2010 IRL Rd.3--Alabama Indy Grand Prix

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Normally, when one associates motorsports, the month of April and spring weather with the heart of Dixie, the first place that comes to mind is Talledega. Well, they're going to have to move over, for the IZOD IndyCar Series is headed to one of America's most picturesque racetracks, the 2.38-mile natural terrain road course that is Barber Motorsports Park.

Set in the rolling hills of central Alabama near the state capital, Barber is a modern-day road-racers' dream circuit, with challenging vistas and an 80+ foot elevation change from start-finish, the track will challenge drivers from the drop of the green to the checkered flag.


Weekend Schedule: Alabama Indy Grand Prix presented by Legacy Credit Union
note................all times US CDT(-5 hrs GMT)
~~Practice Session 1: 12:50-1:50pm, 9 April 2010
~~Practice Session 2: 4-5pm, 9 April 2010
~~Firestone Qualifying: 9:20am-10:50am, 10 April 2010
~~Final Practice: 8:40am-9:10am, 11 April 2010
~~Alabama Indy Grand Prix, 3pm, VERSUS

Broadcast Info
~~Domestic TV: VERSUS
~~Domestic Radio: IMS Radio Network
~~Satellite Radio: XM Sirius Radio
~~International Simulcast courtesy of the United States Armed Forces Network

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Alabama Indy Grand Prix Entry List


Raphael Matos, #2 HP-McAfee
Helio Castroneves, #3 Team Penske
Dan Wheldon, #4 National Guard
Takuma Sato, #5 Lotus-Cosworth
Ryan Briscoe, #6 Team Penske
Danica Patrick, #7 GoDaddy.com
E.J. Viso, #8 PDVSA
Scott Dixon, #9 Target
Dario Franchitti, #10 Target
Tony Kanaan, #11 Team 7-11
Will Power, #12 Verizon Wireless
Vitor Meira, #14 ABC Supply Co.
Milka Duno, #18 CITGO
Alex Lloyd, #19 Boy Scouts of America
Justin Wilson, #22 Z-Line Designs
Mike Conway, #24 Dad's Root Beer
Marco Andretti, #26 Venom Energy Drink
Mario Moraes, #32 Pan Americano
Mario Romancini, #34 Dolly/KVRT
Bertrand Baguette, #36 RAC Belgium
Ryan Hunter-Reay, #37 IZOD
Graham Rahal, #67 Dollar General
Alex Tagliani, #77 Bowers & Wilkins
Simona de Silvestro, #78 Team Stargate Worlds
Hideki Mutoh, #06 Panasonic

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-----BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the control/media building parallel to pit lane, George W. Barber surveys the expansive park-like venue that bears his name and points to the larger-than-life metal spider in the infield – among the dozens of whimsical pieces of artwork populating the 740 acres.

“One of my favorites,” he says before motioning to track manager Mark Whitt, who’s quickly on the radio requesting that someone pluck a notebook-size piece of paper from its grassy perch.

There’s not much that escapes Barber’s attention. He’s a personable, frank-speaking Southerner – a lifelong resident and bachelor of Birmingham, Ala., whose 2.38-mile twisting ribbon of asphalt will host the IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights this weekend for the first time.

The racing facility and accompanying Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum are arguably the most popular attractions in the state (maybe with the original Dreamland Bar-B-Q in Tuscaloosa and “Bear” Bryant’s gravesite in Birmingham), which is what Barber set out to accomplish more than a decade ago.

“There’s still a lot of work to do and a lot things we need to do, but people are beginning to call us the Augusta of racetracks because of all the trees and plantings,” he says. “It’s been fun. We’ve had the Daytona Prototypes and motorcycle races, but Indy is a whole ‘nother animal. Everybody knows Indy, and it’s a thrill for us. I’m just pleased to have them here.

“People ask how did you start, how did you do it? I tell them we started off with a little bitty track, and there again I thought a little bitty track nobody’s going to want to come to Birmingham. It’s got to be right, so that’s why we grew and grew and grew. And we’re still growing and trying to improve it.”

