Category: NTT Indy

After setting the quickest time in both practice sessions, Jacob Abel earns the team’s second series pole position, while Yuven Sundaramoorthy and Josh Mason continue the roller coaster learning curve

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (27 April 2024) – Jacob Abel scored his second INDY NXT by Firestone pole position – and his first on a road course – with a dominant performance under pressure in Saturday’s qualifying session.

Abel, 23, continued the form that saw him set the quickest time in the series test at Barber late last year, posting the fast lap in both practice sessions. When the pressure was on in qualifying, the Louisville, Ky. native made it count, vaulting to the head of the grid for tomorrow’s INDY NXT Grand Prix of Alabama.

Teammates Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Oconomowoc, Wis.) and Josh Mason (Maresfield, UK) battled through both practice sessions to develop the Dallara IL-15 on the tricky 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course. For both drivers, the weekend was their first at Barber in the INDY NXT car, though Sundaramoorthy has raced – and won – at Barber in four USF Pro Championships races.

Given the team’s performance in pre-season testing, expectations were high coming into the weekend. Abel held the top spot through much of the two practice sessions, securing the top of the speed charts at the end of both. Sundaramoorthy, 21, and Mason, 22, focused on learning the track’s intricacies and finding the cars’ balance.

In qualifying Saturday afternoon, Abel again went to the top of the speed charts, with Mason fighting his way through traffic and Sundaramoorthy not quite able to find the pace he’d found in morning practice. With his fourth lap, Abel secured his second career INDY NXT pole position, with Mason starting 13th and Sundaramoorthy 16th.

“The ABEL Motorsports guys gave me a fantastic car all weekend,” said Abel. “Honestly, it was pretty easy out there. We worked hard at the test here and that gave me a great deal of confidence – and you need a lot of confidence here, given the high speed, especially as you get new tires quickly up to temperature. You also have to adapt quickly, and I think those are really my strong suits. This is definitely a small victory for sure, to get this pole, but we’ve been on pole before and we haven’t yet won a race. So that’s the job we need to do tomorrow.”

“The car got better through qualifying and my driving got a bit better, but from the get-go, it was a bit difficult,” said Mason. “Unfortunately, Louis Foster had an electrical issue in front of me on pit lane, so a few slower cars got past all of us and that stopped my momentum going forwards. I know that there’s still more time in there for sure, I’m just disappointed that the track positioning for me wasn’t there. But I’m happy with what we did in the end, and I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

“After practice two this morning, I felt pretty confident that we knew exactly where the speed was,” said Sundaramoorthy. “I felt like we could get at least close to Jacob, and it just didn’t turn out that way, and I don’t know why. It felt like I was driving well and the time just wasn’t there, which is super frustrating. But it was a long race last year, with a good deal of attrition, so hopefully we can stay on the good side of that. The team’s been amazing – obviously, they put the best car on the grid. I’ve just got to do my part, and so far I haven’t done that quite, so hopefully I can figure it out tomorrow.”

Off-track notes

In addition to the on-track sessions, all three drivers added a few extracurricular activities to their schedules. Abel serves as driver coach for the VRD Racing team in the USF Juniors series, which ran on Thursday and Friday. With only one INDY NXT session on Friday afternoon, Abel maintained his coaching duties, helping the team’s quartet of drivers – including race winner Sebastian Wheldon, son of the late Dan Wheldon – through four test sessions Thursday and two races Friday.

“The INDY NXT car is my priority this weekend, but the schedule has worked out to enable me to still work with the team,” said Abel. “I really enjoy working with those guys. I’ve seen them grow and achieve success, and it’s been fun to be a part of it. It’s not interfering with what I’m doing here, and if anything, it’s helping because I am spending more time watching on boards and teaching them how to drive the track so it helps me really focus.”

Sundaramoorthy joined ABEL team engineer Kent Boyer at a STEM event coordinated by the track Friday morning, speaking with local area college engineering students. He also checked one more item off his bucket list on Thursday: touring the Barber Museum. “I’ve been here four times and have never gone. It was definitely a top moment for me, a full experience to see all the cars and motorcycles. I wouldn’t say that I’m a super big gearhead, but I think we spent like three or four hours – the steam powered motorcycles from the late 1800s were cool,” said Sundaramoorthy.

And Mason? He was introduced to that most American of institutions – Buc-ee’s gas station/country store, located near the track. “I thought it was a restaurant, but my mechanic and he said it was a gas station. Apparently they have 150 pumps – but then I went inside and it was like a mall! They have everything – I didn’t know where to start so I just made a left turn when I walked in and went straight to the hats. I had to buy one.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, and OMP for their continued support.

