It was an encore performance by Alex Palou this past Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.
The 28-year-old Spaniard and driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda came in as the defending race winner and had a nearly identical performance; starting on pole, leading 79 laps (two less than last year), and winning by 13.2775s (compared to 16.0035 in 2025) over Christian Lundgaard for a second consecutive time. Additionally, just like last year, the race featured zero cautions.
Palou, the reigning and four-time IndyCar Series champion, became the first repeat winner of the season after just four rounds, but is still behind in the overall standings to Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (156-154).
While the race was relatively straightforward, there was still plenty to unpack with the winners and losers from the Alabama circuit. We also wanted to look beyond some of the more obvious story lines, like Palou's dominant win or an end to Graham Rahal's podium drought, which you can read about below:
WINNER: Christian Lundgaard
If not for an error on the final pit stop on the right-rear of his #7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Lundgaard may have walked out with his second career victory. Although the sting of that defeat left him finishing a distant second, again, there was more in this performance as he was able to legitimately take the fight to Palou. It’s also a really strong day when you charge from 10th to second, and earn a race-high 11 on-track passes on a 2.3-mile, 17-turn road course known to have limited overtaking opportunities.
The result bettered the Dane’s third-place finish in the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, elevating him to third in the championship.
LOSER: The rest of Arrow McLaren
Lundgaard saved what was otherwise a miserable day for Arrow McLaren. Both Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel went the wrong way from the drop of the green flag, with the two finishing 17th and 18th, respectively, after starting 12th and 15th. And neither touched the top 10 throughout any part of the race, even during a long window of pit cycles.
The outing was especially bizarre considering last year all three drivers finished in the top 10, with Siegel also making a Fast Six appearance in qualifying. O’Ward called this latest edition at Barber a “confusing day,” which sums it up perfectly.
WINNER: Kyle Kirkwood
There were plenty of questions surrounding Andretti Global and Kirkwood coming into the weekend. For Andretti, the team only had one top five result at Barber since 2021 (Romain Grosjean, 2023), and Kirkwood’s highest finish at the track was 10th in four starts. Both team and driver put it to rest with an uneventful fifth-place finish, which kept Kirkwood on top in the championship standings - the first time a driver retained the points lead for consecutive race weekends this year.
The result by the 27-year-old Floridian also means he’s the only driver to finish in the top five in all four races this season, and carries that momentum into a place he’s won twice: the Grand Prix of Long Beach.
LOSER: Scott McLaughlin
Few probably came into the race weekend with more optimism than Scott McLaughlin, and rightfully so with two wins (2023, 2024), along with a third-place finish a year ago.
The New Zealander was off to a fast start by leading opening practice and looking every bit a contender for the win, but then he spun and - practically - flew backwards off the track and through the fencing in Turn 1 during the second practice. The ‘Thirsty 3s’ brought out a backup car for the remainder of the weekend, with him qualifying the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet in 14th.
Not even morning warm-up on race day could help properly get the backup car in the same window of pace as the primary machine showed, with McLaughlin left finishing 16th - his worst finish at Barber in six starts.
