The march to May is on.
In the days ahead, team personnel will travel to Barber Motorsports Park, the road course in Birmingham, Alabama, set to host the fourth race of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and the first of three races in May.
SEE: Barber Event Details
Much is at stake over the next 30 days. Three races will be contested, including the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 25, plus the start of a fourth event. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has a commanding lead in his bid to win a third consecutive championship – his margin over second-place Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global is 34 points – and these three events have been some of his best.
Palou is a former race winner not only at Barber Motorsports Park (in 2021) but also on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, which hosts the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday, May 10. The Spaniard has won the last two Sonsio GPs. Palou hasn’t won the “500,” but over the past four years he has led 119 laps and posted an average finish of 5.0. He won the pole in 2023.
Team Penske hopes next month works as well for its drivers as in past Mays, and its three drivers need that. Scott McLaughlin, who has won the past two Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber, is eighth in the standings, 73 points behind Palou. Will Power stands ninth in points (minus-79) and Josef Newgarden is 10th (minus-84). The good news is, Newgarden is a three-time Barber winner, and Power has won twice there in the past. And, of course, all three have been excellent at IMS (both circuits).
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward is another of the former Barber race winners, having gone to victory lane in 2021. He stands sixth in the standings, 62 points out of the lead.
Barber’s on-track NTT INDYCAR SERIES activity begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET with a 90-minute practice airing live on FS2, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Saturday’s sessions include the weekend’s second practice (11:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network) followed by qualifying for the NTT P1 Award at 2:30 p.m. ET on the same outlets.
The 90-lap Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by AmFirst is set for 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Beginning Friday, series drivers will be in action 14 of the next 24 days, including two days of “500” qualifying, and this key stretch doesn’t stop there. The last two days of May feature the first two days of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. That race is Sunday, June 1.
But first things first: May is on the doorstep. The march to a series championship is on.
