Pataskala, Ohio (24 April 2023) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) heads into the final NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of April looking to build some momentum heading into the Month of May, as its experienced driver lineup travels to Alabama’s Barber Motorsports Park looking to repeat past successes on Sunday (3:00pm ET, NBC, SiriusXM Ch. 160).
This weekend’s Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama is the fourth race on the 2023 IndyCar series schedule and is the last before the series heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a pair of races including the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
While the MSR squad has just four starts at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course located near Birmingham, its veteran lineup of Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud have two wins, three poles and five podiums between them on the challenging Alabama circuit.
Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) won the inaugural event in 2010 and has led multiple laps in five different Barber IndyCar starts. The popular Brazilian has MSR’s best finish of 2023, posting a 10th-place run in Texas, but Lady Luck has dealt him bad hands in the season’s other two races with Castroneves suffering first-lap crashes at both St. Petersburg and Long Beach.
Pagenaud (No. 60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) led 84 of 90 laps on the way to a win in the 2016 Barber event from pole. The victory came as part of a nine-year streak that saw the Frenchman finish ninth or better on each trip to Alabama. Pagenaud placed 11th for MSR a year ago, matching the team’s best finish in its four starts on the picturesque circuit.
The 90-lap Children’s Grand Prix of Alabama will air on NBC on Sunday starting at 3 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying will be shown live on Peacock beginning at 3 p.m. ET. SiriusXM will also host live IndyCar Radio coverage of both sessions on XM Ch. 160.
Driver Quotes:
Simon Pagenaud:
“Barber is a beautiful track and it’s very fast with lots of elevation changes. We have worked hard this winter on our road course performance and I have put a lot of emphasis on Barber personally. I am looking forward to it and certainly enjoy racing there a lot. We will be focused on scoring points and creating the momentum we need for the rest of the season as a team.”
Helio Castroneves:
“I have good memories from Barber, especially winning there in the inaugural race at the track. It’s an amazing place and MSR and I are hoping to get back on our feet after a tough start to the season. I am looking forward to a very positive result this weekend.”