BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK QUALIFYING NOTES

1st: RINUS VEEKAY 01:06.2507 (124.980 mph)

22nd: CONOR DALY 01:07.0350 (123.518 mph)

LOCATION: Leeds, Alabama, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: 2.3-mile, 17-turn permanent road course
RACE LENGTH: 90 Laps/207 Miles

BROADCAST: Sunday – 1 p.m. ET (NBC)

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET

CONOR DALY, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Qualified 22nd: “We had sectors quick enough to transfer to the next group, but we ran into a lot of dirt because of another car that went off in front of us. Then there was a red flag, so we couldn’t get in any more laps. We had a great car, fast enough, obviously, since our teammate is on pole which is wonderful. I’m still excited for tomorrow, we know we are fast, we just got a bit unlucky today.”

Conor Daly 2022.jpg
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 will start 22nd in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, the fourth race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. He was assigned to Group 2 of Round 1 and had ten minutes to set a quick time. One of his flying laps was interrupted by dirt on the track surface; he did not have another chance at a fast lap as a red flag ended the session early.

* 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

Rinus VeeKay 2022.jpg

BARBER STATS
BEST START: 1st (2022)
BEST FINISH: 6th (2021)
NUMBER OF STARTS: 1

CAREER STATS
SEASON: 3rd
STARTS: 32
WINS: 1
POLES: 2
OF NOTE:

* Rinus VeeKay scored his second career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position today at Barber Motorsports Park. After advancing through the first two rounds of qualifying, VeeKay earned the highest starting position on tomorrow’s grid in the Firestone Fast Six. His fast lap of 1:06.2507 won him the NTT P1 Award for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. 

* 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.