’s been on me to fix that. And, I just kind of sent it through (Turn) 13 and I think I sent it too far because I passed the line off the track. It sucks, because that what cost us sixth. I can’t thank everybody at A.J. Foyt Racing, HFOT.org and Chevy. We’ve come a long way in the last few years. We’re trying to make this the new normal. We made the Fast 12 in Arlington and almost in the Fast Six this weekend. We’ve had great race cars, but I just want to pass less cars. I like being the pass master, but it feels good to start up front.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th:

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 10th:

“Qualifying was disappointing. We had a lot more going into it than where we ended up. Overall, pace in Q1 was good; pace in Q2 was not quite there. We have some things we need to figure out. Balance wasn’t really the issue, I don’t think. We just lacked a bit of grip in Q2, and it felt weird, so we’ve got some things to figure out in our debrief and address for the race tomorrow.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 11th:

“Pretty anti-climatic result, but a good improvement from yesterday. I am glad we were able to get the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet out of our group and into the second round of qualifying. We have some good ideas for tomorrow!”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 12th:

“It was a very frustrating day. No explanation to what happened in Qualifying. We had the exact same reads for what happened to the 5 and the 7 car, which obviously, we need to get to the bottom of it because these days can’t be happening when we feel like we have a chance for pole and are then eight tenths behind.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 14th:

“First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 15th:

“A little bit of a confusing Qualifying. I think all of us are expecting a lot more pace. The car felt really good and the session was executed quite well, and the lap time didn’t match the feeling. So, (I’m) confused, and I think that’s consistent across the camp. We have some things to look into, but I’m happy with the execution of Qualifying and we’ll just find some speed.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 16th:

“Tough qualifying to say the least. To start, we’ve had really great pace all weekend, especially on the Blacks. We showed some promising pace in practice #1 on the Reds. In qualifying, we started on Blacks. We were P2, really quick and happy with the car. Then on the Reds, unfortunately, once again could not find the grip on that tire and didn’t get the jump in lap time that we were looking for like almost everybody else did. Just a bummer. We have a lot more pace than where we qualified. We need to figure this out coming into the rest of the season to see where we can find that grip on the Red tire. We’re making it a bit harder on ourselves for the race. We’ve got it all to play for. We’ve got good minds on strategy and good pace to make strategy happen, so all eyes forward.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet qualified 17th:

“We just missed it. We’ve been struggling to find the balance the whole weekend. We’ve thrown some big changes at the Splenda Chevrolet over the course of the weekend but obviously haven’t quite found a solution yet. We’ll keep working.”

Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 21st:

“I think the car felt very good, both on black and red tires. On red tires, we only had one lap, and unfortunately, I made a big mistake out of turn nine, so that was it. I mean, after that, I lost a little bit of the peak of the tire, and qualifying was over. Not much to say, except that I have a good race car for tomorrow.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 25th:

“Today was very interesting. Barber is always a challenging track. A lot of interesting dynamics to think about. But, very temperature sensitive and we felt that today. We made a great step overnight to get a good car for practice 2 this morning and really felt like we were in a good spot going into qualifying. But, when we put the Red tires on in qualifying we weren’t able to get the pace out of them that we expected. Both cars struggled with similar things. Rinus and I are both wanting the same thing from the car, which is nice so that we can change the set up together for tomorrow. I think warm up will be good, but the high temps in the middle of the day will be challenging for us. We’ll make some good adjustments overnight and hopefully be able to race forward.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Saturday, March 28, 2026
David Malukas
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: David Malukas with his best starting position in his fourth start, second front-row start in 2026.

Happy to be starting front row tomorrow?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, very happy. Super happy. Obviously we had the opportunity to go for pole. It was actually my call to make a big setup swing change going into the Fast Six. Overdid it. It was a bit on me.

Very happy with everything. Yeah, front row for tomorrow is fantastic.

THE MODERATOR: How is the car for tomorrow?

DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very good. From practice one, practice two, our pace, on primary tires, but on reruns, we seem to have pace. Lap time was there. I think we’re in for a good race tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Let’s open it up for questions.

Q. David, obviously starting on the front row, super important. Alex started on pole last year, ran away from the field. How important is that first lap, first corner, to get ahead? How aggressive are you planning on driving?

DAVID MALUKAS: We’ll see how the race plays out. I mean, this track, it’s tough to pass. There’s only a few spots. We’ll see how the first lap plays out. If the opportunity is there, we’ll go for it. If not, we need to kind of settle in.

It’s a bit of a game. You don’t want to be pushing so hard, kill your tires, ruin your race for one position.

Q. A couple drivers starting behind you on presumably new reds. How important is that going to be to your race?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, if Palou is going to do the same thing like last year and pull away, hopefully we can pull away with him and creat a gap before those guys get the new set of reds.

It is going to be a big change for them, but hopefully track rebuilds up and toward the end there is not going to be a big difference when they have that new tire difference. I think it will be good either way. The car is quick.

Q. David, earlier today your teammate, Scott McLaughlin, had a very wild ride. What was your reaction when you saw that?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah pretty much that. It was crazy. The car was almost skidding. Like you throw a rock in the water, in a pond, it was skidding. You couldn’t slow it down. Looked like a big hit.

Team Penske guys built it so quick, got it done. Very impressive.

Q. You were able to save the day by getting into the Fast Six, the only Chevy or Penske in the Fast Six. How does that help the Chevy side?

DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very big, very strong. I think for us, from day one yesterday, it seemed that pace was very good for all of us, for more Chevys. It’s been interesting how things came out, even through practice two.

It’s interesting. We’ll look at everything and see why things changed for qualifying.

Q. On the tire strategy, was there ever a question for you guys if you were going to use new or old alternates for that final six laps or you wanted to try to get the pole and be on those new tires for the Fast Six?

DAVID MALUKAS: Normally when we make one of those decisions we make it early on and commit to it no matter what’s going on around us. We did the same thing in St. Pete. We committed to doing used. Coming into Barber, we committed to going to the new tires for the Fast Six.

