graham rahal will start third in Sunday’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park, a rare front-running spot for the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver. The grid was set in qualifying ahead of the 90-lap race scheduled to air at 1 p. m. ET on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. The big question now is whether a used-tire qualifying call leaves graham rahal positioned to challenge pole sitter Alex Palou when the race goes green.
Used alternates in qualifying leave two fresh sets for Sunday
graham rahal qualified third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda after he and points leader Kyle Kirkwood were the only drivers to run used sets of the softer Firestone Firehawk alternate tires in the Firestone Fast Six. That choice means both drivers will have two fresh sets of alternates available for Sunday’s race, a potential swing factor if tire life and wear become decisive across the 90 laps on the 2. 3-mile, 17-turn circuit.
Rahal was candid about the unknowns, saying with a smile, “We’re not here all that often, so we don’t really know the strategy too much. ” He also said he hopes the tire approach can help close the gap to Palou: “Hopefully, we can take the battle to him. We’ve had a chance to win here before, so hopefully we can make it happen. We have good tire wear and good life. ”
Graham Rahal sizes up Palou after a dominant Barber precedent
Up front, Palou starts first after earning the NTT P1 Award. Palou’s recent Barber benchmark is stark: last year he converted that top spot into his second win at the track by 16. 0035 seconds, leading 81 of 90 laps. Rahal, starting third, acknowledged his own Barber qualifying run wasn’t perfect and questioned whether he has enough to directly challenge Palou if the race turns into a pure pace contest.
Still, Rahal’s starting position puts him directly into the early-race fight, with David Malukas alongside Palou on the front row in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Marcus Armstrong will start fourth in the No. 66 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, while Kirkwood lines up fifth in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold. com Honda for Andretti Global.
Key reactions from the front of the grid
Malukas, who is seeking his first series victory in his 65th start, said his second-place result came with mixed feelings: “Satisfied, for sure, but it still hurts because we could have gone for the pole. We made a call at the end in the Fast Six and overstepped it a bit. ” He added, “That’s on me. I wanted to be aggressive. But overall, this Team Penske Chevrolet has been awesome. I’m really happy to start on the front row and keep the consistency going. ”
For graham rahal, the tone was confident but measured, with his focus on making his tire picture matter over a full run rather than just one lap.
Quick context: recent form, Barber history, and the trend line
Rahal’s Barber record includes two runner-up finishes, in 2015 and 2016, and he enters the weekend riding a 146-race winless drought dating to his 2017 doubleheader sweep at Detroit. His recent qualifying form has been sharper, reaching the Firestone Fast Six four times last season, including two natural road course appearances.
While the pole sitter has won the last two Barber races, the last six pole winners dating to the final three races of last season finished second, second, 24th, second, third and fourth—evidence that starting first hasn’t guaranteed victory lately.
What’s next at 1 p. m. ET
Sunday’s 90-lap race begins at 1 p. m. ET, and the strategic spotlight will follow the drivers who protected fresh alternate tires during qualifying. If tire wear and stint timing play out the way Rahal hopes, graham rahal could turn a third-place start into his best shot in years to pressure Palou at the front when it matters most.
