Honda Indy GP of Alabama – facts, figures, entry list
All you need to know ahead of the first round of the 2021 NTT IndyCar Series – the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

Event date: Saturday, Apr. 17 – Sunday, Apr. 18
Track: Barber Motorsports Park, 2.38-mile 17-turn natural road course in Leeds, Alabama
Race distance: 90 laps (214.2 miles)
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate, one additional set available for rookies for use in first practice.
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
At-track IndyCar schedule (local/Central Time) and broadcast details
Saturday, Apr. 17
10.00-10.45am – First practice – Peacock
1.40-2.25pm – Second practice – Peacock
4.55-6.10pm – Qualifying – Peacock
9.00pm – Qualifying broadcast encore – Peacock
Sunday, Apr. 18
10.30-11.00 – Warm-up – Peacock
2.00pm – Pre-race – NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
2.30pm – “Drivers, start your engines” – NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
2.42pm – Green flag: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama – NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
4.30pm – IndyCar post-race – NBC, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app
*For full on-track schedule, click here
Leigh Diffey is the announcer alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy, while pit reporters will be Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast and Dave Burns.
IndyCar Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton and Nick Yeoman. Jake Query is the turn announcer. The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama race (3.00pm ET) airs live on network affiliates, XM 205, Sirius 211, indycar.com and the IndyCar Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT IndyCar Series practices and qualifying are available on indycar.com and the IndyCar Mobile app, with qualifying also airing on XM 205.
Race Notes
2019 race winner: Takuma Sato, 1:55:46.8076, 107.272 mph. No race in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
2019 NTT P1 Award winner: Takuma Sato, 1:08.5934, 120.711 mph. No race in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Qualifying lap record: Sebastien Bourdais, 1:06.6001, 124.324 mph, April 23, 2016
The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be the 11th NTT IndyCar Series event at Barber Motorsports Park. Helio Castroneves won the inaugural race in 2010.
Josef Newgarden won in 2015, ’17 and ’18, Will Power won in 2011 and ’12, Ryan Hunter-Reay won in 2013 and ’14, Simon Pagenaud in 2016 and Takuma Sato in 2019.
Power claimed pole position in 2010, ’11, ’14 and ’17, Hunter-Reay in 2013, Pagenaud in ’16, Newgarden in ’18, and Sato in ’19.
Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in eight of his 10 starts at Barber Motorsports Park – including six runner-up finishes – but Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole has never won here, while Team Penske has six wins here.
Eighteen of this weekend’s 24 drivers have previously competed in NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Barber Motorsports Park, with ten having led laps: Power 208, Newgarden 133, Hunter-Reay 93, Pagenaud 87, Sato 74, Dixon 46, Graham Rahal 25, Sebastien Bourdais 19, James Hinchcliffe 4 and Alexander Rossi 3.
Entry list
No. | Driver | Hometown | Car name | Team-Engine |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Josef Newgarden | Nashville, Tennessee | Hitachi Team Penske | Team Penske-Chevrolet |
3 | Scott McLaughlin (R) | Christchurch, New Zealand | PPG Team Penske | Team Penske-Chevrolet |
4 | Dalton Kellett | Stouffville, Canada | AJ Foyt Racing | A.J. Foyt Enterprises-Chevrolet |
5 | Pato O'Ward | Monterrey, Mexico | Arrow McLaren SP | Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet |
7 | Felix Rosenqvist | Varnamo, Sweden | Arrow McLaren SP | Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet |
8 | Marcus Ericsson | Kumla, Sweden | Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing | Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda |
9 | Scott Dixon | Auckland, New Zealand | PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing | Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda |
10 | Alex Palou | Barcelona, Spain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda |
12 | Will Power | Toowoomba, Australia | Verizon 5G Team Penske | Team Penske-Chevrolet |
14 | Sebastien Bourdais | Le Mans, France | AJ Foyt Racing | A.J. Foyt Enterprises-Chevrolet |
15 | Graham Rahal | New Albany, Ohio | Code 3 Associates | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda |
18 | Ed Jones | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | SealMaster | Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan-Honda |
20 | Conor Daly | Noblesville, Indiana | U.S. Air Force | Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet |
21 | Rinus VeeKay | Hoofddorp, Netherlands | Sonax / Autogeek | Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevrolet |
22 | Simon Pagenaud | Montmorillon, France | Menards Team Penske | Team Penske-Chevrolet |
26 | Colton Herta | Valencia, California | Gainbridge | Andretti Autosport-Honda |
27 | Alexander Rossi | Nevada City, California | NAPA AUTO PARTS / AutoNation | Andretti Autosport-Honda |
28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | DHL | Andretti Autosport-Honda |
29 | James Hinchcliffe | Toronto, Canada | Genesys | Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport-Honda |
30 | Takuma Sato | Tokyo, Japan | Panasonic / Shield Cleansers | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Honda |
48 | Jimmie Johnson (R) | El Cajon, California | Carvana Chip Ganassi Racing | Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda |
51 | Romain Grosjean (R) | Geneva, Switzerland | Nurtec ODT | Dale Coyne Racing with RWR-Honda |
59 | Max Chilton | Reigate, England | Carlin | Carlin-Chevrolet |
60 | Jack Harvey | Bassingham, England | AutoNation/SiriusXM | Meyer Shank Racing-Honda |
Related video

IndyCar commentator line-up for NBC + Peacock in 2021
Toronto contingency plan “most likely” a double-header event

Latest news
Ranking the top 10 IndyCar drivers of 2021
In an enthralling 2021 IndyCar campaign, the series bounced back from its COVID-19 truncated year prior and series sophomore Alex Palou defeated both the established order and his fellow young guns to clinch a maiden title. It capped a remarkable season with plenty of standout performers
How Marcus Ericsson finally unlocked his potential in IndyCar
Marcus Ericsson enjoyed a breakout year in the IndyCar Series in 2021, winning twice and finishing sixth in points with Chip Ganassi Racing. How did he finally unlock the potential that was masked by five years of toil in Formula 1 with Caterham and Sauber/Alfa Romeo?
Remembering Dan Wheldon and his last and most amazing win
Saturday, Oct. 16th, marks the 10th anniversary Dan Wheldon’s death. David Malsher-Lopez pays tribute, then asks Wheldon’s race engineer from 2011, Todd Malloy, to recall that magical second victory at the Indianapolis 500.
Have Harvey and RLL formed IndyCar’s next winning match-up?
Jack Harvey’s move to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing sparked plenty of debate, but their combined strength could prove golden, says David Malsher-Lopez.
Why Kyle Kirkwood is America's new IndyCar ace-in-waiting
Kyle Kirkwood, the record-setting junior formula driver, sealed the Indy Lights championship last weekend. But despite an absurdly strong résumé and scholarship money, his next move is far from clear. By David Malsher-Lopez.
2021 IndyCar title is just the start for Ganassi's newest star
Alex Palou has captured Chip Ganassi Racing's 14th IndyCar drivers' championship, and in truly stellar manner. David Malsher-Lopez explains what made the Palou-Ganassi combo so potent so soon.
Why Grosjean's oval commitment shows he's serious about IndyCar
One of motorsport’s worst-kept secrets now out in the open, and Romain Grosjean has been confirmed as an Andretti Autosport IndyCar driver in 2022. It marks a remarkable turnaround after the abrupt end to his Formula 1 career, and is a firm indication of his commitment to challenge for the IndyCar Series title
IndyCar’s longest silly-season is still at fever pitch
The 2021 IndyCar silly season is one of the silliest of all, but it’s satisfying to see so many talented drivers in play – including Callum Ilott. David Malsher-Lopez reports.