Graham Rahal Primed for Front-Row Battle This Sunday
Alex Palou secured pole for Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park. The four-time series champion starts first at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn circuit. Last year he converted pole into a dominant victory by 16.0035 seconds.
Starting Grid and Key Qualifiers
David Malukas will begin alongside Palou in second. He drives the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and seeks his first series win in start number 65.
Graham Rahal sits third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Kyle Kirkwood starts fifth for Andretti Global in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda.
Front-Row Dynamics
Rahal and Kirkwood uniquely used used alternate tires in the Firestone Fast Six. That left them with two fresh sets of softer tires for the race. Rahal said the choice could shape his chances to challenge Palou.
Drivers to Watch
Marcus Armstrong qualified fourth in the No. 66 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian. It is his first Fast Six at Barber and his seventh career Fast Six appearance.
Santino Ferrucci earned seventh in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet. It is his best road-course qualifying result since taking pole at Portland in 2024.
Veterans and Trends
Scott Dixon starts 13th and still seeks his first Barber victory. Barber is one of four active tracks where Dixon has not won. He has 59 career wins, second all-time behind A.J. Foyt.
Romain Grosjean made his second Fast Six showing this season. Josef Newgarden begins ninth, while Pato O’Ward starts a season-worst 12th.
Tire and Pit Strategy
The 90-lap race typically fits a 26-30 lap fuel window. Rules require teams to use both primary and new alternate tires for at least two laps.
Recent winners used a mix of two- and three-stop tactics. Pato O’Ward began on alternates in 2022 and stopped twice. Scott McLaughlin used different strategies to win in subsequent years.
Teams expect alternate tires to be the preferred option again. That belief makes strategy a likely decider on race day.
Additional Notes and Context
Nine of the 10 full-time teams reached the second round of qualifying. Juncos Hollinger Racing was the lone team without representation there.
- Top-seven teams on the grid represent seven different operations.
- Rinus VeeKay starts 16th and Sting Ray Robb is 25th for Juncos Hollinger entries.
- O’Ward and Kirkwood are the only drivers with three top-10 finishes so far this season.
Television coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, and the FOX Sports app. Radio coverage will be available on INDYCAR Radio.
Graham Rahal sounded confident after qualifying. He said he felt primed to turn his front-row starting spot into a tough front-row battle on Sunday.
For more race coverage and analysis, visit Filmogaz.com.