The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama takes the green flag Sunday at 11:05 a.m. Eastern. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE.com, with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com/radio and on Sirius XM.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family racing tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.

About Abel Construction Company: ABEL Construction is one of the largest general contractors in Kentucky. They hold licenses in thirteen states and have offices in Lexington, Kentucky, Indianapolis, Indiana, with their corporate office in Louisville. Their expertise spans various areas, including general contracting, construction management, design-build, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and facilities maintenance.

Abel Construction has contributed to building some of the region’s most recognizable landmarks. Their projects cover diverse sectors, including automotive, healthcare, post-secondary education, commercial, food/beverage, tech, and industrial/manufacturing. They prioritize client satisfaction, focusing on efficient project delivery regardless of size or cost. Their skilled professionals utilize cutting-edge technology and software to ensure successful outcomes. abelconstruct.com/.

ABEL Motorsports social media

Facebook: ABEL Motorsports
Twitter/X: ABEL Motorsports
Instagram: ABEL Motorsports

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Saturday, April 27, 2024) – Jacob Abel’s magic carpet ride continued Saturday at Barber Motorsports Park, as he drove to the pole for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama.

Abel, from Louisville, Kentucky, grabbed the top spot with a lap of 1 minute, 11.3507 seconds in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports. It was the second career pole in the INDYCAR development series for Abel, whose first No. 1 qualifying position came in July 2023 at Iowa Speedway.

The pole continued a dominant weekend for Abel on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course. He has led every session, pacing practices Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.

“It was more of what’s been going on all weekend long,” Abel said. “The Abel Motorsports guys gave me a fantastic car today, so I just had to go and drive the thing. It felt pretty easy out there. It was awesome. I’ve just got to finish the job tomorrow now.”

The 35-lap race starts at 11:05 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Abel’s cruise on Easy Street continued in qualifying, as he ended up .2239 of a second ahead of No. 2 qualifier and championship leader Nolan Siegel, who turned a top lap of 1:11.5746 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports car. Abel was .5158 of a second ahead of the field in practice Friday, and he led practice Saturday morning by .2995 of a second.

James Roe qualified third at 1:11.5971 in the No. 29 TopCon entry of Andretti Global, joined in Row 2 by rookie Caio Collet after the Brazilian’s best lap of 1:11.7074 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry.

Jamie Chadwick qualified a career-best fifth at 1:11.7240 in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global. Her previous best start was ninth in June 2023 at Road America. Rookie Michael d’Orlando also will start from Row 3, qualifying sixth at 1:11.9051 in the No. 3 Priority RSR Andretti Cape entry.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
LEEDS, ALABAMA
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
APRIL 26, 2024

CHEVROLET GRABS TOP-THREE POSITIONS AFTER FIRST PRACTICE AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK

• Chevrolet claimed the fastest three positions on the leaderboard at the checkered flag of first practice for Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.
• Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, finished first with his fastest lap of 1:06.7045 seconds.
• Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, followed Newgarden in second with his fastest lap of 1:06.7875, followed by Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet in third with his fastest lap of 1:06.7914.
• Team Chevy was represented by five in the top-10 after the first practice session, with including Newgarden, O’Ward, Power, Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Racing Chevrolet, and Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet.
• On Saturday, Team Chevy will take to the track for second practice at 12:15 p.m. ET, as well as qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 3:30 p.m. ET for Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park.
• Sunday’s green flag for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix from Barber Motorsports Park flies live on NBC at 1 p.m. ET.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 FIRST PRACTICE RESULTS:
1st Josef Newgarden
2nd Pato O’Ward
3rd Will Power
6th Romain Grosjean
9th Scott McLaughlin

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):

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

“I love driving around this place. It’s a track I really enjoy and always have. It’s high-commitment. We’re just going to try to get the car a little bit better for tomorrow and see if we can get it done in qualifying.”

Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was a smooth session. What was most important for me was to get as many laps as possible to learn the track and the car in those conditions. Everything is different from Long Beach, as the track here is very smooth with very high speeds. I need to learn the downforce and the limit of the car in those high-speed corners. Overall, I am satisfied. I had quite a bit of traffic on my alternate lap, and in the end, I think we would have been further up in the standings. It is a good start, but I need to continue building confidence. It should be a good weekend, as the car is great and Pato (O’Ward) showed we can be quite strong here.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“That was a challenging session, and I don’t think we’re quite in the window yet. We need to look at what we are doing and how we can get things back to where we were at last month’s test. Not the way we wanted kick off the weekend, but we’ll focus on a stronger Practice 2 and qualifying.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“We had a mixed bag today. Pato (O’Ward) got off to a good start here. He’s got the pace, and it’s a good reference for the other two cars to look at, which I think we’ve got a bit more to find. Alexander (Rossi) is not feeling really comfortable today, but I’ve got no doubt we’ve got the best people to figure that one out overnight. He sure knows how to drive an INDYCAR, so he should be alright tomorrow. This is definitely a different challenge than Long Beach for Théo (Pourchaire), and it’s a steep learning curve here to get confidence in the high speed and all that, but he’s building up to it once again, and there’s a bit we can do to help him get comfy. We’ll look for a decent step up overnight.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“First practice here in Barber for the start of the weekend. We are P16. We had a few challenges in this session. I had a mistake, and we tried some different setups. I think it’s a good start but we can do a better job tomorrow.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It doesn’t really mean anything yet. We’ve to get through qualifying, and mostly get to the race. I’m excited to be back here. I always feel good to be with the No. 2 PPG Chevy car crew. They’ve done a great job coming into here. They’re ready. I feel kind of ready. I want to be more ready. We just need to come and do our jobs.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Good day. Pretty good day. Car feels alright. I think we’re a little shy on aero balance. Once we cram that into the No. 3 Good Ranchers Chevy, we’ll be just fine.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“A very solid day to start the weekend here at Barber. We continue to have speed in the Verizon Chevy, and this is a place where we have been very successful as a team. The biggest thing here is to have trust in your car because you have to be committed each and every lap. I love racing here and looking for good things the rest of the weekend.”

ROMAIN GROSJEAN, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET – First Practice Press Conference Transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Joining us, Romain Grosjean. Pole and podium here a year ago. Top 10 finish here, P1. Lead us off with your thoughts on practice today.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: It went really well. Obviously it’s a hot day. I was surprised how good the car was from run one. I think we improved on run two. P1 on blacks. I thought we had a really good lap going on reds, like a lot of guys. I ended up with traffic on my (indiscernible) first laps. Came back in, made a quick change, came back out, did my fastest lap.

I’m happy with the car based on Friday. I think tomorrow and Sunday, things going to change again. I must say I’m impressed with the way the team works, the way the team works through the weekend. We know what we have. We know what we don’t have. I think I appreciate that. It seems to be working pretty well on track.

THE MODERATOR: Continue with questions.

Q. Romain, looked like you had a little bit of a tense moment towards the end of the session.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: First of all, I went to apologize first thing after the session. It was on me. It was the fourth lap in a row that I got blocked. I did the French move that I was complaining, but I couldn’t turn the wheel with one hand. We actually made contact, which I feel a bit embarrassed about it, but it’s the honest true. Even Alexander Rossi wouldn’t believe me, but it’s the truth.

I wanted to push him a bit wide, showing I was not happy, but I never wanted to make contact. I just couldn’t turn the wheel. So I went to apologize.

I think everyone got blocked. It’s just Barber. It’s probably the most physical track of the season. It’s very hot. We’re pushing the limits on the car. High-speed corners.

Yeah, I’m not very proud of that moment, but I’m much more proud of our session generally.

Q. The small team thing. Do you feel like you’re raising the boat here? Are you progressing?

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Yeah, it is a small team, as Dale Coyne was back in 2021. I think that’s the beauty of INDYCAR: you can be on pole in a small team and you can be on a podium in a small team. For the championship at the end, it’s always the big team, always Ganassi that wins the championship.

But yes, for sure it’s the beauty of the sport, the beauty of INDYCAR. The car quite is simple. Apart from the dampers, the rest, everyone has been here for the chassis, 11, 12 years old.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Everyone knows the chassis very well. Every engineer has been on another team once. At the end everything turns around. We have one engineer from Rahal last year.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Squirrel. They have the damper guy from Andretti from start of 2023. It just goes around, comes around, but it’s good.

Q. You’ve done very well here in the past. You race very well here. What is about this track that suits your style so well?

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: I’ve got no clue. Bit of courage maybe. I like it. I was out there today pushing it, having fun. Yeah, I mean, most of the tracks we’ve done well. I think it’s just that here for some reason it showed up more.

I think last year, of course being on pole is pretty good. The car worked really well. There were a couple places last year we could have done very well.

I think in 2022, when I joined my previous team from Dale Coyne, we had pole and P3 in Indy GP, P2 twice, never was on the podium for the last two years out of four races.

