Favorites and Sleepers: Barber

Note: Eric Smith of INDYCAR.com takes a fun look before each NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at drivers who enter the weekend with an inside line to victory lane and drivers who could surprise with a strong result.

The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park has historically favored Chevrolet-powered teams. Team Penske and Arrow McLaren have won three of the last four races on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn track.

Chevy’s low-end torque and optimized engine mapping provide ample acceleration from the track’s tight, twisty corners.

However, Honda driver Alex Palou shone last year, leading 81 of 90 laps from the pole to victory. He’s also scored two top-two finishes in three races this season.

He was joined on the 2025 Barber podium by a pair of Chevy drivers in Christian Lundgaard and McLaughlin. Will Power and Pato O’Ward put four Chevy drivers in the top six.

Who comes out ahead in Sunday’s 90-lap race airing at 1 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls?

Here are the favorites and sleepers.

Favorites

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet)

McLaughlin eyed a hat trick at Barber Motorsports Park last year following 2023 and 2024 victories. He came up two spots short by starting second and finishing third. Still, McLaughlin has finished sixth or better in four of his five Barber starts, including three podiums in a row. He’s led 82 of 450 laps completed on the track. McLaughlin also had four top-10 finishes in seven natural road course starts last season.

Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

O’Ward has four top-six finishes in his last five Barber starts, including a victory in 2022. He started on the pole in 2021. In seven natural road course starts last season, the popular Mexican driver had five top-six finishes, including a pair of runner-ups. O’Ward and Kyle Kirkwood are the only two drivers who have scored a top-10 finish in all three races this season.

Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

The Dane is quick on natural road courses, including a sixth-place finish in two of the last three years at Barber and runner-up last year. Lundgaard produced five podiums in seven natural road course starts, including three runner-ups last season. He has two top-seven finishes in three races this season.

Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Palou won in 2021 and 2025, was runner-up in 2022 and finished fifth in 2023 and 2024 at Barber Motorsports Park. The three-time defending series champion finished on the podium in all seven natural road course starts last season and has an average finish of 2.2 in his last 20 natural road course starts overall, including 11 wins.

Will Power (No. 26 TWG AI Honda)

In 15 Barber Motorsports Park starts, Power has 12 top-five finishes, including consecutive wins in 2011 and 2012. He was runner-up in 2021 and 2024, fourth in 2022, third in 2023 and fifth last year. Could that signal victory Sunday? Power won last year at Portland International Raceway, one of five top-seven finishes in seven tries. All that came with Team Penske. This Andretti Global car finished seventh last year with Colton Herta and eighth in 2024.

Sleepers

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Dixon has never won at Barber Motorsports Park (0-for-15), but the six-time series champion has six runner-up finishes and nine podium results in 15 tries. His only issue is he has not finished on the podium at Barber since placing third in 2021. He has two consecutive top-10 finishes this season.

Graham Rahal (No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda)

Rahal has an 12.1 average finish in 15 Barber starts, including a pair of runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2016. He had six top-11 finishes in his last 13 natural road course starts. Rahal finished fourth in the last natural road course race last season in Portland.

Alexander Rossi (No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet)

Rossi has a 10.6 average finish in nine Barber starts, including seven top-11 finishes in the last eight tries. He climbed from 15th to finish eighth last year, his first with ECR. Rossi has finished sixth and ninth, respectively, the last two races.

Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM Honda)

This has been a strong track for Armstrong, who has two top-11 finishes in three Barber tries. On natural road courses last season, Armstrong had five top-eight finishes in eight tries. He’s finished 11th, fifth and 10th, respectively, this season.

Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet)

VeeKay (photo, top) started fifth and finished fourth with Dale Coyne Racing last season. He has three top-six finishes in five Barber tries. Now he tries to pick up a fourth with his third different team.