Q. Did you notice any difference with the cars based on the temperature compared to yesterday?

DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, for sure from my side, yeah, it was a big difference. I think the difference was more in practice two. I think quallie the temp went up a bit, kind of closed in a little bit more to how practice one reds were.

We got the setup accorded to what the temperature was. But yeah, a little different.

Tune-In Guide

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) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports Park

Chevrolet Wins – 9

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 – ECR

2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global

2012 – Will Power – Team Penske

Chevrolet Poles – 10

2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR

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

Chevrolet Podiums: 21

Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1)

Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), ECR (3), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1)

Chevrolet Laps Led: 699

Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1)

Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Andretti Global (54), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),

Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway

Wins (with competition)

9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)

4 – Honda (2025, 2021, 2019, 2014)

Poles (with competition)

10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

4 – Honda (2026, 2025, 2023, 2019)

Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information

  • INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
  • Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
  • Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

Johnson Dodges Leaders’ Mayhem To Win at Barber

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Official Release
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, March 28, 2026) – Nikita Johnson had a hunch opportunity might present itself late in the first race of the Grand Prix of Alabama doubleheader, and his accurate instincts helped him earn a dramatic victory Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park.

Johnson earned his second victory of the season and took the lead in the INDYCAR development series in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry after race leader and pole sitter Alessandro de Tullio and second-place Max Taylor tangled and spun with eight laps remaining in the 35-lap race.

“I kind of expected it,” Johnson said of the incident that vaulted him to the lead. “I knew who was up front; I know those two guys battle really hard. I’ve raced them forever, so I knew something was going to happen.”

Johnson, 17, won by .7687 of a second over fellow series rookie Enzo Fittipaldi in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Fittipaldi’s teammate Tymek Kucharczyk finished third in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine.

Max Garcia placed fourth in the No. 12 ABEL Motorsports car, as series rookies took the top four spots at the finish. Myles Rowe rounded out the top five in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy machine as the top veteran finisher.

Johnson, who won the season opener in his native St. Petersburg, Fla., leads second-place Kucharczyk by 28 points in the standings. The second race of the weekend, a 30-lap event, is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX One, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

De Tullio pulled away from pole at the start and maintained a steady gap of around seven- to eight-tenths of a second on Taylor, who started second. Then that pair started to encounter Chip Ganassi Racing teammates James Roe and Carson Etter, who were dueling for position at the tail end of the lead lap with less than 10 laps to go on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course.

That joust ahead of him slowed de Tullio on Lap 27, allowing Taylor to close quickly. De Tullio dove inside in Turn 9, with his car slowing when his right-side wheels touched the dirt inside the racing surface, with Roe and Etter right ahead of him.

Taylor pounced, taking the lead with an outside move and lapping Etter. Then de Tullio fought back on the same lap, regaining the lead in Turn 12 through the esses section of the circuit.

The race’s biggest flashpoint occurred just four turns later. Taylor looked inside de Tullio in Turn 16, but his left front wheel touched the right rear wheel of de Tullio. Both drivers spun, and Johnson – who trailed de Tullio by 1.8 seconds the previous time past the flag stand – squeezed through to take a lead he would not relinquish.

“When I saw those lapped cars, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s about to get messy,’ Johnson said. “So, I just maintained my tires, left them a good gap and made sure I could avoid any trouble.”

De Tullio was beached in the gravel trap, while Taylor drove out of the gravel and continued. De Tullio eventually finished 20th in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, one lap down. Taylor was penalized for avoidable contact and ended up 19th in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen machine of Andretti Global.

There was one small moment of suspense for Johnson en route to the checkered flag. The incident between de Tullio and Taylor triggered the second and final caution period of the race, bunching the field for a restart on Lap 30.

But Johnson pulled away on the restart and never was threatened to the finish.

The race featured 96 on-track passes, including 83 for position – both track records for INDY NXT competition.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Martinsville Qualifying Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 03.28.26

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Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

RIDGEWAY, Va. (March 28, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.

This is Hamlin’s first pole of the season and 49th of his career. Toyota has now won the pole for the three consecutive races, and four of the last five.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

How would you characterize your relationship with Kevin Harvick now?

“Yeah, I mean, very similar to kind of how we talked about last week, the teammates, very similar. We weren’t great friends on the racetrack. We had some run ins here and there. Later in his career, we were definitely a lot more friendly and certainly you talk about those years, like 2020, 2021, when it was our team versus their team, usually on a weekly basis, just gained it just a ton of respect for him and his whole team through that run, and so we raced really well together, probably the last 10 years of my career.”

You are now 10th all-time in poles, and just a couple behind Ryan Newman. Does that mean something to you?

“It’s pretty awesome. Really, with age, the hardest part is actually still having the fast time. You know what I mean? It’s one thing to be able to kind of manage races and understand – use your experience to your advantage, but usually the first thing that goes is your all-out speed, and we’re still knocking off poles, which is really good. I was around when (Ryan) Newman was just unstoppable in qualifying, so damn, I didn’t know he had that many. That was a lot.”

Is there a certain number of poles you are looking to get?

“Yeah, I don’t know whether it will change much other than just, make me feel better. I can’t compromise my preparation for a race to really focus on, all right, well, I want to get five more poles, right? If I never get another one, it’s possible. I never get another one, then that’s fine, but I never really go into any weekend thinking about qualifying on the pole. It’s kind of a sidebar for how did my Saturday go.”

How does the pole cap your day? Did you think it was possible going into qualifying?

“I knew it was possible. Simply from kind of where my car was in practice, and anytime that I’ve got fast lap speed in practice here at Martinsville, that’s in the top 12, I think that you’re close enough there that qualifying trim doesn’t change your car that much and so you’ve got enough speed to where if you nail it and you do a good job as a driver, you’ve got a chance at the pole. So, I knew it was very possible but truthfully, I approached the lap to get in the top eight. That was that was the goal and executing that lap is that – I think I would go faster if I went out and did it again right now. I think I’ll go ahead and stand on my time on this one.”

