1. After getting the chance to watch the IndyCar race from Barber Motorsports Park, a lot more makes sense, but even watching the broadcast, it was a tricky race to track with all the strategies that played out due to the abundance of cautions. Unlike wandering the grounds, the broadcast could at least flash the "laps since last stop" graphic off the pylon to keep you updated, but, oh boy, were there a lot of balls in the air.
2. This race was going to be lost for Scott McLaughlin and Will Power had it not been for the Sting Ray Robb caution. That was really the difference between it being McLaughlin and Power 1-2 or Álex Palou and Felix Rosenqvist 1-2. When the Alexander Rossi caution came out, it felt like McLaughlin was done, and this was going to be a race falling into Palou's lap, the last gift the Catalan driver needs and the last thing every other driver wanted to see. However, that additional caution put serve back into McLaughlin's hands. He and Power were able to run hard and open the gap while Palou had to conserve fuel on the two-stop strategy. For a race that didn't stay green, it played out where we still got to see two-stoppers vs. three-stoppers and that doesn't happen often.
3. We are not going to cover every driver in the field nor every incident, but we are going to highlight some notable performers that were not the easy to recognize trackside. Christian Lundgaard had a better day than sixth. Lundgaard's pass on Marcus Armstrong into turn eight was breath-taking. Lundgaard was caught in traffic exiting pit lane after his first pit stop. That cost the Dane considerable time and protected McLaughlin and Power early in the race. Good day for Lundgaard.
4. The broadcast more confirmed Santino Ferrucci was as racy as he appeared. Ferrucci got the lead due to pit strategy and cautions, but he was making moves. He could go all-out in the closing laps while plenty around him were saving on the two-stop strategy. Seventh was a representative finish of his day, and now Ferrucci has two top ten finishes through three races this year. I don't think anyone would have predicted that back at the start of March.
5. Two Andretti Global cars have finished in the top ten of all three races this year. That shouldn't be a surprise, but it is because Andretti has not been the model team for the last six or seven years in IndyCar. It has not been a consistent winner and threat. Even this is a little skewed because Kyle Kirkwood was elevated to tenth after the Penske penalties were handed out. Colton Herta is only leading the championship because Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin lost all their points. It is a good start for Andretti, but it isn't a fully accurate representation. Herta deserves credit because on the road he has finished fifth, second and eighth, and that is a solid start to a season. Andretti is there but it isn't on top.
6. I knew Jack Harvey was in the lap one accident. It wasn't until I saw it on the broadcast that I realized Harvey overcame that to finish 13th. The cautions bunched up the field and allowed Harvey on a four-stop strategy to make up ground, but considering where the race started, Harvey could have finished 19th or 20th and nobody would have thought twice about it. Harvey was ahead of Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Marcus Ericsson, and Tom Blomqvist, who started in the top 12. Harvey is locked in for all but the Indianapolis 500 and Toronto at the moment. If he is the consistent driver at Dale Coyne Racing, I think results will improve and we could see more from Harvey.
7. I didn't realize Rinus VeeKay caused the lap one accident and was penalized for it. I didn't realize Christian Rasmussen had a spin uin turn five not long before his spin in turn 13, and Rasmussen had about four incidents in this race. Rough day for Ed Carpenter Racing.
8. If Ed Carpenter Racing had a rough day, Arrow McLaren's race was not any easier to watch on second viewing over the broadcast. That was bad. Alexander Rossi started in a poor position and an unsecured tire only wasted any attempt to salvage something from this weekend. Patricio O'Ward made a ton of mistakes. Théo Pourchaire gets a pass because this was race two, last week at Long Beach was his first time in the car, Barber was new to him, and he was doing ok until O'Ward clattered into him. Oh! And to add to it, within 24 hours of the race concluded, David Malukas was dismissed from the team. That is a significant amount of upheaval for less than 24 hours.
9. Having been at the racetrack, I do not understand why any series would want less practice (*cough* NASCAR *cough*). I loved seeing the cars and snapping photographs and getting to wander around and take in the different corners and viewpoints. I wish there had been one more session. I know Friday has 75 minutes of practice, but I wish there was two one-hour sessions. Not that it would have changed much, but I wish I had a little more time, especially because there are so many viewpoints at Barber that there wasn't enough time to explore before the race. Twenty minutes of practice is a disservice to the fans. There is a right amount that is more than 20 minutes but not four hours over two days. I think at least 90 minutes or two hours of practice is a good middle ground that satisfies the spectators and makes it worth it.
10. The split practice thing where half the grid gets ten minutes and then the other half gets ten minutes was basically unnoticeable. You didn't see certain cars for ten minutes and then they were there. The track was always lively. I think through three race weekends we can say it is fine from the spectator perspective and it can continue.
11. There was a point during Saturday practice where I had no clue who was quickest, who was having issues and I didn't care. It was nice to just watch the cars absent of the bigger picture of the race weekend. Afterward, I checked the timing sheet and caught up. Next time you go to a track, zone out the meaning of the race weekend and just watch the cars for 45 minutes or an hour or however long the session is. It was rather relaxing.
12. With Prema Racing entering IndyCar next year, I wish Barber Motorsports Park luck on finding the room to fit another team. The paddock at Barber felt tighter than Belle Isle. I don't know where they are going to fit two more haulers. The IndyCar paddock was already split. Most of the teams was toward pit in, situated in the corner inside the final turn. Then behind the pit building was Andretti Global and Juncos Hollinger Racing and all the Indy Lights teams filled in down toward turn one. That was a drag because Andretti and JHR were separated from the rest of the grid, and it was a walk to get between the two. It would be better if they were all together.
That will only become tougher when Prema arrives, and Davey Hamilton said on the radio broadcast of the Indy Lights race Abel Motorsports plans on being full-time in IndyCar next year, if you believe that. Other than cutting out a support series or moving the team owner's RVs, I don't know where the space would come from.
13. In case you are wondering who was in the paddock, Sébastien Bourdais was there in a Chip Ganassi Racing shirt. Ryan Dalziel and Tristan Vautier were there with the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, but Vautier was spending a lot of time in the IndyCar area. Never say never.
14. Plenty has been made of IndyCar's podium aesthetics this year. Barber Motorsports Park can improve there. Not so much in podium location or how it looks, but the podium had two massive speakers in front of the stage at each corner, blocking out the drivers and obstructing photographs. Put the speakers below or behind so the drivers are lost. That is a really simple thing that could be adjusted.
15. Speaking of driver presentation, IndyCar should do some kind of driver lap pre-race. I am not saying the old, one car at a time for each driver or one car at a time for each row doing a lap after driver introductions. This is where a page could be taken from Formula One or MotoGP. Get all the drivers on one large vehicle and do a lap after the morning warm-up. If you sat along the backside of the track or in the opening corner section, you never saw a driver. The only people that saw the drivers, got to wave and interact were the ones with paddock passes. Again, really simple. Should be adjusted.
16. This went longer than I expected. We can put Barber to bed. Oh, look! It's the month of May.
