The time sheets perhaps didn’t tell the entire story Saturday in the pre-qualifying practice for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park.

David Malukas was a surprise leader, pacing the field at 1 minute, 8.1661 seconds in the No. 4 AJ FOYT RACING Chevrolet. But that lap came on Firestone Firehawk slick tires before intensifying rain arrived at the 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural-terrain road course with about 20 minutes left in the session.

SEE: Practice Results

Nearly every team mounted Firestone Firehawk rain tires for the last 10 minutes of the session, simulating the conditions that could continue through NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network). During that stint, NTT INDYCAR SERIES leader and two-time reigning champion Alex Palou was quickest in the 1:21 lap time range in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Three-time series champion Palou also was quick in the dry, sealing his status as the pole favorite later today. He ended up second on the speed charts at 1:08.1958. Christian Lundgaard was third at 1:08.3082.

“We got a little bit lucky with the timing of the new tires and the rain coming in, but overall I still think it’s a very fast lap time that sets us up in a good spot for qualifying,” Malukas said. “Thankfully also at the end of this session we managed to get some rain running in.”

Two-time series champion Will Power was fourth at 1:08.5496 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Just as importantly, two-time Barber winner Power was among the drivers closest to Palou in the wet, running laps in the 1:22 range along with Colton Herta of Andretti Global in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.

Rookie Louis Foster rounded out the top five at 1:08.5567 in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Foster and veteran Alexander Rossi of Ed Carpenter Racing were among the very few drivers who didn’t try rain tires in the heavy downpour at the end of the session, instead staying in the pits.

“It’s going to be either dry or pop-ups (showers) or wet-to-drying track, so there are a lot of variables that everyone is going to have to deal with,” Rossi said.

Those variables caught out Friday practice leader Marcus Ericsson and triggered a red flag with 18 minutes left in the session. Ericsson spun his No. 28 Bryant Honda across the gravel and grass in Turn 13, hopping a curb and bouncing to a stop while the underside of his car shed carbon fiber. Ericsson was unhurt, but his Andretti Global team faced a thrash to repair the car for qualifying.

That was the second red flag of the 60-minute session. Pato O’Ward nosed off track in Turn 17 with 33 minutes left in the session, as his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet made heavy front contact with the tire barrier. But the sturdy car was able to continue, and O’Ward then headed to the pits for steering column repairs.

The 90-lap race is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network).

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FORT WORTH, Texas (MAY 2, 2025) – TRICON Garage driver Corey Heim had to survive double overtime after a dominant performance to secure his series-leading third NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory in Friday night’s SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The win was Heim’s first at Texas Motor Speedway and fourth top-seventh finish, including runner-up last season, in as many career starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. It also was his first victory in the last four races after winning two of the opening three of the season (Daytona, Las Vegas).

“I wasn’t gonna let them take that one away from me,” Heim said. “I’ve given up too many already this year so far. Just so proud of these TRICON guys. … Just overwhelmed. Obviously, so many restarts there at the end and guys are trying to slow me three wide. Man, I wasn’t gonna let them take that back from me right there. I can’t even speak I’m so overwhelmed. They tried to take me three wide into (Turn) One, and I just drove until I couldn’t anymore. Still catching my breath if you can tell.”

Heim led a race-high 96 of the 172 laps and was enjoying comfortable leads in excess of 13 seconds in the final stage before those evaporated in a series of late cautions, including a red flag with 11 to go. Two of Heim’s primary contenders, Grant Enfinger, running second, and Stewart Freisen, running third, were involved in an accident that also included Chandler Smith that brought out the red flag.

Heim would still have plenty of work to do as the 10^th caution came out with five laps remaining that forced the first two-lap overtime shootout. On the opening lap of OT, he found himself sandwiched in a three-wide charge for the lead with Ben Rhodes and Rajah Caruth and a victory suddenly in jeopardy. However, debris from Matt Mills’ truck brought out yet another caution that left just 18 of the 32 trucks remaining for the second and final OT.

Heim restarted on the inside, and on his outside was Rhodes, who got a great initial run and had the lead by a nose on the backstretch. Heim regained the lead in Turn 3 before Daniel Hemric made a frantic late run at him. Heim was able to hold him off by .279 of a second while Caruth finished third, Tyler Ankrum fourth and Tanner Gray fifth.

This marked the first overtime finish in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in the last 22 races and was a series-record 14^th OT race at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Honestly, to come up one short, you’re disappointed but when you’re doing that on a 50-lap tire disadvantage, you’ll take days and results like that,” Hemric said. “… Aww man, second is not fun, especially after you taste winning this year. … Just not quite enough when we needed it, but we’ll take today and roll.”

In NASCAR Xfinity Series news, both practice and qualifying for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 were canceled due to damp track conditions. The starting lineup was determined by a combination of metrics by NASCAR, with the most emphasis on the previous race results and the owner’s point standings. Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing will start on the pole and be joined on the front row by Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports for Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 (1 p.m., TV: CW, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM). Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing will start third, Jeb Burton of Jordan Anderson Racing fourth and rounding out the top five will be Harrison Burton of AM Racing.