From business to philanthropy
Barber drove motorcycles in college and raced Porsches in the 1960s and early ‘70s (co-driving in the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Peter Gregg one year) before his father passed away and “I had to start racing in the milk business, which was a hell of a lot more dangerous.”

He continued to build the family business, Barber Dairies, into one of the largest in the South while also nurturing real estate enterprises. As you might expect, life and business lessons learned in his 20s have been valuable and profitable. An example:

“I bought a 246 Little Dino Ferrari,” he says. “Beautiful. Well, one day I went to see Joe Bruno of the Bruno grocery store chain and a huge customer of ours. I pulled up and parked right in the front of his office window. We chatted awhile and he finally looks up and says, ‘George, you’re not going to be able to sell a lot of milk out of that car.’ Meaning, how am I going to try to cut a deal with this guy and whine about how expensive labor is, and this and that, when I drive up in a Ferrari? So that went in the garage and the next day I came out in a four-door Chevrolet.

“That was constructive criticism and darn smart, too. The Ferrari has 4,000 miles on it, has never been driven in the rain and is sitting in the museum.”

Ah, the museum. The gleaming, airy building is a motorcycle enthusiast’s Mecca (more than 200 manufacturers from 20 countries) that also pays homage to classic racing cars (the largest collection of Lotus cars anywhere). But it wasn’t necessarily an agenda item.

“Through that whole period, when I was taking care of business, I still had this passion for racing in my system,” Barber says. “I love racing. But I was just too busy with my business to do anything. I had a truck rebuild facility and we re-manufactured all our milk and ice cream trucks. We got to the point where we had brand new 1955 trucks but we couldn’t find parts for them, so I began to wind that facility down and in doing so I ran a car through. Well, that didn’t work very well because these were truck guys with big hammers and big screwdrivers and they didn’t really understand perfect. They understood truck rebuild perfect but not restoration car perfect.

“The restoration shop supervisor, Dave Hooper, was a motorcycle guy and he said ‘Let me do a motorcycle or two.’ He did, I bought a few and he gave me a few and we restored a few.”

That was 1989. Over the years, one motorcycle led to another and another until he had more than 800 (the oldest a 1901 Steffey). In 1994, Barber established a 501c3 not-for-profit foundation to maintain the collection, and on March 14, 1995, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum opened at the old dairy truck warehouse on the south side of Birmingham.

The present facility opened in 2003, with the collection currently containing more than 1,200 motorcycles (about 600 displayed at any one time), along with classic cars all in running condition. The racetrack (you have to have somewhere to drive them) opened in January 2003 and the first race followed in May.

“I did my own work on my cars when I was racing and really enjoyed it,” Barber says. “I started to look at the motorcycles and see how they were put together. I looked at the brakes and the chassis and things like that. The engines, too. I liked that you can really follow the engineering on a motorcycle.

“So I got a few more and got up to a 100 bikes and I thought with a little luck I could put together the best motorcycle collection in the world. People tell me I’ve done that. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it and I’ve helped my city and state. The most important reason is to bring people to Birmingham and Alabama that never would come under any other circumstances and to give back a little, too.”

Up next: Increased safety on the roadways
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has partnerships with local and national charities, including the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Birmingham Ride for Kids program sponsored by Honda manufacturing of Alabama, Camp Smile-a-Mile’s Camp SAM Motorcycle Ride, and with the Boy Scouts of America Birmingham council.

Next on Barber’s agenda – aside from building a motocross complex on the west end of the property -- is an on-site classroom and training facility for teen drivers. Alabama has the fourth-highest incidence of teenage traffic deaths in the nation (2008 Reader’s Digest study).

“That’s sad and I have to do something about that, and I started talking with the State Highway Patrol, AAA and instructors from the Porsche school here,” Barber says. “I want to put a school (in a current paved parking area overlooking the paddock) and teach these kids how to drive. We have the venue. It’s better than going down to the Piggy Wiggly parking lot and taking lessons. We’re in a position to do something and we darn ought to do it.

