Felix Rosenqvist will make his career 100th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.

He will mark the milestone from the 14th starting position in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing after narrowly missing out on the second round by .0155 of a second.

“It feels a bit unreal, to be honest,” he said of reaching the century mark.

Rosenqvist reflected on how far he has come since his INDYCAR SERIES debut driving for Chip Ganassi Racing back in 2019. He won Rookie of the Year honors that season and scored his only victory so far a year later at Road America.

From a childhood dream in Sweden to hitting the 100-start milestone, he’s experienced a steady evolution personally and professionally.

Following three seasons with Arrow McLaren, Rosenqvist joined MSR as the lead driver for the Honda-powered program in 2024.

“Even my first years in INDYCAR, obviously, this is nothing you take for granted, racing in one of the top leagues of the world,” Rosenqvist said. “Now, it’s been like a fast forward. One hundred is a big number. That’s a lot of hours in the car (smiling). I think it’s literally the coolest job in the world you can have.”

Rosenqvist enters the 90-lap race (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) fourth in points, tying the highest he’s been in the standings. He finished seventh in the March 2 season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, fifth on March 23 at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix and fourth in the April 13 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

“It’s also nice that I feel better than ever in the series, as well,” Rosenqvist said. “I probably had my best start in a year that I had. Exciting stuff.

“I feel like I’m a different guy than what I showed up. I’m a better person in many ways, not only a driver, but just in general. A lot of things have changed since I showed up 2019.”

Power Bringing Fight to Palou

Will Power made a notable step forward at Barber Motorsports Park. Qualifying fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and making his first Firestone Fast Six appearance this year indicates improved one-lap pace and momentum heading into Sunday’s 90-lap race.

His ability to climb in the field in the last two events – advancing 15 spots at The Thermal Club and eight in Long Beach – shows he’s got the race craft and strategy execution to challenge even when starting mid-pack.

Starting near the front Sunday, Power is in a stronger position against 26 other starters, most notably his Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin, who won this race the last two years, and two-time defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou.

Palou qualified first in the No. 10 HRC Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, with McLaughlin starting alongside in the front row in the No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet.

“Happy to have my first appearance (this season) in the top 12, actually, let alone the top six,” Power said. “We’ve had very strong race days, but that (Alex) Palou guy, he makes it hard, man. Really happy to be fourth. You can definitely do something from there.

“It might seem like a track you can’t pass, but it might be a bit of a hectic race tomorrow.”

Strong Qualifying Effort from VeeKay

Rinus VeeKay’s turnaround at Barber is impressive and could be one of the early surprises of the 2025 INDYCAR SERIES season.

After struggling on this track in qualifying last year with Ed Carpenter Racing and posting just one top-10 finish so far in three races with Dale Coyne Racing this season, starting fifth on a track where he’s previously qualified on the pole and landed a podium in 2022 signals personal comfort with the circuit and quick adaptation to his new team.

That leap – from starting 27th last year to fifth this year – underscores how well the No. 18 askROI Honda suits him.

“I love this place,” VeeKay said. “It’s always been good to me. The car was exactly what I needed to be quick. So that really makes it a lot more fun, too. So big props to Dale Coyne Racing and Honda for giving me what I need. It was awesome out there. Had a lot of fun.”

The Dutch driver qualified 12th, 13th and 25th previously this season, with a best finish of ninth in St. Petersburg. Saturday reflects renewed confidence and chemistry with the car, essential at a technical, flowing track like Barber, where driver rhythm and setup precision are key.

Back Home for Lundgaard

Christian Lundgaard’s connection to the next two INDYCAR SERIES tracks adds an extra layer of comfort and confidence for the young Dane.

Barber Motorsports Park was where he first dipped his toes into INDYCAR SERIES machinery for a test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2021, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course was the scene of his impressive debut later that year, where he qualified fourth and turned heads immediately.

Returning to these tracks, including this Saturday’s Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS, gives Lundgaard a valuable advantage with more experience under his belt. He’s familiar with the rhythm of the circuits and carries positive memories that can help him build momentum as the season picks up.

“I drove my first ever test here,” Lundgaard said. “So, kind of just feels like home in that sense, to come out here.”

Lundgaard has three Barber starts, with a best finish of sixth for RLL last season. He joined Arrow McLaren this offseason, and Barber was the site of his second test with the team. He was fourth quickest in the March 10 test session in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

“The car was good at the test, and I think we just kind of tried to carry that into the weekend,” Lundgaard said.

Lundgaard starts seventh on Sunday. He is sandwiched between Arrow McLaren teammates Nolan Siegel, who earned his best-career starting spot of sixth in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and 2022 Barber winner Pato O’Ward, who rolls off eighth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Cindric Joins INDY NXT Booth Sunday

Tim Cindric is doing double duty Sunday at Barber Motorsports Park.

In addition to his full-time job as president of Team Penske’s three-car NTT INDYCAR SERIES program, Cindric will join the FS1 booth for the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama airing at 11:30 a.m. ET.

His son, Austin Cindric, won the NASCAR Cup Series race last Sunday down the road at Talladega Superspeedway.

Odds And Ends

• Chevrolet has three straight Barber Motorsports Park victories via two different teams – Arrow McLaren (2022), Team Penske (2023, 2024). Both teams comprise six of the top nine starters on Sunday.

• Honda has three straight victories this season via two different teams – Chip Ganassi Racing (St. Petersburg, The Thermal Club) and Andretti Global (Long Beach). A CGR Honda starts first with Palou, and Andretti Global’s Colton Herta in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda rolls off third.

• Last year’s action-packed Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix witnessed six leaders and 10 lead changes and featured a track record 289 on-track passes, including 281 passes for position.

• The first six laps of the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg were run under caution due to a first-lap crash between Siegel, Power and rookie Louis Foster. There have been 249 consecutive green flag laps since, including all 65 laps of The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix and the 90-lap Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Barber has never had a caution-free race in 14 tries, but there’s been two or fewer cautions 11 times, including eight of the last nine races. There was one yellow flag each in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

• Five drivers have finished in the top10 in all three races this season. No surprise, each is in the topfive in points. Leader Palou (first, first, second) and his teammate Scott Dixon (second, 10th, eighth) are joined by fellow Honda drivers Rosenqvist (seventh, fifth, fourth) and Kyle Kirkwood (fifth, eighth, first) and Chevrolet driver Lundgaard (eight, third, third) for this distinction.

• The next three races all have drivers going for three-peats. McLaughlin won the last two races at Barber Motorsports Park, Palou won the last two Sonsio Grand Prix events, and Josef Newgarden is the two-time defending Indianapolis 500 winner.