{"id":57115,"date":"2026-03-30T12:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T17:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=57115"},"modified":"2026-03-30T12:22:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T17:22:50","slug":"palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Palou cruises to back-to-back INDYCAR victory at Barber Motorsports Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_57118\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57118\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/alex-palou-children_s-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-by_-chris-owens_ref-image-without-watermark_m149811\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;CHRIS OWENS 2025\\rIG:@CHRISOWENS\\rCHRISOWENSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children_s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; By_ Chris Owens_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149811\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by  Chris Owens&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57118\" class=\"size-large wp-image-57118\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=640%2C427\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Chris Owens<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Same as it ever was, pole-sitter Alex Palou absolutely schooled the field at Barber Motorsports Park Sunday for his second victory of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57120\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57120\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774811501&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57120\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57120\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149960.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The real intrigue emerging from the Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst was the odd couple who shared the post-race podium with Palou in Birmingham, Ala. Rising series star Christian Lundgaard of Arrow McLaren and veteran Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing injected a bit of drama into an event that has morphed into The Alex Palou Invitational.<\/p>\n<p>The four-time\/reigning series champion, Palou earned his second victory in four races this season at the wheel of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou\u2019s margin of victory was 13.2775-seconds over Lundgaard _ down ever-so-slightly from the massive 16.0035-second win he scored over the Dane last spring. For the record, Palou earned his first INDYCAR victory at BMP in 2021 by a scant 0.4016-seconds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57121\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57121\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774811508&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;16&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by  Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57121\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57121\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149832.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57121\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIncredible day,\u201d said Palou, who led 79 of 90 laps around BMP\u2019s picturesque 2.3-mile\/17-turn natural terrain road-course. \u201cI told you qualifying was one of the best car balances I\u2019ve ever driven. Today in the race, it was pretty good in the beginning, really good at the end, but we suffered a little bit on the used blacks (Firestone Firehawk primary rubber) that we had to use.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother win here. Love this place, love the fans. What a great day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Palou\u2019s third win at BMP raised his career total to 21, again at the expense of Lundgaard _ who led 10 laps en route to his best finish of the season, second podium of 2026 and 11<sup>th<\/sup> career top-three. Lundgaard also logged a race-high 11 on-track passes in his No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57123\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57123\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774812349&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Christian Lundgaard, Alex Palou and Graham Rahal &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57123\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57123\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard_-Alex-Palou-and-Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149844.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian Lundgaard, Alex Palou and Graham Rahal &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cYeah, I mean, everything sounds great except the P2 part,\u201d said Lundgaard, a 24-year-old native of Denmark. \u201cI think we had a race-winning car today. Obviously it&#8217;s frustrating, the past many few races, we&#8217;ve produced such great race cars on Sunday. We&#8217;ve been lacking on Saturday. It&#8217;s just frustrating.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cObviously you win races on Sunday, so that&#8217;s when you need to have a good car. I think we need to put ourselves in better positions. I think even with the pace and how the race panned out today, we had the car to win the race, we had the pace, we had the track position at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57124\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57124\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/christian-lundgaard-children_s-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-by_-aaron-skillman_ref-image-without-watermark_m149906\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?fit=1081%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1081,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;18&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;AARON SKILLMAN&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 6D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774787121&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;300&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Christian Lundgaard &amp;#8211; Children_s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; By_ Aaron Skillman_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149906\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Christian Lundgaard &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Aaron Skillman&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?fit=640%2C426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57124\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57124\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=640%2C426 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Christian-Lundgaard-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Aaron-Skillman_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149906.jpg?w=1081 1081w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christian Lundgaard &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Aaron Skillman<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Lundgaard entered the pits at the end of Lap 69 for his final service. That\u2019s when calamity struck, as the right-rear wheel change was slow. That produced a 17.8-second stop, about nine seconds slower than normal. Lundgaard returned to the track in third, behind Rahal and runaway leader Palou.