“When you’ve been fortunate, as I have been in my life, I think you have an obligation to give some back.”

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-----Sarah Fisher Racing and Dollar General have added the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to its 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule with driver Graham Rahal.

"SFR is very thankful to Dollar General and Direct Supply to give us the opportunity to compete on the Streets of Long Beach for the first time," said team owner/driver Sarah Fisher, who will return to her IZOD IndyCar Series car at Kansas Speedway on May 1. "Graham had been very excited about the potential of putting this together from the start of his time with the team. I am proud of where we have been able to go in such a short period of time. Certainly the idea of growing a program past the set budget was a difficult task for everyone involved, but knowing Graham will do a great job on and off the track makes every effort worth it."

Rahal, who scored SFR's first top-10 finish at St. Petersburg, will make his fourth Indy car start on the streets of Long Beach where he finished 12th last season.

"I'm extremely excited to be joining SFR yet again for Long Beach," Rahal said. "It is certainly one of the greatest sporting events, and I am just proud to say that I will be returning again. I am very thankful for what Sarah, Direct Supply, and the Dollar General folks have done to extend their program with SFR, and we will be working extremely hard to make them proud."

Dollar General continues to support SFR in their endeavors towards a full season effort. The opportunities that Dollar General have given SFR have made an incredible impact on their growth, as SFR continually tries to add outside value to their program; Rahal has become one of those initiatives.

"We are pleased to have Graham Rahal drive the Dollar General car for an additional race this season," said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General's chairman and CEO. "Graham brings a winning record to our partnership, and we're excited to have him on our team."

Direct Supply is also partnering with the initiative of Rahal's campaign with SFR. This is Direct Supply's third season with the growing team.

"Direct Supply is very excited to be a part of Sarah Fisher Racing at Long Beach," remarked Bob Hillis, CEO of Direct Supply. "We have been a part of Sarah's great team since she started, and the team has all become a family to us. It is an added pleasure to have the terrific Graham Rahal driving for Sarah again, after his great performance in St. Petersburg. Sarah Fisher Racing is the team to watch at Long Beach."

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Barber Practice Session 1
1} Will Power, Penske Racing................................1:11.789 sec
2} Ryan Briscoe, Team Penske..............................1:12.090 sec
3} Justin Wilson, Dreyer & Reinbold.......................1:12.104 sec
4} Dario Franchitti, Target/Ganassi.......................1:12.151 sec
5} Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport....................1:12.287 sec

Barber Practice Session 2
1} Will Power, Penske Racing................................1:11.186 sec
2} Tony Kanaan, Andretti Autosport......................1:11.301 sec
3} Helio Castroneves, Team Penske.....................1:11.370 sec
4} Scott Dixon, Target/Ganassi.............................1:11.424 sec
5} Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport....................1:11.545 sec

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------Will Power led all IndyCar drivers as practice commenced for Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by the Legacy Credit Union at the picturesque Barber Motorsports Park. In two rounds of practice, the fleet Australian driver took the speed honors twice.

For his fastest lap, Power negotiated the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course in the Verizon Team Penske car at a speed of 116.315 miles per hour. "Qualifying (Saturday) will be very important because you don't want to be caught in the middle of the pack with a fast car," said Power, who won the opening two races of the 2010 Izod IndyCar Series season.

Qualifications will be held at 9:20 a.m. on Saturday, and the weather forecast is projecting unseasonably cool weather for the morning hours. However, the cold weather doesn't seem to bother Power and the other drivers. When the IndyCar Series held its winter test at the Barber track, it was cold then, too.

Although Power is off to a strong start for the season, he continues to stay focused. "You have to have everything go right, and you can't make a mistake," he said. "This is the first time I've been with such a good team, and I want to take the opportunity to get the most out of it."

Tony Kanaan was the second-fastest driver, and he was pleased with the outcome. He was a tick of the clock slower than Power at 116.127 mph. "Qualifying will be important for us because we have 12 or 15 cars capable of winning the race," he stated.