How do you teach this place to someone who doesn’t have the rhythm or pace?

“I think in a few years, I’ll be able to do that more with him. There’s plenty of tracks where I think that he can improve greatly and I could probably help him with that. That’s the advantage that team has right now is that just – they got an extra teammate over there and I’m certainly unleashing my journal of decades of notes that those guys get to hear each and every Monday, but this place, it takes time. When I say it takes time, not like experience time, it would take a solid two races here of just in his ear after practice, qualifying, race to just change a few things here and there to change the style, change the approach, and more than likely be right there.”

How important is it to lock Tyler Reddick up and have him a part of 23XI’s long term future?

“He will be. Tyler’s (Reddick) one of those guys that was very important for us to, to get our hands on him very early as you talked about. I think he’s lived up to the expectations for us. Certainly, last year was not great, but like when his not great years are still in the top 10, those are the elite drivers. We’re seeing it this year. He’s putting it all together and our race cars are really fast too. They really are, and what I like about it is, they’re winning races that they’re overcoming something. They’re not just flat out dominating them, so that shows his maturity.”

Would you even worry about Tyler’s ego?

“No (laughter). I’ve been around lots of divas before and Tyler’s (Reddick), he’s not there yet. (laughter) His teammate’s definitely more of a diva than what Tyler is (laughter). That is 100% accurate. Riley (Herbst) is the most humble of them all, and it’s not even remotely close. He’s someone that just is still willing to learn on race winning weekends. Even after this hot start and I’m like 100s of points behind him. He’s still asking me questions like he’s behind me. He’s like, well, what about this, and what about that, and what about this? So, he’s still very much the student who is going to continue to just keep getting better and better.”

Looking at tomorrow, how much stock should we take into everyone’s speed tomorrow?

“Yeah, you can take you can take some, but this is such its own beast. It really is. There’s been years that our short track package has not been good at Joe Gibbs Racing, and we still come here and do what we normally do. I think you can take some stock in it, but you’re going to have to get past Richmond to really understand where the field is at.”

Are you looking forward to that when you retire and being all hands-on at 23XI Racing?

“I think they’ll get better when that happens, but maybe not. Just there’s no other owner that’s able to understand what these drivers are talking about, and able to designate resources to fix. There’s no other owners that can challenge when I hear something that I don’t think is necessarily correct and I can say, are you sure? Are you sure something else doesn’t lead to that? And then it prompts another thought and it’s, like yeah, you know what? Maybe that’s it because next thing you know, because they could be going off and off in a rabbit hole type of path. So that’s just the really the strategic advantage that we have over there. When I stop driving, I think I’ll still be able to contribute for a couple years, because I’ll be fresh out of the car but eventually it will be more traditional like the other teams are.”

Should it scare the competition that 23XI Racing could be even better?

“Yeah, but I think there’s negatives too, right? Once I get out of the car, I can’t fully challenge them on – are you sure the track did this? Because I was there (laughter). So, I will lose a little bit of that. I think what gets gained might get lost. It could be a wash.”

How are you physically feeling six races in?

“Oh, just get fatter, truthfully (laughter). I can’t play the sports I like to play. That’s about it, but it’s holding up – to be at this point, you know, a lot of it too is that I’m really being cautious with all the other things to not aggravate. So, when I come here on the weekend, I know that it’s like 100 percent – it’s as good as it’s going to be. So, it’s not too bad. Last week, wore me down pretty good. It’s been a while since I’ve been that wore down after a race, and certainly I felt it in the shoulder, but I feel like if it stays on this pace, I’ll be fine for the end of the year.”

What are your thoughts on Hall of Fame induction?

“Check me out Monday night. We talk about it.”

What should fans look for tomorrow?

“I don’t think from the fans sitting in the stands perspective, you’ll see a whole lot of difference, but there certainly will be inside the car. This place is really technical. It’s going to make it harder to hit your marks with the additional horsepower and certainly the tire change that we had from last fall. I mean, what are you looking for? What happens when the leader gets to the back of the pack? That’s what you should pay attention to. Who gets stuck and then who keeps going forward and passing cars? That’s going to be the X factor.”

Can you talk more about your philosophy for hiring at 23XI?

“The general question is really good, and it would take a really long time to explain it all. But if you’re building a race team and it is a puzzle, all I did was put the big pieces in, and then they filled out all the other little pieces of this thing to make it kind of what it is, right? The main 10, 12 guys, those are the ones I went and recruited and said, these are the ones I want running these departments, and they know talent when they see it, and they’re going to go then hire the right people to, the smaller pieces that fit in, that makes this whole thing work. Again, we have less people because we pay a hefty service fee to JGR, right? We could take that eight million and just get more employees, but is then aren’t we just doubling up? Aren’t we just doing the same work that they’re doing two miles away? Is that the best thing for Toyota? I’m not really sure. I think it’s better when we work together, consolidate resources, and at that point, have seven cars that are going out there and competing.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Denny Hamlin scores first Cup pole of 2026 at Martinsville

By
Andrew Kim
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Denny Hamlin wis Cup Series Pole at Martinsville. Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Denny Hamlin marched his way to the Busch Light Pole Award for the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, March 28.

The event’s starting lineup was determined through a single-car, two-lap qualifying format. In the format, all 37 competitors vying for 37 starting spots cycled around Martinsville Speedway twice while attempting to post the fastest lap. The competitor who posted the fastest single lap was awarded the pole position.

During the qualifying session, Hamlin, who was the third-fastest competitor earlier on Saturday in practice, clocked in his fastest lap at 98.241 mph in 19.275 seconds. The lap was enough for the three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, to claim the top-starting spot at his home track.