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m not really sure what happened in the pit stop,\u201d Lundgaard said. \u201cI&#8217;m not sure I can really comment too much on it. Again, it&#8217;s unfortunate. Obviously came out behind Graham there on the last stint and just wanted to really get that second place for the team, as well. It wasn&#8217;t just for me. This is where we were. At least with a bubble on pit road, let&#8217;s get the same result, not worse. We had the pace. Got by Graham. That was nice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.indycar.com\/NTEwLUxURS02ODAAAAGg2mEqAmzPu2GLPch-quYjzKQs_9JMTvJQJuL2vligj6tOZKuv25FwgcsNGRIloWujZTzAvT4=\">Race Results<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rahal\u2019s third-place in the No. 15 First Third Bank Honda was his first podium since August 2023 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57125\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57125\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774808066&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Graham Rahal &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57125\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57125\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Graham-Rahal-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149956.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57125\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graham Rahal &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI felt like this was coming,\u201d said Rahal, the 37-year-old son of team founder and 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal. \u201cIt&#8217;s a great reward for the guys and gals (at RLLR). Everybody has worked so hard to be back here. Heard all the noise and BS that we get to hear all the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll weekend the car was in really good shape, very, very competitive, very comfortable. The race is actually the most challenging it was. It was extremely stable. In the race, as you guys could see, I was losing the rear a lot no matter what I felt like I could do on tire degradation. That&#8217;s been our Achilles&#8217; heel so far this year. We&#8217;ve got some work to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, I&#8217;m super-happy for everybody on the No. 15. Great pit stops, great strategy. It&#8217;s a relief this early in the year to have a good result. Now our job is to go analyze and figure out why.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57126\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57126\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/david-malukas-children_s-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-by_-paul-hurley_ref-image-without-watermark_m149875\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;29&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774749573&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"David Malukas &amp;#8211; Children_s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; By_ Paul Hurley_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149875\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;David Malukas &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57126\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57126\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/David-Malukas-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149875.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57126\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Malukas &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley<\/p><\/div>\n<p>David Malukas continued the consistent start to his Team Penske tenure by finishing fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas has placed sixth or better in three of his four starts with Roger S. Penske\u2019s juggernaut this season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, we were quicker than David all day,\u201d Rahal noted. \u201cHe did make a good charge at the end. I wasn&#8217;t so worried about him. I think I could have held Christian off. His strength was my weakness. Everywhere else we could pull him a little bit. I was dying in Turn 2 and 3. That was the best part of the track he had. Unfortunately, those two just didn&#8217;t blend very well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did the best that we could. That&#8217;s life. He was obviously on a charge and we had done a few more laps than him on those tires. I knew it was going to be a battle until the end.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Series leader Kyle Kirkwood completed the top-five finishers _ all from different teams _ in the No. 27 JM Bullion\/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57128\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57128\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-6\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774642806&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Santino Ferrucci &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57128\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57128\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Santino-Ferrucci-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149383.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57128\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santino Ferrucci &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci placed eighth after starting seventh in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet fielded by Waller, Texas-based A.J. Foyt Racing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A really solid result for the team,\u201d said Ferrucci, a 27-year-old native of Greenwich, Conn. \u201cIt was great to have our three veterans here with us from Homes For Our Troops today and overall, just really happy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we executed this weekend to best of our ability. There&#8217;s obviously little things here and there that you can nit-pick, but as a whole, getting a top-10 in qualifying and a top-10 in the race really kicks off the momentum for the season, especially considering we haven&#8217;t had the best of starts. The guys have put in a lot of work and it&#8217;s great to get a solid result.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Pato O\u2019Ward soldiered through a problematic weekend that saw the Arrow McLaren ace finish 17<sup>th<\/sup> after starting 12<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57129\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57129\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/pato-o_ward-children_s-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-by_-paul-hurley_ref-image-without-watermark_m149882\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774750253&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;148&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Pato O_Ward &amp;#8211; Children_s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; By_ Paul Hurley_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149882\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Pato O&amp;#8217;Ward &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57129\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57129\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Pato-O_Ward-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149882.