Helio Castroneves was third-fastest followed by Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti. The second five of the fastest drivers were Takuma Sato, Ryan Briscoe, Hideki Mutoh, Mike Conway and Dario Franchitti. Twelve of the 25 drivers topped the 115 mph mark.

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Three races into the season, Penske Racing's Will Power snags his third pole.......can he make it three wins, though, on Sunday?


-----Will Power made it look easy at Barber Motorsports Park as he zipped to the pole position for Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. For Power, he took his second consecutive IZOD IndyCar Series pole and the fourth of his career. All four pole positions have come while driving for Team Penske. Power's speed around the twisting, 17-turn road course was 118.057 miles per hour.

Power's speed around the twisting, 17-turn road course was 118.057 miles per hour.

Combined with his six poles in the Champ Car World Series, Power now has 10 career poles. This is the 185th pole for Penske Racing in open-wheel racing and the 378th pole position in all forms of racing.

"It was a good run, but I just have to keep executing in the races," Power said. "If we can stay up front and win tomorrow that would be great, but if we aren't in position to do that, I just can't make any mistakes. Track position is really important at Barber.

"We did the same on the black and the red tires. When the track got hotter, the car kept getting better. I didn't change the way I was driving, and the car didn't change that much either."

Mike Conway surprised many by qualifying for the outside of the front row in the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car. His speed was 117.197 mph.

In 19 previous races, Conway's best effort had been sixth on two occasions. "I am happy to be on the front row," Conway said. "The car had really good balance, and the team did an excellent job." He noted that track position at Barber is very important and he expects the race to be a tough one.

Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves put his Team Penske entry into the third starting position with a speed of 117.186 mph. "This place is such a challenge, and it was important to qualify up front," the popular Brazilian driver said. "The No. 3 starting position is a good day for us. We are stepping up every race, so hopefully tomorrow will be a good day for us. And tomorrow I think you will see a lot of guys trying different things."

Marco Andretti was the lone Andretti Autosport entry to qualify in the top six. He toured the course at a speed of 116.505 mph. "We made the right decisions today, and it was just about getting it right."

Third-row qualifiers were Scott Dixon in a Target Chip Ganassi car and rookie Takuma Sato in the KV Racing Technology Lotus. "It was a so-so day for us," Dixon stated. "The car just started to come in at the end. We didn't have a lot of grip earlier, and I am surprised to be in the top six." Sato was thrilled with the result, however. "It is a fantastic day for me and the team," he stated with enthusiasm. "It is a very pleasing, too. This is the first circuit where I drove an IndyCar. Today, the car was working well, and I pushed it 100 per cent."

Dario Franchitti timed seventh and he will be joined in the fourth row by former teammate Tony Kanaan. Ryan Briscoe and E. J. Viso completed the top-10 qualifiers.

Fan favorite Danica Patrick qualified a distant 19th at 115.749 mph. "It was a challenging qualifying run," she said. "We were unable to use our second set of tires due to the full-course yellow." Milka Duno was the slowest of the 25 qualifiers at 110.191 mph.

