When IndyCar showed up at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend, the talk centered around the belated disqualification of two of the three Team Penske drivers.
The team did as best it could to focus on the race at hand, which worked out stunningly well for Scott McLaughlin.
The Kiwi, who had his St. Pete podium taken away earlier in the week, chose the correct option from of a few fuel strategies that dotted the grid, and was able to power back up to the front at the end of the race when it mattered most.
READ MORE: IndyCar Barber – Full Race Results
Even a late caution period and subsequent restart did not deter McLaughlin, and he was able to win in Alabama for the second consecutive year.
Finishing in second place was Will Power, who was disappointed to earn a podium without getting a victory, a feat he has now accomplished 12 times since his last victory in 2022.
To have Team Penske finish on the top two steps of the podium was a redemption of sorts, showing that the crew can win races even in the face of controversy.
Taking the final step on the podium was Linus Lundqvist, who earned his first podium in the top level series in his sixth ever start.
The rookie advanced all the way from 19th to earn third, partially on account of executing perfectly a fuel saving number that his team gave him in the first portion of the race.
Incidentally, Power stood beside him while celebrating his 100th career podium, while Lundqvist celebrated his very first.
There were multiple incidents across the 90-lap event, with a few drivers going toe to toe with each other on track.
The differing fuel strategies helped bring different pace to the drivers on track, which led to a record 289 on track passes.
Pato O’Ward had a day to forget, as he touched the grass in the Turn 5 braking zone and spun himself into the gravel on the second lap.
He was able to get going again, but then he collided with Pietro Fittipaldi a few laps later while trying to make up ground. The Brazilian was sent hard into the wall, and O’Ward was given a drive through penalty for the hit.
A total of three drivers received penalties for contact, showing just how competitive it was out on track.
The most bizarre incident of the day was a mishap with the artwork that surrounds the race course.
Hanging from one of the pedestrian bridges that arches over the track is a full size mannequin. The dummy has been in the same location for multiple years, making fans and drivers take a second look when they first find out about the art piece.
On lap 52 of the main event Georgina, as she is known, fell down onto the grass beside the track. Her hand was clipped by one driver before she was unceremoniously picked up by the safety crew during the next caution.
While drivers and teams will have two weeks before they are back on track at IMS, they will certainly have to field even more questions about the disqualification news that broke earlier in the week.
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