I think the car behaves how you get there. I think I have also more experience in INDYCAR that I’m able to know exactly what I want from the car.

Is funny to see. We just mentioned they’re the same car, but they’re set up different team to team. How the cars behave differently is quite funny.

Today was very competitive. Yeah, I don’t know. First time I came here, I wasn’t so fast. It’s not like it was my best track.

Q. There was a kid last Sunday that made his first INDYCAR race that said he grew up watching you race in Formula 1. Theo said you talked to him before the race and said this that is a great place for you to race. Could you maybe talk about how this kid adapted as fast as he did and how INDYCAR is becoming a destination series for young talent like that.

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: Yeah, I think INDYCAR is a great championship. Off course a lot of drivers, young drivers, wants to go to Formula 1. It’s still the pinnacle, is the highest media, highest paid, highest sponsor, everything you want in the world.

But I think you also have to realize it’s only 20 drivers in the world that make it to Formula 1, and are going to stay there for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years for Fernando. That means for those years, there’s no room for anyone else. I think you have to look somewhere else.

If you accept the fact that when you come to the U.S., INDYCAR you can actually really have a good career. You’re not going to make it to Formula 1, but you can be Scott Dixon, six-time champion, have an amazing career. If you accept that fact early on, you can come over and do it.

I think Christian Lundgaard did that well, realized there was probably no room for him in Formula 1 and came over, is doing a great job out here, is having a great life, having great fun in INDYCAR. It’s super competitive.

I think with everything we see, the 100 Days to Indy be on Netflix, we can have more and more fans. You see St. Pete, Long Beach. 200,000 sponsors. Monaco doesn’t have that. It’s a bit of a different setup, it’s hard to fit people. I think in that way we can do great.

The recipe is quite simple: bring the track to a nice place where you can bring the family, everyone is having a good weekend, a big city, then you’re going to have fans. If we have fans, we’re going to have more viewership. If we have more viewership, we are going to have more sponsors. If we have more sponsors, we will have better paid driver, and then it becomes packed like when the CART was here.

Like a series don’t really look like a Plan B, but it’s almost like a Plan A, if you’re never enough you’re not going to make it to Formula 1. Maybe you don’t want to make it to Formula 1.

Q. When you look at so many drivers’ careers who have nowhere to go, Formula 1, like Scott Dixon, when you’ve got guys like Lewis Hamilton that have won their championships, Max, you look at the guys over here, how do you evaluate greatness?

ROMAIN GROSJEAN: It’s funny, I was asked recently, What is success? I said, Well, that’s complicated. We all have a different scale of success. We all have different values.

I think if you look at Scott Dixon, if we look at Kristensen, Monsieur Le Mans, we look at their career, we can say it’s successful. Did they make it to Formula 1? No. But is it all about Formula 1 or is it all about winning? Is it just being on the grid in Formula 1 or is it about winning somewhere elsewhere? Maybe, yes, it’s not as high level, even though I don’t like putting it that way. It’s not media value as Formula 1. It’s still a competition.

There’s still great drivers out here. Still very complicated. We come from Long Beach, which is a street course, straight Barber, a very fast road course, then the month of May where we are on the speedway, then you go to Iowa, short ovals, different driving styles. Then the same thing in endurance, Le Mans, Sebring, Daytona. Those races are very hard.

It’s all depend right place, right time, opportunity, being clever. My career, I almost went to DTM back in 2010. I would never have made it back to Formula 1. It was one fun call where I decided I was going to risk it one more time to go back to DP2 back in the day, Formula 2, see if I was going to make it to Formula 1 or not. That day I could sign in DTM or try to make no money and go again in Formula 2, see what was coming. Those moments in life are very important. They’re choices. They have consequences behind.

It worked really well for me. I’m very lucky. I touch wood that I made it back to Formula 1. It could also be I try Formula 2, it would not work. What else? I would probably be a cook somewhere in a cuisine. Maybe in Alabama, not doing chicken waffle, though.

Yeah, it’s right place, right time, making that last call, which is key for the rest of your career.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, April 26, 2024) – After a tumultuous week for himself and Team Penske, Josef Newgarden said Friday morning he couldn’t wait to strap back into his race car at Barber Motorsports Park.

It showed.

Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden led practice Friday for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst with a top lap of 1 minute, 6.7045 seconds in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. The strong performance came just hours after Newgarden participated in an emotional press conference in which he offered his first public comments after he and teammate Scott McLaughlin were disqualified from the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding for illegal use of the series’ Push to Pass system.

