BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It was “Redemption Day” for two of the three Team Penske drivers that were involved in IndyCar’s severe sanctions against the team for violations in the March 10 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
Scott McLaughlin drove the No. 3 Chevrolet to an impressive win from the pole, leading 58 laps in the 90-lap contest to win Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. He defeated Team Penske teammate Will Power’s No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet by 1.3194 seconds. It was his fifth career NTT IndyCar Series win.
It was the second-straight year McLaughlin has won this race at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park.
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“I would say after this week, Roger Penske would be very happy,” Power said of the redemption that came from the depths of adversity to a return to success.
That was displayed best by the race winner, McLaughlin.
“We just had to keep rolling,” McLaughlin said. “We know our job. We know what we need to do. I’m just super proud of the execution.
“That was an intense, mental battle.”
Penske’s Powerful Answer
McLaughlin was one of two Team Penske drivers disqualified for violating push-to-pass rules in the season-opening IndyCar Series race on the streets of St. Petersburg. McLaughlin’s third-place finish at St. Pete was wiped out.
“We did what we thought we could do and that was a matter of execution,” McLaughlin said. “We’re going to keep executing the rest of the year. Points are points. The higher you finish, the more points you get.
“There was never a lack of belief there. I was prouder of the way the team reacted. We move forward as a team, race by race. I’m most proud of the execution.
“We knew we had a fast car. I love this place. It’s my most favorite road course in America.”
The driver that finished first that day was Josef Newgarden, but he was disqualified by IndyCar officials on Wednesday morning. Newgarden struggled Sunday in Alabama and finished 16th in the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet.
Power finished on the podium for the 100th time in his career on Sunday. Power was penalized for the St. Petersburg race but was not disqualified.
Power’s engine was changed after an issue developed during Sunday morning warmup at the 17-turn, 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park. Team Penske was able to swap engines and return the car to the grid in plenty of time to start the race.
“I’m in very good form,” Power said. “We’re there. We’re going to be there every week. I just need to win a couple of races.
“It’s bloody hard to win these IndyCar Series race.
“We’re in a good spot heading into Indianapolis in the month of May. Sweeping would be very good, but that will be pretty hard.”
Lundqvist’s Career Day
Rookie driver Linus Lundqvist had the best finish of his brief IndyCar career. He finished third in the No. 8 American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. He started 19th and finished third.
“We had very good strategy today,” Lundqvist said. “I started back there and was surprised when I had some clean air. The car really came alive.
“Three-quarters of the race was save fuel, try to stay safe. People were very aggressive back there and we saved fuel to set us up for later in the race. That’s exactly what we did.
“That set us up for the last stint.”
There were 289 on-track passes with 281 of those passes for position, both records at Barber Motorsports Park.
Notable Results
Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing was fourth in the No. 60 Honda and two-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou was fifth in the No. 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.
For the first time in his career, Colton Herta is the NTT IndyCar Series points leader. He finished eighth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda for Andretti Global with 101 points.
Power is second in the points, just one point behind.
The race even included a mannequin falling from the pedestrian bridge near the Barber Museum. The mannequin is one of many unique items that track owner George Barber has stationed around this beautiful road course.
The name of the mannequin is “Georgina” – named after George Barber.
She lost an arm when rookie driver Luca Ghiotto of Dale Coyne Racing ran over it in in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing by RWR Honda.
“I knew exactly what it was,” Power said. “It was the lady hanging from the bridge. They need better cables to hold her up there next year.”