With the pole, Hamlin notched his 49th NASCAR Cup Series career pole, which moves in sole possession of 10th place on the all-time poles list. The pole was also his first of the 2026 season and his fifth at Martinsville, with his previous at the track dating back to October 2019. And, it was also the fourth of this season for Toyota and the second for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hamlin is a six-time Cup race winner at Martinsville, with his latest occurring a year ago in the spring. For Sunday’s main event, he will attempt to tie Rusty Wallace for the fourth-most Martinsville victories at seven.

“Hats off to the whole Bob’s Discount Furniture team,” Hamlin said on Prime Video. “The car was good today. I did a lot of really good things in practice and I was hoping it would get somewhere in that top eight for qualifying.” He continued, saying, “I was really concentrated on hitting my marks, doing what I needed to do. And, I thought that the track had a 2-0 in it. How to do it all over again? I thought I could, but it was good enough, and (the team) did a great job with the adjustments. Certainly, that’s gonna be a great place to start.”

Hamlin will share the front row with William Byron, the latter of whom is a three-time Martinsville winner and won last year’s fall event. Byron, who won the spring Martinsville events in 2022 and 2024, posted his fastest lap at 97.957 mph in 19.331 seconds.

“Yeah, I feel good,” Byron said. “I feel like not a lot has changed, so you know, for us, it’s just really trying to build on what we did here last fall and what we did at Bowman Gray. The tire is the same, but the horsepower is different, so just try to understand that in practice, how much that’s going to feel different.

“But yeah, I love coming here. It’s always a battle with these two tracks back-to-back, Darlington and Martinsville, I was thinking on the way up here. Just tough places, so just got to be ready and do a good job.”

Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs and Shane van Gisbergen will start in the top five, respectively, while Austin Cindric and Carson Hocevar qualified sixth and seventh, respectively. Tyle Reddick, the series’ points leader and last weekend’s winner at Darlington Raceway, will start in eighth place after he posted his lap at 97.729 mph in 19.376 seconds. Joey Logano and Chase Elliott complete the top-10 starting grid.

Notably, Bubba Wallace, who was the fastest competitor in practice, qualified in 15th place at 97.382 mph in 19.445 seconds. In addition, Brad Keselowski, who is scheduled to become the 35th competitor to achieve 600 Cup starts for Sunday’s main event and is coming off a strong runner-up result at Darlington, will start in 23rd place at 97.018 mph in 19.518 seconds. Lastly, Justin Allgaier, who is making his third start as a interim competitor for Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry, will start in 21st place at 97.093 mph in 19.503 seconds.

With 37 competitors vying for 37 starting spots, all made the main event.

Martinsville – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

  1. Denny Hamlin, 98.241 mph, 19.275 seconds
  2. William Byron, 97.957 mph, 19.331 seconds
  3. Josh Berry, 97.941 mph, 19.334 seconds
  4. Ty Gibbs, 97.921 mph, 19.338 seconds
  5. Shane van Gisbergen, 97.916 mph, 19.339 seconds
  6. Austin Cindric, 97.855 mph, 19.351 seconds
  7. Carson Hocevar, 97.795 mph, 19.363 seconds
  8. Tyler Reddick, 97.729 mph, 19.376 seconds
  9. Joey Logano, 97.664 mph, 19.389 seconds
  10. Chase Elliott, 97.649 mph, 19.392 seconds
  11. Christopher Bell, 97.618 mph, 19.398 seconds
  12. Ryan Blaney, 97.463 mph, 19.429 seconds
  13. Kyle Larson, 97.448 mph, 19.432 seconds
  14. Zane Smith, 97.387 mph, 19.444 seconds
  15. Bubba Wallace, 97.382 mph, 19.445 seconds
  16. Chris Buescher, 97.377 mph, 19.446 seconds
  17. Ryan Preece, 97.342 mph, 19.453 seconds
  18. Ross Chastain, 97.322 mph, 19.457 seconds
  19. Erik Jones, 97.177 mph, 19.486 seconds
  20. Michael McDowell, 97.133 mph, 19.495 seconds
  21. Justin Allgaier, 97.093 mph, 19.503 seconds
  22. Daniel Suarez, 97.068 mph, 19.508 seconds
  23. Brad Keselowski, 97.018 mph, 19.518 seconds
  24. Cole Custer, 96.959 mph, 19.530 seconds
  25. Connor Zilisch, 96.929 mph, 19.536 seconds
  26. Riley Herbst, 96.805 mph, 19.561 seconds
  27. Chase Briscoe, 96.800 mph, 19.562 seconds
  28. AJ Allmendinger, 96.721 mph, 19.578 seconds
  29. Todd Gilliland, 96.671 mph, 19.588 seconds
  30. Austin Dillon, 96.489 mph, 19.625 seconds
  31. Noah Gragson, 96.366 mph, 19.650 seconds
  32. John Hunter Nemechek, 96.298 mph, 19.664 seconds
  33. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 96.239 mph, 19.676 seconds
  34. Kyle Busch, 96.097 mph, 19.705 seconds
  35. Cody Ware, 96.029 mph, 19.719 seconds
  36. Ty Dillon, 95.830 mph, 19.760 seconds
  37. Austin Hill, 95.055 mph, 19.921 seconds

The 2026 Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, March 29, and air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

CHEVROLET NCS AT MARTINSVILLE: William Byron Media Availability Quotes

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
MARCH 28, 2026

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is a three-time Martinsville winner in NASCAR’s top division, including the series’ most recent appearance at the track in October 2025.

Media Availability Quotes:

William, you’ve won three times here at Martinsville, including a clean sweep last October. How are you feeling going in tomorrow?

“Yeah, I feel good. I feel like not a lot has changed, so you know, for us, it’s just really trying to build on what we did here last fall and what we did at Bowman Gray. The tire is the same, but the horsepower is different, so just try to understand that in practice, how much that’s going to feel different.

But yeah, I love coming here (Martinsville). It’s always a battle with these two tracks back-to-back, Darlington and Martinsville, I was thinking on the way up here. Just tough places, so just got to be ready and do a good job.”