The quick lap on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires at Barber came despite Newgarden spinning off track in Turn 15 early in the 75-minute session after running wide, triggering a red flag. The car didn’t make any contact and continued.

“It’s definitely the best medicine in the world for someone like me,” Newgarden said. “It’s great to be out here, just getting to turn laps. I was a little bit off my game in the beginning, for sure. I dropped a wheel and made a mistake and threw away a set of tires, which was unfortunate.

“We just kept going. We came up with a new plan, and I think the positive thing is the car was really fast, even when I made the mistake.”

Pato O’Ward, who inherited the St. Petersburg victory Wednesday after Newgarden was disqualified, ended up second today at 1:06.7875 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Like Newgarden, O’Ward went off track during the session while exploring the limits of grip but also made no contact.

Two-time series champion Will Power, who didn’t use Push to Pass illegally at St. Petersburg but was docked 10 points as part of the penalty for having override programing code on the car, was third at 1:06.7914 in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet.

Colton Herta was fourth at 1:06.8002 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global, while Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five at 1:06.8972 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Defending Barber race winner McLaughlin, who expressed a similar desire today to find peace in his car like Newgarden, ended up ninth at 1:07.0935 in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet.

Christian Rasmussen was the quickest of the six rookies in the field this weekend, 13th overall at 1:07.4418 in the No. 20 Guy Care Chevrolet fielded by Ed Carpenter Racing.

Up next is practice at 12:15 p.m. ET Saturday on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course, followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 3:30 p.m. Competition should be taut for the pole, as less than one second separated the top 19 drivers in the 27-car field in practice Friday.

Live coverage of the 90-lap race starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, April 26, 2024) – Jacob Abel led the opening practice Friday for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, with an uncommon margin of dominance for the INDYCAR development series.

Abel led the 21-driver field with a top lap of 1 minute, 11.9990 seconds in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry. He was more than a half-second quicker than his closest pursuer, fellow series veteran James Roe of Andretti Global, who ended up second at 1:12.5148 in the No. 29 TopCon car.

The big gap by Abel over the field was even more impressive considering he turned his best lap on his final trip around the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural road course on used Firestone Firehawk tires.

“It’s fantastic,” Abel said. “Basically after St. Petersburg, it was the start of another offseason for us. Last year, St. Pete went really well, and Barber not so much. So, this year St. Pete went well, so we’re going to make Barber go well, too. A lot of work in the past six weeks to keep in it.

“No new tires there. So, we’ll see what she does on new tires for qualifying. I’m feeling pretty good about it.”

Qualifying starts at 2:35 p.m. ET Saturday, preceded by a practice at 11:05 a.m. Both sessions will be streamed on INDYCAR LIVE and available on the INDYCAR Radio Network. The 35-lap race starts at 11:05 a.m. ET Sunday, with live coverage on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Points leader Nolan Siegel was third at 1:12.8955 in the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry, followed by rookie Bryce Aron at 1:13.1150 in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield entry fielded by Andretti Global.

Series veteran Josh Pierson rounded out the top five at 1:13.1425 in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car.

The 45-minute session featured one red flag, to tow in the stalled No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global driven by series veteran Louis Foster.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
LEEDS, ALABAMA
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE
APRIL 26-28, 2024

CHEVROLET READY FOR THE CHALLENGE OF BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK IN THE CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX

DETROIT (April 25, 2024) – The third race of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season sees Chevrolet drivers and teams facing a quick turnaround from Long Beach to head to Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.

Capturing victory eight times in 11 years at the 2.3-mile pavement road course also known as “The Augusta National of Motorsports” for its beauty and picturesque facility, Chevrolet also has nine poles in the 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected V6 era since 2012. Additionally, Team Chevy has led 622 laps in the V6 era, while finishing on the podium 17 times.

Looking to the 90-lap, 207-mile Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on the 17-turn course with 45 ft. of racing ribbon and 80 ft. in elevation change, Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, talks of his love of Barber Motorsports Park and how it holds a fond place in his heart.

“I’ve had a lot of success at Barber, not just in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES but pretty much every series that has taken me here, so this track holds a special place in my heart,” said O’Ward. “I always get super excited to go back there, so let’s get on the Barber rollercoaster and make it a good weekend for the team.”

