Tag: NTT Indycar Series

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Teams To Participate in Indy 500 Open Test April 28-29 at IMS 

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From IMS:
 In preparation for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers will participate in an Open Test from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (ET) Tuesday, April 28 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday, April 29 on the famed 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On Tuesday, veterans will take to the oval from 10:05 a.m.-noon, with Rookie Orientation Program and refresher tests from noon-2 p.m. and all participants on track from 2-6 p.m. All cars are scheduled to be on track from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. Wednesday.

The Southeast Vista grandstands and the Turn 2 Viewing Mounds will be open for public viewing. Guests will park across 16th Street in Lot 3P and will enter through Gate 3. Guests with an ADA parking placard will park in the Front Museum Lot and sit in South Terrace East. Security will be on site to assist fans with crossing 16th Street. Concessions and merchandise will be available for purchase.

The test will be streamed on the INDYCAR YouTube channel. Live timing will be available on INDYCAR.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Fast Facts 

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From IndyCar

 Race weekend: Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19
Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California

Race distance: 90 laps / 177.12 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 415 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary (hard) and five sets alternate (soft) to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and two sets of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race for at least two laps in the race.

X: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @GrandPrixLB, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @grandprixlongbeach, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
YuTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.gplb.comI
NDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2025 race winner: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda)
2025 NTT P1 Award: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda), 1:06.1921, 107.034 mph
Qualifying lap record: Colton Herta, 1:05.3095, 108.480 mph, April 9, 2022

FOX Sports telecast: Practice 1, 6 p.m. ET, Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Warmup, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live); Race, 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be available on FOX Deportes.INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Jonathan Grace and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race (5 p.m. ET on April 19) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (all local times):
Friday, April 17
3:05-4:25 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (split group format), FS1 (live)

Saturday, April 18
10:35-11:55 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (split group format), FS2 (live)
3:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (two rounds of knockout qualifying followed by single-car Firestone Fast Six showdown), FS1 (live)

Sunday, April 19
10:10-10:40 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS1 (live)
12:59 p.m. – Driver introductions
2:30 p.m.  – FOX on air
2:50 p.m. – Start engines command
2:57 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (90 laps/177.12 miles), FOX, FOX ONE, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network (live). Spanish telecast on FOX Deportes (live)
WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT LONG BEACH:
1. Hold or break serve: The pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup early in this NTT INDYCAR SERIES season could mirror a top-flight Grand Slam tennis match.Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou head to this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with nearly the same point totals atop the standings.
Kirkwood holds a two-point advantage. Sure, there are other contenders for the season championship as only four of the 18 events have been staged, but already there is a theme.
Kirkwood has established himself as a leading candidate to win any street race, and the organization that employs him has consistently been strong on such circuits. He has six wins in his three-plus seasons with Andretti Global, and five of the wins have been on street circuits. Kirkwood has won two of the past three Long Beach races from the pole, including last year, and he finished seventh in the other. He also has won on such circuits in Nashville (2023), Detroit (2025) and Arlington (2026). This would be a good weekend to hold serve. Palou is one who could break Kirkwood’s serve.
The reigning series champion has enjoyed a distinct advantage on the road courses. He has won 16 times on those circuits since joining Chip Ganassi’s organization for the 2021 season. Yes, he has won three street races, including this year’s race in St. Petersburg, where he won for the second straight year. He finished second to Kirkwood last year at Long Beach, and he has five consecutive top-five finishes on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile course. In succession, Palou has finished fourth, third, fifth, third and second in a Ganassi car at Long Beach.

2. It’s not where you start…: Except for Alexander Rossi’s wins in 2018-19 and Kyle Kirkwood’s wins from pole in 2023 and 2025, the pole position has not been the place to start at Long Beach.Just six drivers have won Long Beach from the top spot. While pole winners have scored podium finishes in recent races, they’ve also finished 15th or worse just as often (Colton Herta – 23rd in 2022, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 20th in 2014, Dario Franchitti – 15th in 2012, and Justin Wilson – 19th in 2008).3. …It’s where you finish: Kyle Kirkwood is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four of this season’s events. Kirkwood, who won at Arlington, is one of nine drivers to finish in the top 10 in three of the four races so far. The other drivers are Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou.