How do you evaluate where the team is so far overall? Obviously, for you guys on the 24 team, you have three straight top 10s and you guys have shown speed, but the team still being winless so far this season. Where do you feel like the 24 team and Hendrick Motorsports stand?

“Yeah, I think we’re executing well on race days. I feel like our pit stops have been pretty solid, but could be quicker on pit road. I feel like our starting balance on Saturdays has been off and I think that’s been throwing us for a curveball, particularly at Phoenix and Darlington, with the short-track package. So I feel like that was an adjustment. I feel like Las Vegas went pretty much according to plan and we had a lot of strength there. You saw three of our cars be in the top-five for most of the race, and we had a shot to win that race. Still just a touch off the 11 car (Denny Hamlin) there. But then, you have the superspeedways.

The road course was kind of similar to Phoenix in that sense, that we were a little bit off on balance. So I think we need to do a better job on balance on Saturdays so that we’re not guessing so much for Sundays. Some of that could be obviously the new body, but also just tire changes and things of that nature. We need to do a better job of utilizing our tools and getting closer to unload so that we’re not guessing so much.

Yeah, that’s kind of how I see it. You know, if we have smoother Saturdays, we qualify better and we don’t have so many question marks going in Sunday, we’ll probably have a better weekend.”

You have been good both here (Martinsville) in the spring and the fall, but there is some kind of a difference between two races, in terms of who is strong and who is good. Why the difference?

“Yeah, I mean it’s similar at every racetrack, really, but I feel like it’s probably noticeable here (Martinsville) with the short-track and just tire wear. But I feel like the balance of the track is different, and because of that, you have some tendencies in your driving style that are unique. I think this place probably changes the least, but it just seems like the amount of time that goes by between this race and the fall race is just so big that there’s probably a lot of time for development and that’s probably why you see different guys be good by the fall. You know, sometimes if you’re good here (at Martinsville) in the spring, you kind of rest on that and try to bring it back, but you’re not as good. We’ve lived that. I feel like it’s better to live the song and dance of like – hey, you’re pretty good in the spring and then you come back here in the fall and you put it all together.”

Do you have to change your driving style for the two races? Some tracks, you don’t have to, but here, do you have to modify?

“There are some little differences. I feel like the fall race, the fall-off is typically a little higher, so there’s a little bit more tire wear. So there’s some little differences, but I feel most of it is in car setup and just kind of what your approach is. So yeah, for some reason the track is just a little bit different here in the spring versus the fall.”

Earlier this week, NASCAR said they’re kind of looking at considering using the 750-horsepower package at intermediate tracks, possibly next year. I’m just curious, what do you think the overall effect on the racing would be if they went in that direction?

“I don’t know. I think our intermediate package is pretty good right now. I feel like it puts on a pretty good race. I mean, at Las Vegas, I just think about how we were three-wide for the lead for multiple laps and that’s hard to recreate. So I feel like the intermediate package is good the way it is. I’ll be honest, I thought last week had less grip. I thought it was a good thing in that sense of tire fall off, but it was not easier to pass. If anything, the wake behind other cars was worse. I think there’s still work to do on that, so with that being said, I don’t think the power is a bad thing, but I don’t necessarily think the wake behind the cars last week with the short-track aero was any better.”

I know, obviously, it’s early in the season, but we’re six going on seven races in. Do you notice people racing any differently because of the change in the championship format?

“Yeah, that’s a great question. I think I do. I notice guys are just a little more protective of their finish, which I feel like in the past, you have maybe some more issues in stage three where guys have issues and they don’t finish as well. So I think there’s more emphasis on finishing well, but goes with that is stage points because, like you know last year, we had a really good start to the season. We scored a lot of stage points. This year, we’re not scoring as many stage points and we’re not as high up in the points. So I think there’s more of an emphasis on finishing the race strong, but I still think with stage points, you can’t overcome not having a good couple stages, and so the guys scoring a lot of points might still not finish as well, but they’re just scoring throughout the weekend on the stages.”

What are your thoughts about racing at Bristol and what stands out about racing at Bristol?

“It’s not really been my favorite place. I feel like it just hasn’t been great, result-wise. I think it’s just really fast-paced. The way you kind of load up into the banking with the concrete is very unique and just really hurts the tires if you’re a little bit off. So I think just finding a good rhythm there, where you can make speed but not damage your tires. It really depends on the weather on how much tire wear we’re going to have. So if it’s 70 degrees and sunny, it’s no big deal… you’re going to be able to run the top of the racetrack. If it’s 60 degrees or below and cloudy, it’s probably going to be a high tire wear race.”

How much stock should we put into what we see tomorrow (at Martinsville), as far as trying to see who has what on a short track, considering that there is the higher horsepower in play?

“Yeah, I would say a lot of stock. I mean, if you’re good here tomorrow, you’re probably going to be good at the other short-tracks. Bristol is different, so I don’t think it really is an indicator for there. But the other places — North Wilkesboro and Richmond comes to mind. If you’re good here, you’ll probably be pretty good at those other places. I’d say the majority of our tracks are going to be the mile-and-a-halves, so you need to be good here because it’s an important time of the year, but there’s really not many of these until you know, middle of the summer to late fall.”

What do you remember from your first trip here 10 years ago? I think it was your first track you’d ever gone to as a NASCAR fan…

“Yeah, it was actually like 22 years ago, Bryon said. “I’m getting old (Byron laughs). I’m 28 now, but I think I came here when I was six. But yeah, I just remember playing with the slot cars out in the parking lot. Where they have the parking lot now, it used to be the fan zone. But I just remember playing with the slot cars and just getting in the stands. We were probably about 20 rows up. I just remember the engines firing up and just as soon as that happened, I just had this energy and I was like – man, I love this.

“I’d already watched a lot of races on TV, so I kind of knew what I was looking for. But for some reason,” Byron said, “I just remember the launch off turn two (at Martinsville). You could see — I think it was Tony Stewart and Jamie (McMurray) were running well that day and Tony ended up winning the race. But the way they got off turn two was just really important, at least for my seat, so just remember that. I came back for many races. I remember Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick going at it the one year. I thought Dale had been on kind of a winless streak and so the fans were really pulling for him, and then Kevin passed him with like six laps to go and that was not a super popular win.