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Late-race strategy and a fortuitous late caution gave Spiderman his first road-course victory since 2008 and the Captain his third consecutive win of the 2010 season


~~~Team Venom Energy race strategist Kyle Moyer was “looking for a yellow” to aid race leader Marco Andretti. It came, but too late to help the Andretti Autosport driver from seeing the dual checkers for the second time in his IZOD IndyCar Series career.

Instead, the No. 26 car had to pit for a 3.3-second splash of 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol on Lap 82 of 90, relinquishing the lead to Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves.

That’s all it took in a race full of fuel strategy and excitement – with all 25 cars running at the finish for the first time in IZOD IndyCar Series history, only two brief full-course cautions breaking up the lap dashes and a crowd double that of any event previously held at Barber Motorsports Park (53,555; three-day total of 84,126) cheering on every lap.

“The inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama far exceeded our expectations,” said Gene Hallman, president and CEO of event promoter ZOOM Motorsports.

Castroneves, winning his first road/street course race since Infineon in August 2008, had a similar assessment. He stopped the No. 3 Team Penske car on the cool-down lap and thanked spectators for attending the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama by climbing the safety fence in Turn 9.

“I had to work that in,” said Castroneves, who was joined in Victory Circle by his 3½-month-old daughter. “The people here have been great all week.”

Castroneves, who extended his series record with a victory to 10 consecutive seasons, won by 0.5703 of a second over Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who started fifth. Teammate Dario Franchitti, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, moved up four positions to finish third (his third consecutive top 10 to start the season).

Castroneves’ victory also denied teammate Will Power of a series-record third consecutive victory to start the 17-race season. Power, the pole sitter who had to pit for the final time on Lap 63 (dropping him to seventh), advanced to finish fourth. Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe was sixth and Justin Wilson advanced four spots to seventh. Tony Kanaan in eighth was followed by front-row starter Mike Conway and Alex Tagliani.

“It is great having Helio win, which makes it three wins to start the season for Team Penske,” said Power, who led the first 12 laps. “In the strategy meeting before the race we talked about it and we knew that a caution in the early part of the race would not be to our favor. We made the best of it though. The No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car was fast today.”

Power retains the championship points lead, though his margin was cut from 45 to 32 over Castroneves (104). Franchitti is third (94) as the series heads to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18. “I think we’ll be strong there,” said Power, who started from the pole on the temporary street circuit in ’09.

Castroneves tied Franchitti and Tommy Milton on the all-time open-wheel racing victory list with 23. He led three different times through the initial 61 laps on the 2.38-mile, 17-course and was 0.4170 of a second behind Andretti with 10 laps left. The fast pace forced Andretti to pit on Lap 82 (his last was on Lap 57). As racing luck would have it, a full-course yellow was called on Lap 86 when the No. 78 car of rookie Simona De Silvestro spun in Turn 5. The race to the finish resumed two laps later.

“We have to be happy to put the Venom car into the top five, especially after our finishes on road courses last year,” said Andretti, who led a field-high 58 laps. “I think maybe we could have stretched out each of our stints a bit longer and gained on fuel one lap at a time. Helio just went longer than us each time and that was the difference at the end. He was able to go that much farther and we fell short. Now we just have to keep marching forward. Overall, I think this shows we're on the right track."

Castroneves’ final pit stop for tires and fuel came on Lap 61. “He was driving like remind me like his father, Michael Andretti,” Castroneves said. “Hell of a job. Then, when I was behind him, I was just saving fuel and trying to make sure that I could reach the number that they were asking me to do. We were able to actually go a little farther than that. It was a great situation.

“When we pitted after Scott and Dario, Marco was able to do an incredible job and back again in the lead. So I felt like I had a better car than Marco, but, unfortunately, I just couldn't pass him. And I was just patient and waiting for an opportunity, and well, I guess we were able to be smart enough to save a lot of fuel.

“Towards the end, we just had a yellow flag. I didn't ask for that, especially when you have Scott Dixon and those guys behind you. So I just decided to make sure do not give any opportunities for those guys, and that's what I did.”

Dixon, who started fifth, posted his best finish of the season. “It was a good day for Team Target all in all with both cars in the top three,” he said. “We could have been better off if we would have got around Helio. It was hard to have the team telling me to save fuel and try to manage the fuel gauge, but still push. This track is all about track position. We didn’t have the fastest cars, but we made use of what we had. Standing at the podium in second and third is pretty impressive. We are looking forward to Long Beach.”

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Top-10 Results from Barber..............
1} #3 Helio Castroneves, 90 laps
2} #9 Scott Dixon, -0.570 sec
3} #10 Dario Franchitti, -8.159 sec
4} #12 Will Power, -8.664 sec
5} #26 Marco Andretti, -9.741 sec
6} #6 Ryan Briscoe, -10.961 sec
7} #22 Justin Wilson, -11.548 sec
8} #11 Tony Kanaan, -12.853 sec
9} #24 Mike Conway, -13.316 sec
10} #77 Alex Tagliani, -14.845 sec