The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season continues this weekend with the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park, permanent road course located in Birmingham, Alabama.
Here’s a quick look at some interesting statistics and tidbits regarding the race.
IndyCar Racing – Ties to Alabama/Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park
- This weekend’s race marks the ninth race for the IndyCar Series in the state of Alabama, all of which have occurred at Barber. The first race was held in 2010, and won by Helio Castroneves.
- Three drivers have won at Barber Motorsports Park twice: Will Power (2011, 2012); Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013, 2014); and Josef Newgarden (2015, 2017).
- A total of five drivers have won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama: Helio Castroneves, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud. Newgarden has led the
- Josef Newgarden is the defending race winner, having won his fourth career race and first with Team Penske. Newgarden’s first career victory came at Barber in 2015, driving for CFH Racing. Newgarden is the only driver to win his first career IndyCar Series race at Barber.
- The highest starting position for a driver in IndyCar Series competition to win at Barber is the pole position. The three polesitters/winners are Will Power (2011); Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013); and Simon Pagenaud (2016).
- Will Power won the 2012 race at Barber Motorsports Park, from ninth. Therefore, all nine races have been won by a driver starting in the top 10.
- Simon Pagenaud (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2017) are the only two drivers to win at Barber and the series championship in the same season.
- Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay are the only two drivers with back-to-back victories at Barber.
- Will Power has led six of the eight IndyCar Series races at Barber, for a total of 208 laps. Both are the most among all drivers. Power led each of the first five races at Barber.
- A total of 14 drivers have led at least one lap at Barber in IndyCar Series competition.
- The 2015 race at Barber featured a race-record 10 lead changes.
- Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with six victories at Barber, followed by Honda’s three.
- Of the nine IndyCar Series races at Barber, six have been won by the driver that led the most laps (most recently by Simon Pagenaud in 2016).
- Josef Newgarden led the fewest laps of a race winner at Barber, with only 14 laps led in the 2017 race. Likewise, Will Power led the most laps of a driver that did not win the race, leading 60 laps in the 2017 Barber race.
- The largest field in an IndyCar race at Barber is 26, on three occasions (2011, 2012 and 2013). The small field consisted of 21 races, in the 2016 and 2017 races.
- Simon Pagenaud averaged a race-record 114.254 mph in his 2016 victory. That marked one of seven races in which the average speed was more than 100 mph.
- Simon Pagenaud set the pole speed record at Barber at 124.089 mph in 2016.
2018 IndyCar Series Season
- Three drivers have won races in the first three races this season: Sebastien Bourdais (St. Petersburg, Florida); Josef Newgarden (ISM Raceway); and Alexander Rossi (Streets of Long Beach).
- Alexander Rossi is the only driver to finish on the podium in each of the first three races of the season.
- Robert Wickens led laps in each of his first two career IndyCar races, and has led a season-high 113 laps. He led a race-high 69 laps at St. Petersburg, the most of any driver on a temporary street circuit so far.
- Marco Andretti, Charlie Kimball and Spencer Pigot are the only three drivers that have made up positions in each of the first three races this season. Andretti has made up 31 positions this season, for an average of 10.33 spots per race. Kimball has made up 6.33 positions per race. Pigot has made up an average of 1.67 positions.
- Graham Rahal, Alexander Rossi, James Hinchcliffe, Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Tony Kanaan have completed all 445 laps so far this season.
Grand Prix of Alabama – 2018 Entry List
- Eleven countries/nationalities are represented in this weekend’s race: United States (8), Canada (3), United Kingdom (2), Brazil (2), France (2), New Zealand (1), Australia (1), United Arab Emirates (1), Japan (1), Colombia (1), and Austria (1).
IndyCar Series Random Statistics – Current Drivers
- Tony Kanaan has gone 163 consecutive races without a pole position. His last pole position was at Richmond International Raceway in 2008.
- Josef Newgarden is the last driver to win back-to-back races in the IndyCar Series, having won last year’s events at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington. Newgarden is the defending series champion. Alexander Rossi is the only driver to go for two straight victories, as he won the most recent race at Long Beach.
Upcoming Milestones
- Scott Dixon is 44 laps in the lead away from leading 5,000 laps in IndyCar Series competition (between CART and ICS, has led 5,030) and one victory behind Michael Andretti for third all-time in IndyCar victories (has 41 to Andretti’s 42).
- Helio Castroneves is 58 laps away from completing 40,000 laps in Verizon IndyCar Series competition.
- Tony Kanaan is four races away from competing in 350 IndyCar races. He has 253 starts in the Verizon IndyCar Series and 93 races in CART for a total of 346 races.
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