For the first time this season, the NTT IndyCar Series will contest back-to-back weeks of racing.
Pivoting from the streets of Long Beach in California to the traditional road course at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, the series’ regulars will be looking to lasso momentum heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the month of May.
Before the action begins at the 2.3-mile Barber circuit, here’s what we’ll be watching:
How Does Team Penske Respond?
This week’s big news is hefty penalties that have been levied against Team Penske by IndyCar officials.
After it was discovered that all three Team Penske drivers, Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power, had violated push-to-pass parameters, Newgarden and McLaughlin were both disqualified from the season opening race at St. Petersburg.
Newgarden won the race and McLaughlin placed third. Power was not disqualified because he didn’t use push-to-pass on the start or restarts. He was still penalized 10 points.
With all that in mind, the real question becomes — how does Team Penske rebound?
Well, based on all three drivers’ track records at Barber, there’s a good chance they’ll all be contenders to win.
Newgarden has won three times there, while Power has won twice and McLaughlin is the defending race winner.
Grosjean Redemption?
Last season at Barber, Romain Grosjean was the driver to beat. After starting on pole, Grosjean led a race-high 57 of the 90 laps around the 17-turn road course.
However, a late-race battle went McLaughlin’s way as Grosjean was left with a runner-up finish.
Now racing for Juncos Hollinger Racing after a two-year stint with Andretti Global, Grosjean still has a lot to prove.
A mechanical issue at St. Petersburg (Fla.) squashed a stellar weekend in the making after starting fifth. However, the 38-year-old bounced back during last week’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Grosjean wheeled his No. 77 Chevrolet from 16th on the grid to eighth by race’s end.
While JHR hasn’t won a race in IndyCar competition, Grosjean may be a driver to watch to potentially spoil the show.
Now For A Second Act
Théo Pourchaire made plenty of waves in the streets of Long Beach as a substitute driver for David Malukas with Arrow McLaren, who is still recovering from a left wrist injury.
Pourchaire, the reigning Formula 2 champion, rocketed from 22nd to 11th during the 85-lap race, the race’s biggest mover.
The 20-year-old Frenchman will have an additional opportunity to gain more comfortability as he was named the driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for this weekend.
With his roots on permanent road courses, Pourchaire may get up to speed even quicker than he did last week.
Palou’s Return To Victory?
Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou has yet to score a points-paying victory this year, as his only win came in the $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in California.
While he is winless through two races, Palou has been nothing short of stellar. A fourth-place finish at St. Pete and a third-place effort last week at Long Beach is a solid base to defend the championship.
The 27-year-old Spaniard has been one of the series’ best at Barber as he holds an average finish of 2.66 in three starts there.
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, who won at Long Beach to earn his 57th career victory, holds the point lead. However, Palou is a close third, 12 points behind the six-time champion.
Notably, Palou’s first IndyCar Series victory came at Barber in 2021. He went on to win his first career title that season as well.