But yeah, I remember those two races. And then, I came here with Stefan Parsons, my good buddy, and sat on the pit box with him and Phil and watched their car go around here. And then, I think that was the year that Jeff Gordon won, not his last race, but like the 2013 race, I think it was. The cars had a lot of power back then, so you could see him kind of light up the tires on exit of the corner. So yeah, a lot of cool races here. It’s close to home, so here and Darlington, they’re kind of my favorite tracks.”

Do you have anything planned for the off-weekend?

“No, not yet. I’m not a planner, so I need to figure that out. My friends have been bugging me about it and trying to figure something out, but I just need to get through the weekend and see where I’m at.”

You mentioned pit stop performance… is that something you’re reviewing on a regular basis? Are you contributing or are you asking for changes? How does that work… is that just a coach’s thing?

“No, I think we have a really we have a really strong team, so I think it’s just looking at some of your stats and looking at just the general performance,” Byron explained. “How it can get in the pit stall, how it can be more effective on our rolling time. It’s a whole equation; it’s not just the pit stop. I think it’s pit stall selection. We haven’t qualified as well, so we haven’t had the best, like top-five or six pit stalls, so we need to do better there to have cleaner ins and outs. But you know, try to just continue to get a couple tenths here and there on the pit stop itself. I think trying to be as quick as we can be, especially when we have track position, we have an opportunity to capitalize and gain a spot inside the top-five because I feel like those spots are a lot harder to come by on-track, as well.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

Alex Palou: Second in points ‘doesn’t change anything at all’

By
Tucker White
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MARCH 27: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda, speaks to reporters prior to the NTT IndyCar Series Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on March 27, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo: Paul Hurley/Penske Entertainment

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alex Palou spoke to a throng of reporters gathered on the balcony of the media center, Friday, at Barber Motorsports Park. The driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda finds himself in a position he’s not been in for over two years.

Off the top of the points standings.

After winning the season opener at St. Petersburg, wrecking out early at Phoenix Raceway and losing out to Kyle Kirkwood on the streets of Arlington, Texas, the four-time series champion enters the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix second in points.

And what does that change about his strategy, going forward?

“Nothing,” he said. “Doesn’t change anything at all.”

“If we were on the last two races, it would maybe change a little bit, but it’s still so early on. We just need to win as many races as we can.”

And what better place to win than a track where he’s the defending race winner. He led 81 of 90 caution-free laps from the pole to score his third victory of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series season, on his way to a third-consecutive championship.

If any driver has had Palou’s number since 2025, it’s Kirkwood. In addition to the aforementioned Arlington, Texas, race, he bested him on the streets of Long Beach, California, the streets of Detroit and on the oval at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.

Of course, 26 points is by no means insurmountable.

“I think we’re in a great spot, but it still doesn’t mean anything, yet,” he said. “But the point swings are crazy right now because it’s so early on. So yeah, we just need to focus on winning this weekend.”

Kirkwood, however, bested him in first practice, Friday, with a lap of 1:08.146 (third fastest). While Palou clocked in fourth. Saturday, however, Palou topped the chart in second practice with a lap of 1:06.468. Kirkwood clocked in second fastest.

Do Wheel Spacers Affect Wheel Alignment?

By
SM
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Drivers looking for a wider stance often use wheel spacers to achieve this. They push wheels further out from the hub to increase the track width. This change improves the appearance of the car and improves driving performance. Many drivers use spacers for a more aggressive fit and better cornering stability.

But a fair question after installation is, do wheel spacers affect alignment? If you want to install wheel spacers, Orion Motor Tech offers reliable hub-centric spacers. Knowing how the spacers affect your alignment helps you avoid unnecessary installation costs. To avoid more confusion, let’s go.

Do Wheel Spacers Actually Change Alignment Angles?

No, wheel spacers don’t directly change your alignment. Your alignment angles, which are camber, toe, and caster, are controlled by your suspension geometry. Things like your tie rods, control arms, and suspension mounting points are what actually handle all of that. 

A spacer only moves the wheel outward; it doesn’t touch any of that. So technically, your alignment stays the same after installing spacers. However, a few things can make it feel otherwise. That’s where drivers often get confused.

What Wheel Spacers Do Affect

Spacers don’t mess with your alignment angles directly. But they do change a few things close to it. These changes are worth understanding before you install them.

Scrub Radius

Spacers push the wheel further out from the hub. This changes the scrub radius. The gap between where the tire touches the ground and the line of the steering axis. You may notice more kickback over bumps and a slightly heavier steering feel.

Wheel Bearing Load

It’s similar to using a longer wrench for extra leverage. The further out the wheel sits, the more leverage it puts on the bearings and ball joints. Small spacers up to 15mm create minimal extra stress. But thicker spacers increase that load more noticeably over time.

Why Drivers Mistake This for an Alignment Problem

On installing spacers, many drivers assume a malfunctioning alignment because the vehicle feels different. Usually, that’s not the actual issue because after installing spacers, the vehicle’s track width alters how the vehicle behaves when turning, causing it to feel different. The alignment, however, has not moved. Some drivers also feel shaking in the steering wheel and assume that is an alignment problem.

In fact, the vehicle shaking is more likely the result of insufficient centering of the hub or an imbalance in the wheel. It’s not an alignment problem; it’s a fitment issue. Also, spacers are usually blamed when vehicle tires show uneven wear, but the problem is usually an alignment issue that existed before the tires. Alignment problems are often worsened by spacers.

When Should You Get an Alignment Check?

Not every spacer install needs an alignment check. In most cases, a proper hub-centric fit keeps everything in spec. But there are specific situations where checking alignment makes good sense.

