Everything you need to know for INDYCAR’s trip to the eclectic Barber Track

Barber Motorsports Park (Leeds, Alabama) – They say a picture is worth a thousand words. At Barber Motorsports Park, a photo is worth a thousand double takes. From a large spider statue on a ride to a huge figurine of a lady’s head in a lake to a mannequin hanging from one of the bridges, this 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course is scenic and eclectic like no other. Drivers will try not to pay attention to the artwork around the track. Well, unless model Georgina falls and gets run over by one of the cars like two years ago. They will likely pay the most attention to Alex Palou, who led 81 of 90 laps last year. The Indy Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama is part of a FOX-FS1 racing doubleheader with coverage from Barber beginning at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, then the NASCAR race at Martinsville scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Here’s what you need to know about this race weekend at Barber: Is Alex Palou the points leader? No, no, he is not participating in the second consecutive race. Kyle Kirkwood, for the first time in five seasons on the series, is at the top of the rankings. Yes, it’s only three races into an 18-race calendar, but he’s the leader. “I hope it’s not just for a weekend,” Kirkwood told me and other reporters Friday morning. “It’s a good feeling to lead in points for the first time in an INDYCAR championship. I haven’t led a points championship since Indy Lights in 2021, so it’s a big deal. It’s a fun time to be alive in INDYCAR racing.” Given that, we’re three races into it. It’s not really a big priority right now, but it’s a nice feather in my cap to say I’ve led an INDYCAR championship. And I hope this trend continues. Before speaking to the media, Palou spoke to Kirkwood. He said they weren’t talking about points. They were talking about the IMSA race at Sebring last weekend. “It’s tough,” Palou, the three-time defending series champion, said sarcastically to me and other reporters Friday morning about not being the points leader. “It’s tough. ” [INDYCAR INSIGHTS: Rotating Points Leaders Means More INDYCAR Parity] Can Palou still lead 81 laps? He can. But just as he views his overall dominance from last year, he views a repeat of that performance as difficult. “Last year was great for car 10 [of me]”, Palou said. “Who knows [if it will be the same]. We will try. I think it changes every year. Two years ago we weren’t like that. Then last year we were. So I hope [we are]. “It’s a place I love. I can’t wait to do a road course again. Well, the first one in 2026.” Can Andretti have clean pit stops? The Andretti Global teams had a tough day on pit road at Arlington. The organization hasn’t made any changes for Barber. “Pit stops aren’t my job, so I just drive the car, hit the marks, and that’s it,” Kirkwood said. “On our car we had a problem with the right rear and we know exactly what was happening. “We were very good in the pit stops at the start of the year. Overall, we are all faster than we have been. But we just need consistency now and tie everything together.” Kirkwood isn’t suggesting what they can do better. He’s just trying to keep his team motivated. “When I saw our right back, Adam [Martin] After the race I was like, look, man, you’ve been great all season, yeah, there’s a few hiccups this weekend, but we know how good you are. Don’t be too hard on yourself. We know we’re going to bounce back here at Barber, and we’ll be fine,” Kirkwood said. Who could surprise the fans? Nolan Siegel started sixth and finished ninth at Barber last year. The Arrow McLaren driver could really use this type of day since he finished 20th, 20th and 24th this year. “It’s interesting and almost more frustrating in a way because I actually feel like this year felt a lot better than the majority of others. races last year,” Siegel told me and other reporters Friday morning. “I feel like the team worked well together. I feel like the execution was pretty good and the results were just very poor. We don’t match what I felt. It’s exciting to come here where we know we’ll be strong and just try to get results and build momentum. » [INSIDE THE GARAGE: How Bad do Drivers Want to Beat Former Teammates?] How is Mick Schumacher? Former F1 driver Mick Schumacher sits last in the standings but is optimistic. He never got a chance to race in St. Pete after being eliminated in a first-round crash. Phoenix was his first oval. And then he had a penalty for avoidable contact in Arlington. “Overall, I think the results don’t really speak for the performance we showed,” Schumacher told me and other journalists on Friday morning. Was there an Arlington penalty? Yes, INDYCAR explained Wednesday afternoon that Kyffin Simpson would be penalized through the end of the first lap for unavoidable contact on the restart before the finish lap toward the finish March 15 at Arlington. Simpson finished 19th, as he was able to continue after the wreck, finishing ahead of Felix Rosenqvist. They ended up swapping positions with Rosenqvist 19th and Simpson 20th. “I understand,” Simpson told me and other reporters Friday morning. “It’s my fault. I take responsibility for it, so I understand the punishment.” Will the same format as Arlington be used for qualifying? No. The final round for the six fastest drivers will be a group session. INDYCAR experimented at Arlington by sending them out one at a time for a spin. The sanctioning body is still evaluating whether to use this format again. The problem in Arlington was that they went from slowest to fastest in the final round. The sixth fastest driver from the previous round was able to go out first and had more heat in his tires. Do they give out an extra set of tires to use on the final lap if they run only one car? Is this such a big advantage? The biggest advantage is that these drivers and teams get attention for a few minutes without any other cars on the track. “[Those cars] should be exposed for this. … People talk about them, it creates this excitement, Team Penske driver Scott McLaughlin told me and other reporters Friday morning. Are the tire rules the same as in Arlington? No. The rules for using tires are different on permanent road courses and on street courses. The rule for urban courses is that teams must use at least two sets of soft tires (used or new) and at least one set of primary tires (used or new) during the race. The rule for road courses is that teams must use at least one set of new soft tires and at least one set of primary tires (used or new) during the race. What else should fans look out for? Tributes will be paid throughout the weekend in memory of founder George Barber, who died in February. He was 85 years old. His passionate advocacy for INDYCAR and motorsports is seen throughout, which in some ways is a great tribute to him and his vision.