HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA PREVIEW

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FRIDAY, APRIL 29 – SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022  
LOCATION: Leeds, Alabama, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course
RACE LENGTH: 90 Laps/207 Miles  
PRACTICE:
Friday – 4-5 p.m. ET (Peacock Premium)
Saturday – 10-11 a.m. ET (Peacock Premium)                   5:20-5:50 p.m. ET (Peacock Premium)
QUALIFYING:
Saturday – 1-2:15 p.m. ET (Peacock Premium)
RACE:
Sunday – 1:15 p.m. ET (NBC, 1 p.m. ET)

ED CARPENTER RACING

The fourth round of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season will see Ed Carpenter Racing teammates Conor Daly and Rinus VeeKay compete at the picturesque Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. Prior to the most recent race in the streets of Long Beach, Daly and VeeKay completed a successful one-day test at the flowing road course outside of Birmingham, Ala. One of Ed Carpenter Racing’s road course victories was recorded at Barber Motorsports Park when Josef Newgarden won the 2015 edition of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. 

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET
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CONOR DALY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet: “I’m very excited to go to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend! We had a successful test there not too long ago and our cars were fast in the race last year. We have a lot of great momentum going right now and we want to keep that going heading into the Month of May. The BitNile Chevrolet is going to be very fast and we’re ready for another chance to fight at the front!”
Conor Daly 2022.jpg BIRTHDAY: December 11, 1990
HOMETOWN: Noblesville, IN
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN  

BARBER STATS
BEST START: 10th (2021)
BEST FINISH: 16th (2021)
NUMBER OF STARTS: 3  

CAREER STATS SEASON: 9th STARTS: 83 POLES: 1
BEST FINISH: 2nd, Detroit 2016
OF NOTE:
Conor Daly is now in his third season with Ed Carpenter Racing and first as full-time driver of the No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet.  

Starting at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, BitNile Holdings, Inc. is the primary partner of the No. 20 Chevrolet as part of a multi-year deal. The diversified holding company specializes in disruptive technologies, including cryptocurrencies and innovations in the field of Decentralized Finance (“DeFi”). BitNile focuses on large-scale crypto mining with energy-efficient, powerful operations strategically located in North America.  

The 2021 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama served as the season opener last year and marked Daly’s first NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at the track in several years. His season was off to a fast start as he advanced to the second round of qualifying and earned himself a Top 10 starting position. He persevered through a tough second half of the race, gaining positions as he could and ultimately finishing 16th.
RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX CHEVROLET
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RINUS VEEKAY, No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet: “Before Long Beach, we had a great test at Barber Motorsports Park and it made me even more excited to get back there! We have a fast car that can challenge for a Top 5. Ed Carpenter Racing has a strong history at Barber, which is also very good. I really like the track and it’s pretty beautiful in the spring. I might also get a haircut at Barber because it makes sense.”
Rinus VeeKay 2022.jpg BIRTHDAY: September 11, 2000
HOMETOWN: Hoofddorp, Netherlands
RESIDENCE: Fort Lauderdale, FL  

BARBER STATS 2021 START: 14th
2021 FINISH: 6th NUMBER OF STARTS: 1  

CAREER STATS SEASON: 3rd STARTS: 32 WINS: 1 POLES: 1
OF NOTE: Now in his third straight season with Ed Carpenter Racing, Rinus VeeKay is the longest-tenured full-time driver in the team’s history. He has been behind the wheel of ECR’s No. 21 Chevrolet in all of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts.  

Five turns into his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at Barber Motorsports Park, VeeKay was caught in a Lap 1 incident of the 2021 season opener and found himself as the last car running. Smart strategy and a strong run from VeeKay launched him back into the front half of the field. At the end of 90 laps, he had worked all the way up to the 6th position.   

VeeKay scored back-to-back Top 10 finishes in the first two events of 2022. In the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he made his first Firestone Fast 6 appearance in qualifying and finished 6th. At Texas Motor Speedway, he took the checkered flag in 10th. He led laps during both events and currently sits 7th in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season standings.