You Probably Don’t Need One If:

  • You only installed hub-centric spacers
  • The car drives straight without pulling
  • The steering wheel sits centered
  • Tire wear looks even across the tread

You Should Book One If:

  • You also changed coilovers or control arms
  • The car hit a pothole or curb recently
  • You notice pulling, drifting, or uneven wear
  • Something just feels off after the install

Does Spacer Thickness Matter?

Yes, thickness matters a great deal. Each spacer’s thickness influences your vehicle’s handling and the mechanical influence given spacing. Thin spacers (5mm – 10mm) have a small effect on the vehicle’s handling. Regarding the cutoff limit, from 10mm to 15mm, you can expect some slight but noticeable changes.

Thick spacers above 15mm put more leverage on your bearings, so an alignment check becomes more important. You may also need longer wheel studs to keep safe thread engagement.

Key things to consider before purchasing wheel spacers 

Most of the issues that come up later can be minimized by purchasing appropriate spacers. Quality and correct fitment of materials lessens the price of the parts. These are the key points you should pay attention to:

  • Hub-centric design
  • Forged aluminum (6061-T6 or 7075-T6)
  • Correct bolt pattern and bore size
  • Reasonably thickness
  • Clean installation (torqued to specification and an additional torque after 50–100 miles)

Most problems with poor fitment and spacers are a result of poor fitment, and with a combination of high quality parts and proper installation, almost all problems can be avoided.

Conclusion

Wheel spacers do not affect camber, toe, or caster, but do influence scrub radius and bearing load. Proper installation of hub-centric spacers means that your alignment won’t suffer. Many people assume the worst when feeling a change. This is why an alignment check is critical. Make sure to get spacers that fit your vehicle’s specific bolt pattern and hub bore diameter. Misalignment is the cause of most spacer and alignment problems.

TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR FRIDAY PRACTICE – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road course
Birmingham, Alabama
Friday Practice Report
March 27, 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 27, 2026) – Scott McLaughlin, this weekend in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet, led the third straight opening practice on a road or street course to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The Kiwi’s best lap of 67.3840 seconds (122.878 mph) on the Alternate Firestone Firehawk racing tires (Red) was the quickest of six Team Chevy drivers among the eight quickest drivers. Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet. joined McLaughin.

“Pretty good start for us on the Odyssey Battery Chevy,” said McLaughlin after practice. “We were all strong, which is a good sign for the team. We’ve done a lot of hard work in the off-season to figure out where we can be better. We’ve still got a lot to learn and be better at and stronger. Overall a pretty good start for us. Bring on tomorrow.”

McLaughlin, a two-time winner on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course in 2023 and 2024, was also the quickest at 68.0903 seconds (121.603mph) on the Primary Firstone Firehawk racing tires (Black) during the first 40 minutes of the first practice, with all 25 drivers on track. Malukas, O’Ward, Newgarden and Lundgaard were the Chevrolet-powered drivers on the Blacks.

Lundgaard, with a lap of Barber Motorsports Park at 67.4379 seconds (122.780mph), led the first 12-minute session on the Reds, with Malukas the second quickest.

“I’ve always liked this place since the first time I came here in (20)22. Technically in (20)21 this is the place I did my first INDYCAR test. I’ve always liked the place. I felt like that wasn’t in the bag today. On the primaries, we didn’t really have pace. I think the track is very different to what it was last year. With the new alternates, we’re trying to figure it out, and we got it right. Which is nice from here. Hopefully we can get the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in victory lane on Sunday.”

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Friday Practice Results:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Friday, March 27, 2026
Christian Lundgaard
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up practice ahead of Sunday’s race, Christian Lundgaard finished second here last year. P1 in Group A today.

Something about this track you like, Christian?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, I’ve always loved this place. This was my first-ever INDYCAR test back in ’21. I’ve had some good results. Also had some less good ones.

I think it’s trending in the right direction looking at the last couple years. It’s nice to obviously start the weekend kind of good off the trucks.

I didn’t really think that pace was in the car throughout our entire primary run. Pretty positively surprised, I would say.

THE MODERATOR: Looked like Pato was pretty good out there. Maybe the start of a good weekend for Arrow McLaren?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we were pretty competitive last year. The 10 car had some race pace on the field. The 3 car has always been strong here in the past. He was dominating in I guess that was ’23 or ’24. Obviously that’s the pace that we’re trying to find.

Again, I didn’t really think we had it in the beginning of practice. It looks like the alternates are a little stronger than I anticipated those being.

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.

Q. To go a little bit more into the fact you were surprised, why did you not think you had the pace? Was there a sector that you expected to be better in?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, we were only fast on the alternates. We weren’t fast on the primaries. Obviously Pato was a lot faster than we were. That’s really where the surprise was, the shift from alternates to primaries on the 7 car. Every time I’d come into the box, I’d be like I don’t know where I’m going to find half a second. Put on the alternates and there it was.

Q. Obviously the team is falling upon something that works pretty good. What do you do to nail it down tomorrow in qualifications?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I think the one focus on the 7 car for this weekend is just execution. I don’t think we need to try to find a lot of pace. I think we just need to go out there and execute. Qualifying has been a struggle for us this year. We’ve been good on Sundays.

I think for us it’s see if we can get into the Firestone Fast Six. We weren’t last year. Nolan was in last year. I think that’s really where we need to gain some ground to be able to fight for the win.

Q. You said you were good on the alternates. Last year it seemed like it was an alternate race. Do you anticipate the same? Shouldn’t you be fine if you’re good on the alternates?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we still have to do a stint on the primes. That’s where the 10 car has always been strong. I think we’ve seen multiple occasions where the 10 car chooses primes over alternates.

I think that was more in reference to today. I didn’t feel good on the primes. Balance was decent. Definitely some stuff to work on. I didn’t really see where I was going to find half a second or 7/10ths that we were missing at the time.

I think we nailed balance for the alternates. Obviously we’re in Group 1. Group 2 went a little faster. On outright pace we’re right there on the alternates. I think that’s definitely a positive. I think we need to find a little bit for the race.

