BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- There’s much more to take in than racing on a visit to Barber Motorsports Park. Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves discovered one of the more tasty diversions when he participated in a cooking demonstration at the track with Golden Rule Bar-B-Q chef Andre Bowie.
Much like Verizon IndyCar Series drivers such as Castroneves can go into minute details explaining their craft, chef Andre went into the intricate specifics of what makes the Boston butt pork roast at Golden Rule so delicious. It includes eight hours of meticulous preparation and separating loose meat pieces from those saved for the larger slices.
Indeed, Southern style barbeque is part of the memorable experience on Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend.
“The (Barber Motorsports Park) facility, first of all, is just impeccable, it’s awesome, it’s great,” said Castroneves, who is second in the Verizon IndyCar Series standings entering the race weekend. “It’s not only for the racers, but for anyone that wants to have a good time. Your family can watch races and you can actually have a barbeque. That’s what it’s all about.
“I tell you what, he did a phenomenal job and just to smell, oh, it smells so good. I would eat this before the race, I think my performance would suffer because I would eat so much.”
Castroneves couldn’t escape the demo without sampling some of Golden Rule’s homemade banana pudding – and he raved about it. Then it was time to refocus on the task at hand, at a track the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner enjoys.
“For us as a driver, it’s always great to come to a place where everybody receives you well,” he said. “But when it comes down to business, this place is fun, it’s technical, it’s challenging. That’s why when you get out of here with a victory, it’s like, ‘Yes, I conquered this place.’ Hopefully Sunday we’ll be able to do it again.”
Of note
Team Penske announced that DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishing will sponsor the No. 22 Chevrolet driven by Simon Pagenaud for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis. DeVilbiss and parent company Finishing Brands were recently acquired by Carlisle Companies, an established partner of Team Penske. ... Alabama-based Harbert Management Corporation will be a sponsor of the No. 4 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet driven by Stefano Coletti at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. ... Steve Matchett is joining chief announcer Leigh Diffey and analyst Townsend Bell on the NBCSN telecasts this weekend. Paul Tracy, who has been an analyst on the two NBCSN race weekend telecasts this season, is attending the Laughlin Motorcycle Rally and River Run with the Harley Davidson accessory company he owns -- Black Label Baggers.