The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix from Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala. Kicks off with first practice on Friday, April 26, at 3:55 p.m. ET. Saturday sees the second practice at 12:15 p.m. ET, with qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 3:30 p.m. ET. A Final warm-up will kick off race day at 10:15 a.m. ET, with the 90-lap, 207-mile Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at 1 p.m. ET on NBC. All practice sessions and qualifications will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“The track is just very unique on its own, super elevated, very blind, very quick, a lot of the big braking zones, which was familiar to me as I was coming back from Europe, so I did quite well. And we had a test day there so I could understand the dynamics of the track. Last year we didn’t qualify because we had a mechanical issue. So, that kind of prevented us from doing anything. It’s very difficult to progress in the season now unless you qualify very well.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Barber is one of my favorite tracks, even though it is quite different from any other track we go to. The elevation changes, varying radius corners, and track surface make it a great place to drive. There are some unique corners like the uphill section at Turns 12 and 13, that make the track physically challenging. It is high grip, fast, and hilly.”

Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“I’m looking forward to racing at Barber and discovering another new track. I have a better understanding of the car and the team entering this weekend compared to last weekend in Long Beach, which should be good. Barber seems like a very different track with more high-speed corners, elevation changes and some blind corners. I think it’ll be a great track and I’m sure I’m going to love it. I hope we can perform better in qualifying this weekend, and I trust the team will put me in a position to do so. Arrow McLaren has done well here in the past, so I’m looking forward to learning from them so we can bring home a good result.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Back to back races make the pain of a difficult weekend disappear pretty quickly. We had a strong test at Barber earlier in the year, so we’ll look to take that positivity into this weekend and generate some positive momentum into the Month of May.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:

“Going to Barber this weekend presents some great opportunities for us. It gives us the chance to move on quickly from a mixed race in Long Beach, and we get to compete at a track we’ve been quick at historically. Pato (O’Ward) has a win here and I’m confident we can fight for the win this weekend. Rossi topped the times on a very productive test day we had at Barber. And finally, we are all very excited to see what Théo (Pourchaire) can do in his 2nd race weekend in IndyCar after a strong debut last weekend.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“I am very excited to go back to the Alabama rollercoaster! There is no place quite like it, it is one of my favorites in the country! It’s also one of the few tracks I have already driven an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car on, so I think we are in for a good weekend!”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“I’m very excited for Barber! It’s a cool track and it’s the venue of my last podium. We’ve showed good there in the past and I’m ready to get started on our first official road course race weekend! It should be a good weekend, it’s a track that Christian (Rasmussen) is familiar with and he also did his first test with ECR there. Let’s really get the season started now!”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Super excited to go to Barber. I feel like we’re going to have a fast cadence now, that started in Long Beach, and we’re going to go really quickly through May, June, and July. There’s a lot of work to do. We’re focused on the work. But Barber is one of my favorite tracks. It’s the track I had my first INDYCAR win at, so it’s always been special to me. It’s close to my home. It used to be my hometown race before we had a race in Nashville. Can’t wait to get there. I feel like Chevrolet has done a tremendous job in the offseason. I feel like as a complete team and unit, together with Chevrolet, we’re in a great spot to secure more results, and that’s where our focus is.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Barber is one of my favorite road courses in America, and having won there last year, it’s instant confidence heading there. I think as a Team Chevy driver, we’ve improved so much in the offseason which not only is going to help us more at Barber. I think we punched above our weight there last year, so to win was great. I think we can certainly do it again.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“I’m looking forward to going back to Barber. The last couple of years we’ve had a few issues. We’ve been really fast in race. Chevy has made some good ground, so I think we’re going to be pretty competitive everywhere.”

CHEVROLET IN BARBER:

Wins at Barber (since 2012): 8

2012: Will Power

2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2015: Josef Newgarden

2016: Simon Pagenaud

2017: Josef Newgarden

2018: Josef Newgarden

2022: Pato O’Ward

2023: Scott McLaughlin

Earned Pole Awards at Barber: 9

2012: Helio Castroneves

2013: Ryan Hunter-Reay

2014: Will Power

2015: Helio Castroneves

2016: Simon Pagenaud

2017: Will Power

2018: Josef Newgarden

2021: Pato O’Ward

2022: Rinus VeeKay

Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Barber Motorsports Park (since 2012): 17

Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Barber Motorsports Park (since 2012): 622

2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:

201: NTT INDYCAR Series races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.

112: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.

128: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 133 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather.

8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.

12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era.

26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.

9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.

46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.

*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, April 24, 2024) – INDYCAR has announced penalties for Team Penske, including disqualifications for the No. 2 (driver Josef Newgarden) and No. 3 (Scott McLaughlin) and a 10-point penalty for No. 12 (Will Power) from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 10 on the Streets of St. Petersburg.

