Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Preview

After a relatively sensible race (in comparison to the first two rounds) at Long Beach, IndyCar heads to the Barber Motorsports Park for the fourth round of the season, and the last before the month of May. With three winners from three teams from three races, all eyes are on whether we can see another name to add to that list at a race where just three drivers have won the five Indy Grand Prix of Alabama races here in the past.

The Circuit

Barber is a superb circuit, with a lot of elements which remind me of Sonoma. When it rains here, even the best can get caught out, as Will Power found out last year. It is a fast and flowing circuit, with only a few slow turns, and there’s even a section which looks like Eau Rouge. The second half of the lap should be superb to watch from the trackside with the new aero kits this year, and it would not be at all surprising to see the lap record smashed. Here’s an onboard with Josef Newgarden. [LINK]

As mentioned before, each of the three previous winners – Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay will all (hopefully) line up on the grid for the race. Hunter-Reay won last year after Power ran wide at the hairpin in damp conditions.

With a top five in every race so far, Juan Pablo Montoya leads the standings by two points from Helio Castroneves, who has finished in the top four at every race. Tony Kanaan is a surprise third ahead of Long Beach winner Scott Dixon. James Hinchcliffe rounds out the top five with Will Power a lowly sixth.

Finally, there are more driver changes in place, with Sage Karam back in the #8 at Chip Ganassi Racing, and with GP2 legend Rodolfo Gonzalez in at Dale Coyne Racing in place of Conor Daly, who made a surprise debut in place of Rocky Moran, Jr. after he injured himself in practice.