Andretti Autosport heads to Barber Motorsports Park this week for the first road course race of the season. Drivers will take on the 2.3-mile permanent circuit, known for its high elevation and 17 flowing turns in the fourth round of NTT INDYCAR SERIES action. After dominating on the streets of Long Beach, Andretti Autosport hopes to keep the strong momentum and conquer the road course in Alabama!
Circuit Length–2.3 miles
Number of Turns–17 turns
Race Distance–207 miles
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Throughout the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 12 appearances at Barber Motorsports Park dating back to 2010, Andretti Autosport has scored two wins (Hunter-Reay – 2013 + 2014), took the pole position once (Hunter-Reay – 2013), finished on the podium four times, recorded nine top-five finishes and led 155 laps.
Colton Herta will make his fourth INDYCAR start at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend after recording his best finish of 10th on the road course in 2022. In addition to his INDYCAR starts, Herta has four INDY NXT starts at Barber including his 2017 race win from the pole in the series’ 400th race, three podium finishes and two pole positions. In Herta’s seven INDYCAR and INDY NXT starts on the road course, he has never qualified outside of the top 10 and has an average starting position of fifth.
Romain Grosjean will make his third start at Barber Motorsports Park after qualifying and finishing in the top 10 in his two appearances on the road course. Grosjean’s best start came in 2021 when he finished just outside the Firestone Fast 6 in seventh and his best finish in 2022 when he took the checkered also in seventh.
Coming off of his first INDYCAR win on the streets of Long Beach, Kyle Kirkwood will make his second NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at Barber Motorsports Park. The 2023 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach champion made his INDY NXT debut at Barber Motorsports Park in 2021 where he finished the second race of the doubleheader weekend in fifth.
Devlin DeFrancesco is also back for his second appearance in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the road course. During his INDY NXT debut in 2021, Devlin secured a pair of podium finishes during the doubleheader weekend.
“It’s great to be able to come back to Barber Motorsports Park. This track is extremely technical and requires a certain strategy that is different from other tracks on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar. After a strong result in Long Beach, I’m excited to return to the track this weekend.”
“I’m feeling prepared to take on the first road course of the season. High elevation variance tracks are physically challenging, but I tend to perform very well at courses like Barber. Coming off a win at Long Beach has created some momentum and confidence for the team.”
“The Andretti Autosport team has had a solid start of the season on street courses and ovals. The No. 28 Delaware Life/DHL Honda is a very strong car and I am looking forward to seeing what we will be able to produce on a road course.”
“I am looking forward to returning to Barber Motorsports Park this week to take on the first road course of the season. This track offers a lot of unique challenges and I have performed well on this track in the past. I feel confident that our team and the No. 29 Damon Honda will be strong here.”
“Long Beach is in the rearview mirror and it’s time to focus on Barber. It’s the first permanent road course of the season, so it will be an important weekend to make sure that the work we have done over the winter translates. We were happy with our work at the Thermal Open Test, but Barber has some unique features. The weather looks like it could be an additional challenge this weekend, so there’s plenty to look forward to! A shout out to the crews, especially the truck drivers, who have worked through Long Beach to the Indy Open Test to Barber over the past ten days.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