Team Penske was in violation of the following “Push to Pass” parameters:

• Rule 14.19.15. An indicator to enable Push to Pass will be sent via CAN communication from the timing and scoring beacon on board the Car to the team data logger. This signal must be passed on to the ECU unmodified and uninterrupted during all Road and Street Course Events.
• Rule 14.19.16. Race Starts and any Race Restart that occurs before the lap prior to the white flag or prior to three minutes remaining in a timed Race Event will have the Push to Pass system disabled and will be enabled for a given Car once that Car reaches the alternate Start/Finish line.

According to the rulebook, the violation is considered a Race Procedure Penalty (9.2.2.), which includes the right to reposition the Driver/Car in the posting or results, with a disqualification (9.2.2.6.) that includes the forfeiture of points and awards.

During the Sunday, April 21 warmup session ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, INDYCAR discovered the team’s possible rules violation.

An extensive review of data from the race on the Streets of St. Petersburg revealed that Team Penske manipulated the overtake system so that the No. 2, 3 and 12 cars had the ability to use Push to Pass on starts and restarts. According to the INDYCAR rulebook, use of overtake is not available during championship races until the car reaches the alternate start-finish line.

It was determined that the No. 2 and the No. 3 gained a competitive advantage by using Push to Pass on restarts while the No. 12 did not.

Additionally, all three entries have been fined $25,000 and will forfeit all prize money associated with the Streets of St. Petersburg race.

“The integrity of the INDYCAR SERIES championship is critical to everything we do,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said. “While the violation went undetected at St. Petersburg, INDYCAR discovered the manipulation during Sunday’s warmup in Long Beach and immediately addressed it ensuring all cars were compliant for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Beginning with this week’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, new technical inspection procedures will be in place to deter this violation.”

Due to the disqualification penalty of the No 2, the No. 5 entry of Arrow McLaren driven by Pato O’Ward is now credited with the win on the Streets of St. Petersburg.

An updated official final results from the St. Petersburg race is available here with updated 2024 season standings available here.

Members may contest the imposition of the penalties detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES rulebook.

Pataskala, Ohio (23 April 2024) – The last thing a hot team wants is a break in the schedule, and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar complied as Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) heads to Alabama following a successful weekend where the team earned its first-ever INDYCAR pole and another top-10 finish to start the young season.

Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) etched himself in MSR lore last Saturday when he paced qualifying at Long Beach, before finishing ninth in the race, marking the first time in its 123 series’ starts that the MSR colors led the field to the green flag.

This week the pairing of Rosenqvist and Tom Blomqvist (No. 66 AutoNation / Arctic Wolf Honda) will trade the narrow streets of Long Beach to the relatively wide-open spaces of Barber Motorsports Park, for Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (1:00pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 218).

Rosenqvist has started his MSR career in style, qualifying on the front row in St. Petersburg, then leading his qualifying session at the exhibition event at The Thermal Club before taking the NTT P1 Award last weekend at Long Beach.

Blomqvist has continued to show improvement in his rookie campaign, again setting a new personal best last week by starting 15th before coming home in 22nd.

The 17-turn Alabama road course has never been an easy one for MSR as the team has yet to start or finish in the top 10 on the 2.3-mile circuit. Simon Pagenaud made up 13 positions to finish 11th in 2022, which matched Jack Harvey’s team best in . Rosenqvist, who is seventh in the 2024 series’ standings, has shown his ability to learn at Barber as he set a new personal mark by finishing ninth there a year ago, the best result in his four previous starts.

Although Blomqvist will be making his first career start at Barber, he is heading into the weekend with a Barber test session under his belt. Barber will be Blomqvist’s fourth new track since making his series debut last year in Toronto.

Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will air on NBC and Peacock starting at 1 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying will be shown live on Peacock beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage of both sessions on XM Ch. 218.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “We tested there a couple of weeks ago, which is helpful. It’s good to have that under your belt going into the race weekend where most of the teams haven’t. I still think it’s a track that we pointed out that we want to work on. I feel pretty good about it, I’m not 100% that our package will be as strong as it was here, but I think we have a good baseline to work with. First road course of the season and I’m excited to see how the car is going to feel.”

Tom Blomqvist: “There’s no better way to put a bad weekend behind you then getting thrown into another one. I’m really excited that we can roll straight into Barber. I’ve tested there in IndyCar, so it’s the first track that I’ve come into with some limited INDYCAR experience which I am excited about; although it is a challenging, big commitment track. I actually really enjoyed driving there. Let’s see if we can continue to make those small steps in the right direction.

