Back-to-back race winner (2013/2014) on the 2.3-mile circuit will try for an alabama hat trick this weekend.
“The Honda GP of Alabama has certainly been a special event for me and the team. Bringing that No. 28 Honda to victory lane last year started the momentum we carried to Indy to win the 500. As back to back winners of the event, we’re looking to return with a strong result and continued progress on working with the new aerokit. We’re dealing with a completely different car this year, so we’ll face some new challenges in a relatively short race weekend, as a three-car team we’ll be working closely together to make the most of the short amount of track time.”
Track: Barber Motorsports Park, a 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course (clockwise)
Race distance: 90 laps / 207 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 20 seconds each
Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary, three sets alternate
Twitter: @BarberMotorPark @IndyCar, #HIGPA, #IndyCar
Event website: www.barbermotorsports.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2014 race winner: Ryan Hunter-Reay
2014 Verizon P1 Award winner: Will Power, 1:08.3120, 121.209 mph
Qualifying lap record: Scott Dixon, 1:06.7750, 123.999 mph, April 2013
NBCSN race broadcast: Sunday, April 26 (3 p.m. ET)
NBCSN qualifying broadcast: Sunday, April 26, (2 a.m. ET, tape delay)
Leigh Diffey will be the play-by-play announcer for NBCSN’s broadcast of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Steve Matchett. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Kevin Lee and Robin Miller are the pit reporters.
Radio broadcasts: Paul Page is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Qualifying and all Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 213, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.
Video Streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season and this weekend’s qualifying session will be available on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar) and RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR 15 App: The Verizon INDYCAR 15 app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR 15 app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include Interactive 3D Live View with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan’s favorite driver is positioned, leaderboard with enhanced 2D marching ants and car telemetry for 2015, in-car camera video streams from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver-pit crew chatter as drivers talk strategy with their pit crews during the race.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Saturday, April 25
9-10 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
12:40-1:25 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
3:55 p.m. – Three rounds of Verizon IndyCar Series knockout qualifications (live-streamed on racecontrol.indycar.com; taped coverage, 2 a.m. (ET) Sunday, April 26, NBCSN)
Sunday, April 26
10-10:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series warm-up
2 p.m. – NBCSN on air
2:37 p.m. – Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama green flag (NBCSN, Live).
Race notes:
* The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be the sixth Indy car event conducted at Barber Motorsports Park.
* Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the only drivers to have won at Barber Motorsports Park. Castroneves won the inaugural race in 2010, Power won the race in 2011 and 2012 and Hunter-Reay won in 2013 and 2014.
* Castroneves, Hunter-Reay and Power are the only drivers to have won the pole position at Barber Motorsports Park. Power claimed the pole position in 2010, 2011 and 2014; Castroneves won the pole in 2012 and Hunter-Reay in 2013.
* Two drivers have won the race from the pole – Power in 2010 and Hunter-Reay in 2013.
* Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in each of his five previous starts at Barber Motorsports Park – including four runner-up finishes – but he has yet to finish on the top step of the podium at the picturesque road circuit. Dixon won at Long Beach for the first time last week and took sole possession of fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 36.
* Nine drivers have competed in every Indy car race at Barber – Marco Andretti, Castroneves, Dixon, Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Power, Graham Rahal, Takuma Sato and Justin Wilson. All but Wilson are entered this year.
* At least six drivers will compete in their first Verizon IndyCar Series race at Barber Motorsports Park: Gabby Chaves, Stefano Coletti, Francesco Dracone, Luca Filippi, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Sage Karam.
* Team Penske has three wins at Barber Motorsports Park. Andretti Autosport is the only other team to win at the track, winning in 2013 and 2014 with Ryan Hunter-Reay.
* Kanaan seeks to start his 237th consecutive race, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in 2001 at Portland. His teammate Dixon has made 178 consecutive starts.
* The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season marked the competition debut of aerodynamic bodywork kits designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Cars are differentiated by their shape on the street course as the manufacturers have designed separate aero kit specifications for road and street course/short ovals and speedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis. References to the cars will incorporate the name of the corresponding manufacturer.
* The No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet crew of Tony Kanaan won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with a total pit lane time of 76.803 seconds. The NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
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