Q. It will be cooler for the race. Do you have to be cautious about how you analyze today?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yes and no. I think you always have to take it with a grain of salt. I think that’s what’s tough, but also why I enjoy INDYCAR in general, is the different conditions you have throughout a weekend from practice one to warm-up to the race. Warm-up is never the same as the race. You always have to adapt on the fly.

I think that’s just a great challenge for all of us. More often I think we’ve hit it right. There’s definitely also cases where we haven’t hit it. I think it’s because it changes throughout the weekend where you have at least some references.

Q. We’ve heard Pato a couple times this year talk about holding that consistency, not have almost a disastrous race. Even though he hasn’t won or been on the podium, he’s consistently been fourth or fifth. Do you take that similar mindset, someone who doesn’t want to be near the bottom half of the field, to give yourself a chance long-term in the championship race?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I can promise you right now we’re not aiming at finishing fourth or fifth, right? Those are good points, but we’re trying to win every single race.

Q. Can you explain the impact and the influence that Ryan Hunter-Reay has had?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, having him around, obviously he comes with a lot of credibility coming into the team. Obviously for him I think it’s more learn how we operate versus bring some stuff to the table. Of course, he has for the ovals. I think we’re all excited for the open test to see how he’s going to get on and what we can learn from him.

Yes, I mean, it’s great. He’s a great guy.

Q. Second last year. Did well in practice today. How different is your setup this year?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Pretty much the exact same (smiling). I mean, obviously we’re trying things in session. There’s things that we’re adapting on the fly. I mean, us on the 7, we strongly believe don’t change what’s working.

Again, we do know we need to find some time to the 10 car, at least from last year. I do feel like it’s nice to see he wasn’t as competitive as he has been in the past right out the gate. I think this race last year was one of his absolute strongest weekends. I’m not going to sit here and say he’s on the back foot. At least seeing the result of P1, it gives us a little bit of hope, I think.

Q. With three races back to back to back, week off, this race, is it difficult to compartmentalize each race so you’re not doing multiple things at the same time?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. But I think that’s life, really. You always get stuff thrown at you. I think we’ve done well in some areas trying to figure those things out.

But it’s also difficult to really focus. If you’re really good in the race, what do you really need to focus on throughout a weekend. We’ve struggled in qualifying, so that’s where we’ve been putting our focus on. It’s easy to lose track of some of the other areas, which is nice to have a weekend off, obviously regroup, refresh. Obviously come back to Barber where we’ve been strong in the past.

Q. You spoke that there are some things that you have going right, such as the balance. With the speed that McLaren also showed in practice, how confident are you feeling that by Saturday and qualifying you can get everything sorted out to maximize what you can do this weekend?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, just judging how we executed the alternate run in practice, I think we’re right about there. Obviously we’re still going to improve. But so is every other car on the grid. Some cars are going to hit it. Some cars are going to miss it. I think that’s just the nature of the game.

As a team, I think we have three good foundations on all three cars. We’re going to take the best of ’em and put ’em on for qualifying for all three of us.

THE MODERATOR: Christian, thanks for coming up. Good start to the weekend.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you.

Tune-In Guide

Saturday

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11am (ET)/10am (CT)/9am (MT)/8am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 2:30pm (ET)/1:30pm (CT)/12:30pm (MT)/11:30am (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) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports Park

Chevrolet Wins – 9

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 – ECR

2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global

2012 – Will Power – Team Penske

Chevrolet Poles – 10

2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR

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

Chevrolet Podiums: 21

Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1)

Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), ECR (3), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1)

Chevrolet Laps Led: 699

Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1)

Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Andretti Global (54), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),

Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway

Wins (with competition)

9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)

4 – Honda (2025, 2021, 2019, 2014)

Poles (with competition)

10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019)

Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information

  • INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
  • Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
  • Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

McLaughlin Feeling Right at Home After Leading Barber Practice

By
Official Release
-

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, March 27, 2026) – Barber Motorsports Park is 8,200 miles from Scott McLaughlin’s native Christchurch, New Zealand, but the track is becoming his home away from home.

McLaughlin led the opening practice for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Friday, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 7.7245 seconds in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet.

The picturesque, 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course at Barber has become one of McLaughlin’s best tracks in North America since he left the Supercars championship in Australia and New Zealand after three consecutive titles and joined the NTT INDYCAR SERIES full time with Team Penske in 2021. He won this race in 2023 and 2024, finished third last year and has finished sixth or better in four of his five Barber starts.

“Pretty good start for us on the Odyssey Battery Chevy,” McLaughlin said. “We were all strong, which is a good sign for the team. We’ve done a lot of hard work in the offseason to figure out where we can be better. We’ve still got a lot to learn and be better and stronger.

“Overall, a pretty good start for us. Bring on tomorrow.”

Up next is the second practice at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FS1, FOX One, FOX Sports App, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls for both sessions). Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Series leader Kyle Kirkwood was second in today’s 64-minute session, split into three groups, on a tightly packed time sheet at 1:07.4128 in the No. 28 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global. Unlike McLaughlin, Barber has not been a strong track for Kirkwood, whose best finish here is 10th in 2024.

2022 Barber winner Pato O’Ward was third at 1:07.4158 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, followed by teammate Christian Lundgaard at 1:07.4379 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. David Malukas rounded out the top five at 1:07.5456 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Three-time Barber winner Josef Newgarden was sixth at 1:07.5600 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet as Team Penske and Arrow McLaren combined to take five of the top six spots. Still, just .1760 of a second separated those six drivers.

Four-time series champion Alex Palou, who scored a dominant victory last season at Barber, was seventh at 1:07.6733 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou, who won the season opener on March 1 at St. Petersburg, trails Arlington winner and series leader Kirkwood by 26 points in the standings.

Caio Collet was the quickest of the three series rookies on the daunting, fast, flowing circuit, 21st at 1:08.2692 in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet of AJ Foyt Racing.

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