Pato O’Ward’s next trip to victory lane will be his 10th NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory.

The Mexican star believes he has a chance to become the 47th driver in series history to reach double-digit wins in Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst. He was third fastest in Friday’s practice with a top lap of 1 minute, 7.4158 seconds.

O’Ward enters the weekend fourth in points after a fifth-place finish in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1, a fourth-place result March 7 at Phoenix Raceway and another fifth-place finish March 15 in the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.

He and points leader Kyle Kirkwood are the only two drivers in the 25-car field with three top-10 finishes in three races to start the season. Kirkwood was second fastest in practice, both trailing two-time Barber winner Scott McLaughlin, who led in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet at 1:07.3840.

O’Ward has four top-six finishes in his last five starts at Barber Motorsports Park, including a win in 2022. He also won the pole in 2021. He qualified eighth and finished sixth last year, prompting a different approach with the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet this weekend.

That’s because Alex Palou led 81 of 90 laps to win last year’s race by 16.0035 seconds, his second Barber win and the largest margin of victory of the season. The three-time defending series champion also finished on the podium in all seven natural road course races last season and has an average finish of 2.2 in his last 20 starts on such tracks, including 11 wins.

“We brought something different,” O’Ward said. “If you had kept the same, you’re just accepting defeat.”

Sunday’s 90-lap race begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Marcus Ericsson

Andretti Global Searching for Road Course Breakthrough

Andretti Global arrives at Barber Motorsports Park after placing all three cars in the top four at Arlington, including Kirkwood earning his sixth career victory and jumping to the points lead for the first time in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career.

The last time he led a championship was during his 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone title season. His teammate Marcus Ericsson is eighth in points, while Will Power sits 11th.

Barber is a key weekend to prove whether this trio is a contender or pretender for the championship.

Natural road courses like Barber have challenged Andretti Global in recent years, and this is the first of six races on them this season. The team’s last victory on a permanent road course came in July 2022, when Alexander Rossi won on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Its last eight wins have come on ovals or street circuits.

Kirkwood’s best finish in four Barber starts is 10th in 2024. Ericsson’s best result in six starts is seventh as a rookie in 2019. Neither driver has won on a permanent road course.

Power has 17 career wins on permanent road courses, including two at Barber. All came with Team Penske. He takes over the No. 26 TWG AI Honda that finished seventh here last year with Colton Herta.

The team took a different approach this weekend because of the recent history. The FOX Sports broadcast reported all three cars ran different setups in Friday’s opening practice to gather data and improve performance.

The team must be feeling strong about that move with Kirkwood second quickest in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda (1:07.4128), Power 10th (1:07.8818) and Ericsson’s No. 28 Allegra Honda 13th (1:07.9273) (photo, above).

Late Barber Founder Honored

George Barber, founder of Barber Motorsports Park, died Feb. 15 at age 85 following a brief illness.

This weekend marks the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at the Alabama track since his passing. All 25 cars carried a tribute sticker, and the FOX Sports broadcast team wore shirts and pins Friday honoring his legacy.

The 880-acre facility in Birmingham, Alabama, opened in 2003 and began hosting INDYCAR SERIES races in 2010. The track is widely regarded as one of the most picturesque venues on the schedule.

“Everything at Barber Motorsports Park is done with George’s unique style, a legacy that will live on for every fan and competitor at this fantastic facility,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said.

Graham Rahal, who has competed in all 15 previous INDYCAR SERIES races on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile circuit, praised Barber’s impact.

“Mr. Barber was just an unbelievable man,” Rahal said. “What he created and the vision he had is second to none. For me, he did a lot to help my foundation. He hosted several events for us, and we were able to raise money and do some great things. I’m eternally grateful for everything he did for us.”

Power shared similar thoughts.

“I’d always see George at the races, especially in the early days,” he said. “He’d say, ‘If there’s anything I can do, anything to improve, please let me know.’ Such a lovely guy.

“His passion for the event and the presentation of the track stands out. The museum is incredible, and the way everything is maintained, from the grass to the barriers, makes it one of the nicest facilities we visit.”

Hunter McElrea

McElrea Named ECR Reserve Driver

Hunter McElrea was named Friday as Ed Carpenter Racing’s first reserve driver. He will travel with the team to race events, beginning this weekend at Barber, and will step into one of its two full-time entries if needed. He also will support on-track testing and complete simulation work on Chevrolet’s driver-in-the-loop simulator.

INDY NXT by Firestone race winner McElrea (photo, above) has one INDYCAR SERIES start, in 2024 with Dale Coyne Racing in Toronto. He finished 24th.

McElrea has since competed in sports cars, highlighted by an LMP2 class victory in last week’s 12 Hours of Sebring. He tested for ECR in November 2024 and February 2026.

McElrea also raced in USF2000 in 2019, USF Pro 2000 in 2021 and INDY NXT by Firestone in 2022-23, earning 12 combined wins across those series, including four in 28 INDY NXT starts.

Schmidt To Release Memoir

Former INDYCAR SERIES driver and team owner Sam Schmidt will release his memoir, “No Finish Line: A Racer’s Journey of Passion, Perseverance and Purpose,” on May 5.

Written with 13-time New York Times best-selling author Don Yaeger, the book details Schmidt’s early career, the crash during testing Jan. 6, 2000, at Walt Disney World Speedway that left him a quadriplegic and the life he has built since.

All author proceeds will benefit DRIVEN, which supports spinal cord injury research, advocacy and rehabilitation. More information is available here.

“I wrote ‘No Finish Line’ to help others find inspiration to build a life beyond their wildest dreams,” Schmidt said. “Whether someone is facing a life-changing injury or an overwhelming obstacle, I hope my story shows what’s possible.”

Odds and Ends

  • Early speed has mattered at Barber Motorsports Park. Since 2021, race winners ranked first (2021), seventh (2022), first (2023), ninth (2024) and second (2025) in the opening practice. In the second practice, like the one that occurs on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on FS1, those same winners ranked fourth, second, third, third and second, respectively.
  • This season has produced two consecutive first-time NTT P1 Award winners, with David Malukas at Phoenix Raceway and Marcus Ericsson at Arlington. The last time there were three straight came in 1999 with Tony Kanaan (Long Beach), Juan Pablo Montoya (Nazareth) and Christian Fittipaldi (Rio). Drivers competing this weekend seeking their first pole? Marcus Armstrong, Christian Rasmussen, Sting Ray Robb, Nolan Siegel, Kyffin Simpson, Caio Collet, Dennis Hauger and Mick Schumacher.
  • Conditions were much different Friday compared to the rest of the weekend. Ambient temperatures reached the mid-80s, while Saturday is expected in the upper 60s and race day in the low 70s.
  • McLaughlin has been the quickest driver in the first practice for the third straight road and street course event. He led the first practice at St. Petersburg and Arlington, too.
  • Team Penske and Arrow McLaren produced five of the top six lap times Friday.
  • Twenty-two of the 25 drivers were separated by less than a second on the timing charts Friday.