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57129\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pato O&#8217;Ward &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt was a really difficult day for us here at Barber,\u201d said O\u2019Ward, a 26-year-old native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, Texas. \u201cI don&#8217;t have an answer right now as to why we struggled. I&#8217;m happy to see the No. 7 with Christian get a podium; I know they were fighting there for the win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are things we need to work on as a team, but I&#8217;m glad one of the cars from the team was strong. We need to see where we went wrong, but we weren&#8217;t all that different than their car, so it was a very confusing day and one of those weekends where I felt helpless inside of the race car. The good thing about getting beat like this is you kick it into a different gear. We&#8217;ll be pushing hard to make sure we don&#8217;t let something like this happen again.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57131\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57131\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774807750&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.001&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57131\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57131\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149957.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57131\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Palou\u2019s victory over the other 24 drivers in the field also delivered this message _the 28-year-old Spaniard has gone on to win the Astor Challenge Cup as series champion in the same season as both of his prior Barber victories. Palou remained second to Kirkwood in the 2026 series standings with this victory but trimmed the gap from 26 to two points.<\/p>\n<p>While Sunday\u2019s margin of victory was the biggest in a series race since Palou\u2019s rout last spring at Barber, the final gap might be misleading. Palou led by 7.2-seconds on Lap 52 while running on a used pair of Firestone Firehawk primary tires. Lundgaard started to chip away at that gap, gaining nearly a half-second on some laps on the quicker but less durable alternates.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57132\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57132\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/alex-palou-children_s-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-by_-paul-hurley_ref-image-without-watermark_m149878\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;10&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774749059&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;166&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.000625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children_s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; By_ Paul Hurley_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149878\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57132\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57132\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Paul-Hurley_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149878.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57132\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Paul Hurley<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The gap was trimmed to three seconds when Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 65, taking another set of used primary tires for the run to the finish. Lundgaard inherited the lead during Palou\u2019s last stop and stayed on-track for another four laps, trying to gain more time on Palou and perhaps land within striking distance of Palou after Lundgaard\u2019s last stop.<\/p>\n<p>Lundgaard entered the pits at the end of Lap 69 for his final service, only to end up dealing with that slow right rear-wheel change. Palou was basically home-free, although Lundgaard maintained he might have been able to catch-and-pass his BMP nemesis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think so,\u201d Lundgaard said. \u201cWe know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him. It\u2019s unfortunate. The guys have done an amazing job, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s (mistake) ever really happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57133\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57133\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-8\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774811602&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;16&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57133\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57133\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149835.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57133\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Palou led Rahal by 10.8-seconds after that pit drama and cruised to the finish in a rare, caution-free race. Still, Lundgaard and Rahal engaged in a spirited sprint for second over the closing laps, with Lundgaard finally diving under Rahal in Turn 5 for second with three laps to go.<\/p>\n<p>That was the last of 11 on-track passes during the race for Lundgaard, including seven for position in the top-10 _ both race-highs. Rahal then held off the charging Malukas to keep the podium spot and momentarily silence the social media critics of his race craft and the relative competitive standing of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57134\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57134\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-9\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774724237&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alex Palou &amp;#8211; Children&amp;#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57134\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57134\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149631.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alex Palou &#8211; Children&#8217;s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think you guys know what I mean about that,\u201d Rahal said when asked about his earlier BS remark. \u201cI don&#8217;t have to say a whole lot. There&#8217;s enough bullshit out there that I got to deal with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s nice. It&#8217;s nice. I&#8217;ll still hear it. It&#8217;s funny, you read Twitter every day, \u2018He can&#8217;t qualify.\u2019 I qualified in the second row last week. Just shut up. There&#8217;s a whole lot of dumb-asses out in this world right now. Got to live with it. Pardon my French.