Race Notes:This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 51st auto racing event and the 42nd INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race in 1984. Kyle Kirkwood won the race in 2025, his second win in Long Beach in the last three seasons.Two California natives are entered: 2018 and 2019 race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City, while Nolan Siegel, who made his INDYCAR SERIES debut at Long Beach in 2024, hails from Palo Alto.Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are entered drivers with multiple wins. Power won in 2008 and 2012, Dixon won in 2015 and 2024, Rossi won in 2018 and 2019 and Kirkwood won in 2023 and 2025. One other former race winner is scheduled to compete, Josef Newgarden (2022).

ACTIVE RACE WINNERS
WINSSEASONSWill
Power2 2008, 2012
Scott Dixon 2 2015, 2024
Alexander Rossi 2 2018, 2019
Kyle Kirkwood 2 2023, 2025
Josef Newgarden 1 2022

Six drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07), Alexander Rossi (2018-19) and Kyle Kirkwood (2023 and 2025).

ACTIVE POLE WINNERS
Will Power 3 2009, 2010, 2011
Alexander Rossi 2 2018, 2019
Kyle Kirkwood 2 2023, 2025
Josef Newgarden 1 2021

Twenty-two of the 25 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 19 starts, the most among all entered drivers. Twelve entered drivers have led laps: Power 187, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 148, Kyle Kirkwood 100, Josef Newgarden 100, Christian Lundgaard 26, Alex Palou 24, Sting Ray Robb 12, Graham Rahal 4, Kyffin Simpson 3, Marcus Armstrong 1 and 
 Race weekend: Friday, April 17 – Sunday, April 19
Track: 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street course (clockwise) in Long Beach, California

Race distance: 90 laps / 177.12 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time, with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation, with a maximum deployment of 415 kilojoules (kj) per lap
Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary (hard) and five sets alternate (soft) to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and two sets of alternate tires for at least two laps in the race for at least two laps in the race.

X: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @GPLongBeach, @INDYCAR, #AGPLB, #INDYCAR
Facebook: @GrandPrixLB, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @grandprixlongbeach, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
YuTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.gplb.comI
NDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2025 race winner: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda)
2025 NTT P1 Award: Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 PreFab Honda), 1:06.1921, 107.034 mph
Qualifying lap record: Colton Herta, 1:05.3095, 108.480 mph, April 9, 2022

FOX Sports telecast: Practice 1, 6 p.m. ET, Friday, FS1 (live); Practice 2, 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS2 (live); Qualifying, 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Warmup, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live); Race, 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (live). Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be available on FOX Deportes.I
NDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Ryan Myrehn, Jonathan Grace and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach race (5 p.m. ET on April 19) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation 218, indycar.com/leaderboard and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.

At-track schedule (all local times):
Friday, April 17
3:05-4:25 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 1 (split group format), FS1 (live)

Saturday, April 18
10:35-11:55 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (split group format), FS2 (live)
3:30 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (two rounds of knockout qualifying followed by single-car Firestone Fast Six showdown), FS1 (live)

Sunday, April 19
10:10-10:40 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, FS1 (live)
12:59 p.m. – Driver introductions
2:30 p.m.  – FOX on air
2:50 p.m. – Start engines command
2:57 p.m. – Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (90 laps/177.12 miles), FOX, FOX ONE, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network (live). Spanish telecast on FOX Deportes (live)
WHAT TO LOOK FOR AT LONG BEACH:
1. Hold or break serve: The pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup early in this NTT INDYCAR SERIES season could mirror a top-flight Grand Slam tennis match.Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou head to this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach with nearly the same point totals atop the standings.
Kirkwood holds a two-point advantage. Sure, there are other contenders for the season championship as only four of the 18 events have been staged, but already there is a theme.
Kirkwood has established himself as a leading candidate to win any street race, and the organization that employs him has consistently been strong on such circuits. He has six wins in his three-plus seasons with Andretti Global, and five of the wins have been on street circuits. Kirkwood has won two of the past three Long Beach races from the pole, including last year, and he finished seventh in the other. He also has won on such circuits in Nashville (2023), Detroit (2025) and Arlington (2026). This would be a good weekend to hold serve. Palou is one who could break Kirkwood’s serve.
The reigning series champion has enjoyed a distinct advantage on the road courses. He has won 16 times on those circuits since joining Chip Ganassi’s organization for the 2021 season. Yes, he has won three street races, including this year’s race in St. Petersburg, where he won for the second straight year. He finished second to Kirkwood last year at Long Beach, and he has five consecutive top-five finishes on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile course. In succession, Palou has finished fourth, third, fifth, third and second in a Ganassi car at Long Beach.

