After having his St. Pete Race disqualification, Scott McLaughlin was in last place among active drivers. A great qualifying and huge win thrust McLaughlin 20 places up as he sits in 9th place overall. Mclaughlin has now won Barber back-to-back years. After having a tumultuous week, Team Penske finished on top securing the top two positions on the podium with a win from McLaughlin and a second-place finish for Will Power. Linus Lundqvist, a rookie from Chip Ganassi, secured his first podium with a third-place finish. Lundqvist started 19th in the race and not only secured third but received the Josten’s Biggest Mover award, as well. This is the second week in a row where strategies played a massive role in the race between teams on two and three stops. Josef Newgarden, who gave a very candid press conference on Friday and took full responsibility for the scandal at St. Pete, would have a rough week compared to his Penske brethren, who finished 16th.
Spicy Racing
Quite a few little scuffles and incidents early in this one, as the drama was high from the get-go. Sting Ray Robb and Jack Harvey bumped, with Kyffin Simpson slipping in between both of them, but the race managed to stay green. Rinus Veekay would end up serving a drive-thru penalty for avoidable contact from that incident. Pietro Fittipaldi hit a wall on lap 6, courtesy of Pato O’ Ward. Scott Dixon would spin out after trying to overtake Graham Rahal. Drivers were very “Shoulders out” and did not give any room for passing. Christian Rasmussen got forced hard outside after tangling with Marcus Ericsson. Sting Ray Robb would also wreck after his steering wheel broke.
Arrow Mclaren’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
It was a day to forget for Arrow McLaren. Alex Rossi did not get his left rear tire put on after he left the pits around lap 44 and finished in 25th place. Newcome Theo Pourchaire got taken out by Pato O’ Ward, who had a very rough day serving a penalty early and taking out his teammate. On Monday, Arrow Mclaren announced they were releasing David Malukas, who was signed during the offseason but never raced a single race with his new team after sustaining a wrist injury before St. Petersburg. Malukas says it’s been challenging.
“The past three months have been challenging. I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to drive for Arrow McLaren and regret that it never materialized. I would have loved to have continued representing the team and its partners going forward, They have been good, and I appreciate all they have done for me. I’ve done everything possible to speed up the rehab process—treatments, physiotherapy, strength training — but my recovery has taken longer than anticipated.” –David Malukas on his release.
Positive Days
Big days for Felix Rosenqvist. The new leader of Meyer Shank Racing finished fourth in the race and is fifth overall in the standings after having consecutive weeks of good finishes. Colton Herta finished the race 9th after starting 15th and has moved to the top of the championship standings. Santino Ferrucci also had a fantastic day, leading 14 laps in the race and ultimately finishing in seventh place. He is currently tenth in the Champion Standings.
Georgina
One of the wackier scenarios during the race occurred when a mannequin hanging from a pedestrian bridge fell onto the grass at the side of the track near Turn 8 on lap 52. Ferrucci exclaimed on the radio, “That lady hanging from the bridge fell!” Pietro Fittipaldi also exclaimed on the radio, “That lady fell from the bridge!” Luca Ghiotto, who was making his Indycar debut, hit the mannequin named Georgina and sheered her hand right off. Georgina is one of the unique parts of Barber. She “hung out” with the race winner, Scott McLaughlin before “being taken to medical.”
Wally Dallenbach Passes Away
Wally Dallenbach, the longtime Chief Steward of Indycar, died on Monday at the age of 87. The New Jersey native made 13 Indy 500 starts, finishing fourth with a best finish. Dallenbach would win five Indycar Series races, finishing second in points behind Roger McCluskey in 1973. He served as Chief Steward until 2004.
Top Ten At Barber
- Scott McLaughlin
- Will Power
- Linus Lundqvist
- Felix Rosenqvist
- Alex Palou
- Christian Lundgaard
- Santino Ferrucci
- Colton Herta
- Marcus Armstrong
- Kyle Kirkwood
Top Ten Championship Standings
- Colton Herta 101
- Will Power 100 -1
- Alex Palou 98 -3
- Scott Dixon 94 -7
- Felix Rosenqvist 87 -14
- Pato O’ Ward 71 -30
- Kyle Kirkwood 67 -34
- Linus Lundqvist 62 -39
- Scott McLaughlin 59 -42
- Santino Ferrucci 58 -43
Up Next
The Indycar circuit heads “back home again in Indiana.” They will take on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on May 11th during the Sonsio Grand Prix at 3 PM before gearing up for the Indy 500 at the end of May.
Image: Joe Skibinski