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Next up on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule is the 51<sup>st<\/sup> edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19. The 2026 event marks the 42nd time INDYCAR will compete on the 1.968-mile\/11-turn Southern California street circuit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57135\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57135\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/alessandro-de-tullio-indy-nxt-by-firestone-grand-prix-of-alabama-by_-chris-owens_ref-image-without-watermark_m149797\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;CHRIS OWENS&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774781413&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;CHRIS OWENS 2026\\rIG:@CHRISOWENS\\rCHRISOWENSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Alessandro de Tullio &amp;#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &amp;#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &amp;#8211; By_ Chris Owens_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149797\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alessandro de Tullio &amp;#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &amp;#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &amp;#8211; Photo by  Chris Owens&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57135\" class=\"size-large wp-image-57135\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=640%2C427\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149797.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57135\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alessandro de Tullio &#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &#8211; Photo by Chris Owens<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>One day after another heartbreak, Alessandro de Tullio <\/strong>sealed the deal. Rookie de Tullio earned his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday, driving his No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing entry to victory by 0.3635-seconds over the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car of Andretti Global\u2019s Max Taylor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/link.indycar.com\/NTEwLUxURS02ODAAAAGg2Yg77OPVSUFU66ECW8nkZjwndds2HuHB_X253Uf96w9uTiUfHMBm1MVtfnyfGZr7cHIhp7I=\">Race Results<\/a><\/p>\n<p>De Tullio delivered the first victory in INDYCAR\u2019s developmental series for the team owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt Jr. since Ed Carpenter won the inaugural Freedom 100 in May 2003 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was the Foyt organization\u2019s last full-time season in INDY NXT before returning this year.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57137\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57137\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/childrens-of-alabama-indy-grand-prix-10\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Joe Skibinski&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774797056&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2026 Joe Skibinski\\rIG: @skibbyy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Children\\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Alessandro de Tullio &amp;#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &amp;#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &amp;#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57137\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57137\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alessandro-de-Tullio-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Joe-Skibinski_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149720.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57137\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alessandro de Tullio &#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &#8211; Photo by Joe Skibinski<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s incredible,\u201d said de Tullio, a 19-year-old of Argentinian-American descent. \u201cI want to thank first the whole No. 14 crew for such a great car. We knew we could have done it two races ago in Arlington (Texas). We could have had it yesterday. But sometimes that\u2019s the way racing goes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most important thing is we kept our head down, kept focused and third time is a charm, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nikita Johnson, 17, retained the series lead by finishing third in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry. Johnson won the first race of the double-header weekend Saturday when de Tullio and Taylor tangled and spun out while running first and second, respectively, with eight laps to go.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_57138\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"57138\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/palou-cruises-to-back-to-back-indycar-victory-at-barber-motorsports-park\/nikita-johnson_-alessandro-de-tullio-and-max-taylor-indy-nxt-by-firestone-grand-prix-of-alabama-by_-chris-owens_ref-image-without-watermark_m149800\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?fit=1080%2C720\" data-orig-size=\"1080,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;CHRIS OWENS 2025&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1774785518&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;CHRIS OWENS 2025\\rIG:@CHRISOWENS\\rCHRISOWENSPHOTOGRAPHY.COM&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;50&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nikita Johnson_ Alessandro de Tullio and Max Taylor &amp;#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &amp;#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &amp;#8211; By_ Chris Owens_Ref Image Without Watermark_m149800\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Nikita Johnson, Alessandro de Tullio and Max Taylor &amp;#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &amp;#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &amp;#8211; Photo by Chris Owens&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?fit=640%2C427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-57138\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-57138\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=768%2C512 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nikita-Johnson_-Alessandro-de-Tullio-and-Max-Taylor-INDY-NXT-by-Firestone-Grand-Prix-of-Alabama-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149800.jpg?w=1080 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-57138\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikita Johnson, Alessandro de Tullio and Max Taylor &#8211; INDY NXT by Firestone &#8211; Grand Prix of Alabama &#8211; Photo by Chris Owens<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Enzo Fittipaldi chased Johnson down the stretch of Sunday\u2019s 30-lapper but ended up fourth in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Fittipaldi is a 24-year-old Brazilian-American native of Miami and grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil.<\/p>\n<p>Tymek Kucharczyk of Poland continued his consistent rookie season by placing fifth in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry, his fourth top-five finish in as many starts.<\/p>\n<p>Pole-sitter de Tullio led all 30 laps of the caution-free race, but Taylor pushed him for the duration on the 2.3-mile\/17-turn natural terrain road-course. The gap between the top two ranged from five- to seven-tenths-of-a-second for most of the race. But on the final lap, Taylor closed to within three-tenths _ and visions of Saturday were revived.<\/p>\n<p>In the opening race, Taylor made a bold move for the lead in Turn 16 that didn\u2019t work. His left front wheel touched the right rear of de Tullio, forcing both cars into a spin. Johnson squeezed through for the lead and his second win of the season.<\/p>\n<p>This time de Tullio never let Taylor get close enough to challenge for the lead and powered to the checkered flag. The victory erased the sting of disappointment from Saturday and from March 15 on the Streets of Arlington, where de Tullio earned his first career pole but was shoved out of the lead in Turn 1 on Lap 1 and ended up 11th.