2. It’s not where you start…: Except for Alexander Rossi’s wins in 2018-19 and Kyle Kirkwood’s wins from pole in 2023 and 2025, the pole position has not been the place to start at Long Beach.Just six drivers have won Long Beach from the top spot. While pole winners have scored podium finishes in recent races, they’ve also finished 15th or worse just as often (Colton Herta – 23rd in 2022, Ryan Hunter-Reay – 20th in 2014, Dario Franchitti – 15th in 2012, and Justin Wilson – 19th in 2008).3. …It’s where you finish: Kyle Kirkwood is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four of this season’s events. Kirkwood, who won at Arlington, is one of nine drivers to finish in the top 10 in three of the four races so far. The other drivers are Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Pato O’Ward and Alex Palou.

Race Notes:This weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark the 51st auto racing event and the 42nd INDYCAR SERIES event on the historic Long Beach street circuit. Mario Andretti won the first INDYCAR SERIES race in 1984. Kyle Kirkwood won the race in 2025, his second win in Long Beach in the last three seasons.Two California natives are entered: 2018 and 2019 race winner Alexander Rossi is a native of Nevada City, while Nolan Siegel, who made his INDYCAR SERIES debut at Long Beach in 2024, hails from Palo Alto.Al Unser Jr. has won the most times at Long Beach (six), while Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Will Power and Alexander Rossi are entered drivers with multiple wins. Power won in 2008 and 2012, Dixon won in 2015 and 2024, Rossi won in 2018 and 2019 and Kirkwood won in 2023 and 2025. One other former race winner is scheduled to compete, Josef Newgarden (2022).ACTIVE RACE WINNERWINSSEASONSWill Power22008, 2012Scott Dixon22015, 2024Alexander Rossi22018, 2019Kyle Kirkwood22023, 2025Josef Newgarden12022Six drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984, 1985 and 1987), Al Unser Jr. (1989-90), Helio Castroneves (2001), Sebastien Bourdais (2006-07), Alexander Rossi (2018-19) and Kyle Kirkwood (2023 and 2025).ACTIVE POLE WINNERPOLESSEASONSWill Power32009, 2010, 2011Alexander Rossi22018, 2019Kyle Kirkwood22023, 2025Josef Newgarden12021Twenty-two of the 25 drivers entered have competed in INDYCAR SERIES races at Long Beach. Will Power has 19 starts, the most among all entered drivers. Twelve entered drivers have led laps: Power 187, Alexander Rossi 151, Scott Dixon 148, Kyle Kirkwood 100, Josef Newgarden 100, Christian Lundgaard 26, Alex Palou 24, Sting Ray Robb 12, Graham Rahal 4, Kyffin Simpson 3, Marcus Armstrong 1 and Felix Rosenqvist 1.
 
 

O’Gara Joins INDYCARas Vice President of Competition, Race Engineering  

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From IndyCar

  INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) – Veteran motorsports executive and longtime race team engineer Mike O’Gara has been named vice president of competition, race engineering, INDYCAR officials announced Wednesday.
O’Gara will serve as the senior technical authority for INDYCAR, leading all aspects of vehicle performance strategy, race engineering and technical governance across the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone. He also will be charged to define and drive INDYCAR’s long-term technical roadmap, research and development initiatives and the development of next-generation technologies, including the new 2028 NTT INDYCAR SERIES race car.
Indiana native O’Gara, 54, assumes his new role after over 30 years of experience leading championship-winning programs across INDYCAR, IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, including the last 12 years in executive leadership at Chip Ganassi Racing. During that time, O’Gara established the team’s Cadillac endurance program after helping win the 12 Hours of Sebring (2014), the Rolex 24 At Daytona (2015) and a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2016).
During his involvement in Ganassi’s INDYCAR SERIES program, O’Gara contributed to the team’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships with Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, and 2022 and 2025 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge victories with Marcus Ericsson and Palou.
Prior INDYCAR SERIES team experience includes roles as the director of operations at Sarah Fisher Racing (2010-14) and as a race engineer at Chip Ganassi Racing (2004-10) and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2000-04).
“I am thrilled to take this next step in my career and honored to join INDYCAR in this critical role for the series,” O’Gara said.
“This is truly an exciting time for the sport with a new car on the horizon and the opportunity to build on a growing focus and interest in INDY NXT.
“I know my prior experience has set me up to successfully contribute and help mold the future of North America’s premier open-wheel racing series. I cannot wait to get started.”
O’Gara’s role at INDYCAR also will include:
Overseeing all technical rulemaking, providing objective, engineering-driven leadership in the development of regulations and technical bulletins to ensure fairness, innovation and cost control.

