IndyCar fans were in for a treat this afternoon during the 15th running of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama. A combination of different strategies and good quality racing led to a thrilling race. It wasn’t as chaotic as last year’s, but regardless,
It could’ve been anyone’s win, but the driver who found himself taking the top step was none other than defending champion, Alex Palou.
Alex Palou Takes Home his Third Win of the Year at Barber, Grand Prix of Alabama
In a full circle moment, Palou has once again won at the track where he recorded his first-ever IndyCar win. The Chip Ganassi driver had a strong weekend overall after qualifying on pole yesterday.
Palou created a gap of over 16 seconds. This marks the longest margin maintained by a driver since Scott Dixon in 2023.
Palou extends his championship lead and continues Honda’s constructors’ streak to four straight race wins.
Dominance defined 💪@AlexPalou makes it three out of four, winning the #INDYBHM from pole at Barber! pic.twitter.com/F20JDGvxhk
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 4, 2025
Podium Finishes for Lundgaard and McLaughlin
It was another podium finish for Christian Lundgaard. The Danish driver is once again proving why he earned a spot driving at Arrow McLaren. With his third podium finish in three races, it’s only a matter of time until he takes the top step.
A fan favorite for the win this weekend was Scott McLaughlin, who’s won at Barber the past two years. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to secure the three-peat but he brought Team Penske up to third to round out the podium. McLaughlin fought off Rinus Veekay for the position.
READ MORE: Scott McLaughlin Wins a Chaotic Barber Classic
Pit Stop Problems
Multiple teams throughout the race found themselves dealing with some sort of issue during their pit stops. While nothing extremely dangerous happened, a lot of teams had to rework their strategy following their pit stops.
Colton Herta stalled following one of his stops. At the time, he was running in second but stalling caused him to come out in seventh. Before stopping, he was fighting against Lundgaard who ended up in second after Herta stalled.
Marcus Armstrong is another driver who long about four to five seconds extra in the pits. After his car was refueled, the fuel nozzle got stuck. The extra time needed to guarantee a safe release for Armstrong meant that he lost some time and cost him a higher race finish.
Dale Coyne Racing ended up having a bit of trouble too. On lap 66. Rinus Veekay came into the pits. The wheel nut on his front right tire was stuck which kept him from getting a quicker release as well.
Other Notable Moments
After qualifying 6, 7 and 8 yesterday, all three of the Arrow McLaren drivers were chasing each other for a majority of the race. While Nolan Siegel fell back a little, the battles between Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard were exciting to watch
By the end of the race, Siegel finished in ninth, O’Ward was sixth and as previously mentioned Lundgaard was third.
Dale Coyne Racing had something special to celebrate after today’s race as well. Despite a troublesome pit stop, Rinus Veekay had a fairly dominant race. He was chasing down McLaughlin for third during the late stages of the race but still managed to pull off a fourth place finish.
Barber Motorsports Park continues to prove why the IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama has become a staple on the calendar.
IndyCar goes racing once again on May 10th for the Sonsio Grand Prix at the IMS Road Course. Race start is at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
READ MORE: Kyle Kirkwood Dominates the Streets of Long Beach
Featured Image Credit: Penske Entertainment, James Black. 5/3/2025