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI managed as best as I could, but unfortunately it fell away from us there in the middle of the race,\u201d de Tullio said. \u201cThe rears (tires) were pretty dead, so I was just hanging on and trying to cover with Push-to- Pass and cover what I could. We got it done; that\u2019s most important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taylor _ winner of the inaugural event in Arlington _ added philosophically, \u201cIt\u2019s points. It\u2019s a long year, and I didn\u2019t realize that (Saturday) when I made that a bit of an aggressive move. Alex did a really good job (Sunday), didn\u2019t make any mistakes. That\u2019s all he had to do, and I was pushing him the whole way, trying to get him to mess up. It was a good race.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The series will take a break before returning for the second of five double-header weekends this season, May 8-9 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NTT IndyCar Series Point Standings _<\/strong> 1, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, 156; 2, Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, 154; 3, Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, 121; 4, David Malukas, Team Penske, 116; 5, Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, 113; 6, Pato O\u2019Ward, Arrow McLaren, 106; 7, Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, 99; 8, Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global, 99; 9, Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, 98; 10, Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing, 85;<\/p>\n<p>11, Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter Racing, 83; 12, Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 83; 13, Will Power, Andretti Global, 77; 14, Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, 65; 15, Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Racing, 62; 16, Rinus VeeKay, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 62; 17, Dennis Hauger, Dale Coyne Racing, 57; 18, Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, 55; 19, Romain Grosjean, Dale Coyne Racing, 51; 20, Caio Collet, A.J. Foyt Racing, 51;<\/p>\n<p>21, Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 46; 22, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, 44; 23, Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren, 38; 24, Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, 35; 25, Mick Schumacher, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, 31.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FOX SPORTS\u2019 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES BROADCAST SCHEDULE\/(RACE WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Note _ All times Eastern<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, March 7 _ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Ariz., (Josef Newgarden, Team Penske)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, April 19 _ Streets of Long Beach, Calif., 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course, 4:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, May 24 _ 110<sup>th<\/sup> Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Oval, 10 a.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit, 12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill., 9 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., 2 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, 12:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn., TBA<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 16 _ Streets of Markham, Canada, Noon<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 23 _ Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., TBA<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, Aug. 29 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 1, West Allis, Wis., 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile Race 2, West Allis, Wis., 1 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Sept. 6 _ WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., 2:30 p.m.<\/p>\n<p><em>Note _ Dates and times subject to change.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>2026 INDYCAR NXT BY FIRESTONE SCHEDULE\/(RACE-WINNER)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 1 _ Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 15 _ Streets of Arlington, Texas, (Max Taylor, Andretti Global)<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, March 28 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Nikita Johnson, Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 29 _ Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Ala., (Alessandro de Tullio, A.J. Foyt Racing)<\/p>\n<p>Friday, May 8 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 1<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, May 9 _ Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course Race 2<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, May 31 _ Streets of Detroit<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, June 7 _ World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, June 20 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 1<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, June 21 _ Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis., Race 2<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, July 4 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 1<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, July 5 _ Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio, Race 2<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, July 19 _ Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tenn.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 9 _ Portland (Ore.) International Raceway<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Aug. 30 _ The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, Sept. 5 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 1<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, Sept. 6 _ Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif., Race 2<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Same as it ever was, pole-sitter Alex Palou absolutely schooled the field at Barber Motorsports Park Sunday for his second victory of the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. The real intrigue emerging from the Children\u2019s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst was the odd couple who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":678,"featured_media":57118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[824,190,22,672],"class_list":["post-57115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indycar","tag-alex-palou","tag-barber-motorsports-park","tag-indycar","tag-ntt-indycar-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alex-Palou-Children_s-of-Alabama-Indy-Grand-Prix-By_-Chris-Owens_Ref-Image-Without-Watermark_m149811.jpg?fit=1080%2C720","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-eRd","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57115"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57115\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57139,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57115\/revisions\/57139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}