Working closely with teams, manufacturers and suppliers to align technical direction with the broader goals of the series while fostering transparency and collaboration through technical working groups.

Leading ongoing safety advancements, maintaining a strong and proactive focus on the development and implementation of enhanced safety technologies.
Serving as the central technical voice of INDYCAR, ensuring that engineering strategy, regulatory direction and on-track performance remain aligned as the series continues to evolve.

“Mike’s vast experience in motorsports will make a substantial impact to INDYCAR’s competition and engineering team,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said.
“It is clear that his impressive list of accomplishments, engineering acumen and proven knowledge of building high-performance teams and operations have the respect of the INDYCAR paddock and will continue be a real asset for our sport in this new role. We look forward to working with Mike as we look toward building competition, innovation, safety initiatives and INDYCAR’s world-class racing.”

Prior to his experience with race teams, the Purdue engineering graduate served as the technical director at PI Research, USA and a quality engineer for Honda of America manufacturing.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Sunday, April 19 on the famous streets of Long Beach, California. Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.  

INDYCAR To Expand, Update Single-Car Qualifying in Firestone Fast Six for Remaining Street Circuit Events

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From IndyCar. The change is one that I suggested after Arlington.

  INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, April 13, 2026) – INDYCAR has announced an expansion of Firestone Fast Six single-car qualifying, including an updated format, for the remaining four street circuit events of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season beginning with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Friday-Sunday, April 17-19 on the Streets of Long Beach.
Single-car, single-lap qualifying runs in the Firestone Fast Six made their debut Saturday, March 14 at the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington. The format followed the traditional INDYCAR “knockout” format of Segments 1 and 2, which narrowed the field to six remaining qualifiers.
Moving forward, the adjustments to single-car Firestone Fast Six format will include:

Choice of qualifying order based on Segment 2 results.
The fastest qualifier from Segment 2 will be the first to choose which position they would like to make their Fast Six qualifying run with subsequent choices made for the remaining positions based on the order of Segment 2 results.

Lining up at pit out following tire declaration.Once the qualifying order is determined, teams will make their tire selection – primary or alternate tires – prior to lining up in single-file and in order of their qualifying run, at pit out to await their qualifying attempt.

During Firestone Fast Six single-car qualifying, drivers will leave pit lane and get an opportunity for one lap – starting and ending at the alternate start/finish line. Once the car enters pit lane following that driver’s attempt, the next car will be released for its attempt. As in the streets of Arlington event, tire allotments and tire rules will remain unchanged.

Single-car Firestone Fast Six qualifying also will be scheduled for the three remaining street circuit events after Long Beach, at Detroit, Markham, Ontario, and Washington, D.C. The move to single-car Fast Six qualifying is designed to create a greater opportunity to spotlight and translate the challenge and expertise required by INDYCAR SERIES teams and drivers competing for the top positions on the starting grid.

“The debut of single-car Firestone Fast Six qualifying in Arlington was extremely popular and well received,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Following the event, we reached out to stakeholders to help evaluate the format and look into ways to improve an already exciting session. This slight update will provide the fastest from the Top 12 an earned advantage of choosing when they would like their run in the Fast Six, while tire selection before lining up at pit out will save time and more closely equalize the session.
“With continued input from teams, drivers and our partners at FOX Sports, we believe these updates will further highlight the close competition and perfection it takes to start at the front of the grid.”

As in Arlington, if the Firestone Fast Six single-car qualifying segment is impacted by weather or conditions that cause significant track surface change from one attempt to another, INDYCAR will have the following options:
Revert to standard Firestone Fast Six qualifying procedures, which features all competitors vying for the NTT P1 Award in the standard timed window.
Use the results from Segment 2 to set the starting lineup for the race.
Following the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, INDYCAR will again evaluate the updated qualifying format to determine its use and implementation in 2027.
Coverage of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying from Long Beach is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, April 18 on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. Coverage of Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, round five of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. 

Quick Thoughts- Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix

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Another race. another Alex Palou smackdown. Similar to his easy victory at St. Pete, Palou beat Christian Lundgaard to the line by 13 seconds. Despite the wide margin at the finish, the story was nearly different.

“Incredible day,” Palou said. “I told you qualifying was one of the best car balances I’ve ever driven. Today in the race, it was pretty good in the beginning, really good at the end, but we suffered a little bit on the used blacks (Firestone Firehawk primary tires) that we had to use.

“Another win here. Love this place, love the fans. What a great day.”