Sundaramoorthy looks to repeat his junior formula success, when he became the first Indian American driver to win an INDYCAR-sanctioned race

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (22 April 2024) – Riding momentum from the INDY NXT by Firestone season opener six weeks ago on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., ABEL Motorsports heads to the scenic roller coaster that is Barber Motorsports Park for the 35-lap Grand Prix of Alabama – part of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.

Drivers Jacob Abel (Louisville, Ky.) and Yuven Sundaramoorthy (Oconomowoc, Wis.) have raced at Barber before during their junior formula careers (four races for Sundaramoorthy, nine races for Abel), while Josh Mason (Maresfield, UK) will get his first look at the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course this week.

Barber has long been a driver favorite, with 80’ of elevation changes and extremely high-speed corners. In fact, the slowest corner at Barber clocks in at nearly the same speed as the fastest corner at St Pete.

Sundaramoorthy, 21, achieved a milestone at Barber in 2021, becoming the first Indian American driver to score a win in an INDYCAR-sanctioned series race when he captured a dominant USF2000 Championship victory from the pole position.

“2021 really was a breakout year for me,” said Sundaramoorthy. “That year gave me a great deal of confidence as I continued up the ladder. I learned how to keep the momentum going through the inevitable ups and downs. That’s been the benefit of coming up through the ladder series, knowing the tracks and in some cases, having had success on those tracks.”

Heading into just his fifth INDY NXT weekend, Sundaramoorthy knows what he is looking for out of his ABEL Motorsports-prepared Dallara this weekend.

“Barber is such a high-commitment track: you have to have a good feel for the car, to know that you can trust the car, and just commit,” said Sundaramoorthy. “Finding that place with the INDY NXT car is the priority – if you make one tiny mistake, it makes a huge difference in time. Given how competitive the series is, one small mistake could be 10 positions.”

Abel, 23, hopes to capitalize on his second-place finish in the season opener on a track he knows well, having earned three top 10 finishes in four junior formula races at Barber. He topped the speed charts in the series test late last year so it’s unsurprising that he counts the track as one of his favorites.

“Of all the tracks we go to, Barber is probably the most fun to drive and the most liked by the drivers,” said Abel. “There are so many elevation changes and high-speed corners, and the track surface is so smooth, so it requires a very different set up in the car than St. Pete. We were super strong in the test so hoping to carry that momentum into the race weekend.”

Showing solid pace in his Stateside debut in St. Pete, Mason, 22, flew home after the race and went straight to the simulator, ready to learn everything he could about the track before seeing it for the first time this week.

“St. Pete was a good first step, looking at where we ended up compared with where we started,” said Mason. “Obviously, as a driver, you’re here to win, but for the first time in the car and the first time at St. Pete, there were some challenges, and I think we overcame them. We showed that we can compete at the front, with the pace we had. I’m comfortable with the car and the crew – ABEL Motorsports is a brilliant team. I’ve been with many different teams and ABEL is definitely the most open team, right from the start. They made me feel comfortable from the outset and looking at their history, they’re good at what they do and they’re very professional – but they have a fun side as well, which is a nice balance!”

With seven weeks between races, the break between St. Pete and Barber is the longest of the INDY NXT season. For Abel, living in Indianapolis and being near the shop – and coaching some of the junior formula racers – has helped to fill the time.

“It’s all about staying focused,” said Abel. “I’ve been at the shop a lot, working with all the team members and really making sure we’re on it come Barber. I’ve also been doing a lot of coaching in the lower categories which keeps me at a racetrack. I think just working with race cars on track and telling people how to go fast is really good mental training for me. Because of that, I feel as though I’m still in it.”

ABEL Motorsports thanks partners ABEL Construction Company, Advance Ready Mix, Boyd Cat®, S Team Motorsports, and OMP for their continued support.

The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama takes the green flag Sunday, April 28 at 11:05 a.m. Eastern. The race will be streamed live in the U.S. on Peacock, while international viewers can watch via INDYCARLIVE.com with INDYCAR Radio available at indycar.com/radio and on Sirius XM.

About ABEL Motorsports: Team principal Bill Abel began racing motocross in 1972, earning numerous championship titles as he continued the family tradition. In 2015, ABEL Motorsports was launched, starting in the USF2000 series and building up the junior open wheel ladder. The team captured the inaugural Formula Regional Americas Championship with driver Kyle Kirkwood in 2018.

ABEL Motorsports currently competes in the INDY NXT by Firestone series, the official development series for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, led by third-generation driver Jacob Abel. The team made its INDYCAR debut in 2023 with driver RC Enerson in the Indianapolis 500. For more information visit the official team website at abelmotorsports.com.