Josef Newgarden captured his first career IndyCar victory in a thrilling race at Barber Motorsports Park. Newgarden drove masterfully from the start, leapfrogging three cars in the first lap alone to advance from P5 to P2 in a blink of an eye. The only threat to Newgarden’s first victory came in the closing laps as Graham Rahal used a full fuel-load and fresh red tires to chase down Newgarden from more than 20 seconds behind with only 15 laps remaining. Rahal would ultimately pass Scott Dixon on the final lap and finish in second place behind Newgarden.
Rahal’s starting P8 and finishing 2nd was as impressive as Newgarden’s first victory, as Rahal carved up the field repeatedly and demonstrated the competitiveness of the Honda aero kit for arguably the first time this season.
Will Power’s 4th place finish was unexpected after the driver of the #1 Verizon Penske incurred a drive-thru avoidable contact penalty on Lap 26 for hitting Takuma Sato while exiting the pits on Lap 19.
The championship points leader as the series rolled into Alabama, Juan Pablo Montoya, finished in 14th place after struggling to find and keep speed throughout the race. Montoya battled toe-to-toe with Charlie Kimball during the middle of the race, incurring some bodywork damage and pushing Kimball into the grass during one of many frantic laps over the course of the afternoon.
Andretti Autosport and Honda team drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Carlos Munoz and Marco Andretti collectively recorded their strongest finishes of the year, with each driver in the top 10 and finishing 5th, 6th and 10th respectively. Honda has finally show signs of life in this 4th race of the season with 6 Hondas finishing in the top 10.
Rondolfo Gonzalez was fearless in his IndyCar debut, finishing in 20th position but driving like a seasoned veteran as he went wheel-to-wheel with both James Hinchcliffe and Jack Hawksworth in a dramatic series of passes that saw cars only centimeters apart. His GP2 experience was very much on display in the #18 Dale Coyne machine.
Sage Karam returned to the Barber track after a scary crash earlier this spring and finished in 18th place. He rubbed wheels with both Takuma Sato and Ryan Hunter-Reay during some dramatic moments mid-race in Turn 3.
The 2015 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was a superb race, easily the most competitive and exciting contest of the season so far. The Honda teams have finally emerged from behind Chevrolet's performance shadow and should be even more competitive during the next road course race in two weeks at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.