Christian Lundgaard took the lead when Palou made his final stop. He pushed to create a large enough gap to stay ahead when he had to pit and was nearly there. A slow right wheel tire exchange cost him nine extra seconds in the pits. It was enough to allow Palou to coast to the victory. Lundgaard recovered to take second, passing Graham Rahal with three laps to go.

Lundgaard said after the race that he believed he had the pace to get by Palou.

It was a great day for Rahal, who earned his first podium since August 2023 at the Indianapolis Road course. RLL has been making progress with the 15 car this season, and the podium signals more good things to come for this team.

Overall, today’s race was the first real clunker of the season. There was very little passing. The race ran caution free for the second straight year.

Kirkwood Keeps Points Lead

Kyle Kirkwood maintained his points lead, but just barely. He is ahead of Palou by only2 points with his fifth place at Barber. Kirkwood is the most consistent driver of 20206 with four finishes inion the top five, including a win and a second place.

Kirkw3ood has won Long Beach, the next race, twice, including last year from pole. We could have a real points battle this season.

Watch Out For

Christian Lundgaard is beginning to make some noise. He now sits in third in the standings, 35 points behind Kirkwood. Lundgaard has finishes of 2nd, 3rd, 13th, and 7th. He may end up as McLaren’s number one driver this year.

David Malukas continues to be the bright light for Team Penske. His fourth place today put5s him in fourth place, just five points behind Lundgaard. Josef Newgarden started ninth and finished 10th. Scott McLaughlin started 14th after his practice crash Saturday, but struggled to a 16th place result.

Streaks broken– The run of a different winner every race came to an end with Palou’s second win of 2026. Sting Ray Robb finished 22nd after coming home 21st in each of the first three races. So close.

The FOX Conundrum

The booth talent and pit reporters are outstanding. The features production is professional and interesting. Their tribute to George Barber was outstanding.

However, their coverage of the sport, the showcase of the broadcasts is still woefully behind the positive aspects, especially on race day.

A pass for second place was missed early in the race. At one it seemed if there was a commercial break just two laps after a break.

I don’t like the top of screen features during action, especially while pit stops take place. If you want to talk about a musician, do it in the pre-race.

In Friday’s IndyNXT practice, sector times were shown on screen for the first time, never to be seen again. Sector times will very much enhance qualifying.

End of rant.

After four races in five weeks, IndyCar returns to action in three weeks, April 19, at long Beach.

Palou Takes Pole on Crazy Day at Barber

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Scott McLaughlin’s morning accident set the tone for a wild day at Barber Motorsports Park. Prior to IndyCar qualifying, The IndyNXT race saw the two leaders crash while battling for first place, and Nikita Johnson winning his second race of the year.

In the first round of qualifying Will Power lost his brakes entering turn 5 and went nose first into the barrier. Power was not injured, but he will again start at the rear of field. Power has had a difficult beginning in phase two of his career. Since he joined Andretti, Power has had some form of contact every weekend.

In a fierce, competitive qualifying session, Alex Palou won the pole position. he edged David Malukas by 11 hundredths of a second. Points leader Kyle Kirkwood will start fifth.

“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.”

Graham Rahal will start third, Marcus Armstrong rolls off fourth, and Romain Grosjean will start from sixth.

Grosjean had a great lap going in Round 1 until he was impeded by Sting Ray Robb. Grosjean still advanced, while Robb lost his two best laps to that point.

McLaughlin’s crew got his backup car ready. he finished seventh in his group and will start 14th tomorrow.

Notes

IndyCar’s competitiveness was on full display with six teams reaching the Fast Six, and a seventh team starting seventh.

Palou is the fourth different driver to take pole in four races in 2026.

It was a great day for the AMR Safety team and all who helped implement the safety innovations on these race cars. Two drivers escaped serious injuries this afternoon thanks to car’s design.

Of the seven different teams will grid in the first three and a half rows, McLaren is conspicuously missing.

Results

Scotty’s Wild Odyssey; Barber Qualifying Groups and P2 Results

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After a scary crash in turn 1 by Scott McLaughlin, IndyCar qualifying is still scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm Eastern time on FS1. Mclaughlin spun in turn and went rear first through the turn 2 barrier. Yes, though. Not contact. Not hit. Through.

I have seen many spins in that area over the years, but never has a car gone through the the barrier there. The closest call I had seen was a Mazda MX=5 car which smacked the barrier hard enough to destroy the car, but it never penetrated the fence and tires.

Qualifying Groups

Practice 2 results