After the third consecutive three-week break to start off the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season, the series is set to visit Barber Motorsports Park, also known as the Augusta National of Motorsports, for Sunday afternoon’s Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.

This 90-lap race around the 17-turn, 2.38-mile (3.83-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Birmingham, Alabama was won by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin from pole last year, making him the sixth polesitter to win at Barber since the track was added to the schedule in 2010.

In fact, no driver has won at Barber from lower than fourth place on the grid since Josef Newgarden earned his first win as a Team Penske driver back in 2017 after starting seventh. Ninth is the lowest grid spot for a Barber winner, with Team Penske’s Will Power having achieved that in 2012.

Bottom line, qualifying matters at Barber, probably more than it does at most other tracks. Strategy is usually just as important, but barring any impromptu interference from rogue mannequins, the cream always seems to rise to the top.

And in a series that hasn’t seen a caution since the opening lap of race number one of the season, qualifying is that much more important for race number four.

Follow along four our live qualifying updates.

IndyCar at Barber: Full Round 1, Group 1 results

1st – Alex Palou – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

2nd – Scott McLaughlin – No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet

3rd – Marcus Armstrong – No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

4th – Pato O’Ward – No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

5th – Nolan Siegel – No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

6th – Will Power – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

7th – Santino Ferrucci – No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

8th – Alexander Rossi – No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

9th – Christian Rasmussen – No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

10th – Conor Daly – No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

11th – Graham Rahal – No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

12th – Marcus Ericsson – No. 28 Andretti Global Honda

13th – Jacob Abel – No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

IndyCar at Barber: Full Round 1, Group 2 results

1st – Colton Herta – No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda

2nd – Josef Newgarden – No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet

3rd – Christian Lundgaard – No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

4th – Kyffin Simpson – No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

5th – Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

6th – Louis Foster – No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

7th – Felix Rosenqvist – No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

8th – Callum Ilott – No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet

9th – Kyle Kirkwood – No. 27 Andretti Global Honda

10th – David Malukas – No. 41 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

11th – Sting Ray Robb – No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

12th – Robert Shwartzman – No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet

13th – Scott Dixon – No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

14th – Devlin DeFrancesco – No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

IndyCar at Barber: Full Round 2 results

1st – Will Power – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

2nd – Alex Palou – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

3rd – Colton Herta – No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda

4th – Scott McLaughlin – No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet

5th – Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

6th – Nolan Siegel – No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

7th – Christian Lundgaard – No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

8th – Pato O’Ward – No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

9th – Josef Newgarden – No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet

10th – Kyffin Simpson – No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

11th – Marcus Armstrong – No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

12th – Louis Foster – No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

IndyCar at Barber: Firestone Fast Six results

1st – Alex Palou – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

2nd – Scott McLaughlin – No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet

3rd – Colton Herta – No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda

4th – Will Power – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

5th – Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

6th – Nolan Siegel – No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

IndyCar at Barber: Full starting lineup

1st – Alex Palou – No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

2nd – Scott McLaughlin – No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet

3rd – Colton Herta – No. 26 Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian Honda

4th – Will Power – No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet

5th – Rinus VeeKay – No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

6th – Nolan Siegel – No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

7th – Christian Lundgaard – No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

8th – Pato O’Ward – No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet

9th – Josef Newgarden – No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet

10th – Kyffin Simpson – No. 8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

11th – Marcus Armstrong – No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

12th – Louis Foster – No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

13th – Santino Ferrucci – No. 14 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

14th – Felix Rosenqvist – No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda

15th – Alexander Rossi – No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

16th – Callum Ilott – No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet

17th – Christian Rasmussen – No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet

18th – Kyle Kirkwood – No. 27 Andretti Global Honda

19th – Conor Daly – No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

20th – David Malukas – No. 41 A.J. Foyt Enterprises Chevrolet

21st – Graham Rahal – No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

22nd – Sting Ray Robb – No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet

23rd – Marcus Ericsson – No. 28 Andretti Global Honda

24th – Robert Shwartzman – No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet

25th – Jacob Abel – No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda

26th – Scott Dixon – No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

27th – Devlin DeFrancesco – No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

After a seven-year break from NASCAR, Kasey Kahne’s return to the track at Rockingham Speedway on April 19 nearly stole the whole spotlight.

Driving the #33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kahne qualified P4 and brought the car home inside the top 15 — a commendable feat given his long absence from the sport.

However, many believe he left plenty on the table. A Stage 1 incident left his car wounded for the remainder of the 256-lap race, likely costing him a top-five finish.

That glimpse of competitive form has sparked speculation among fans about whether Kahne might return to the Xfinity or Cup Series later this year, or if he has other plans in the pipeline.

Speaking with Shannon Spake on NASCAR Daily, Kahne shed light on his future. He said, “We have two sprint car teams and we race in the High Limit series… So, and that they start next year… Really happy to be part of that. But I want to run the entire series and try to get one of those franchises for KKR [Kasey Kahne Racing] in the future, whether I’m in the car or not.”

Kahne also hinted at the possibility of bagging in another NASCAR appearance, saying, “There’s a few open weekends, I don’t know if we could squeeze another race in or not this year on the NASCAR side. One thing I would like to do is that Rockingham race again next year.”

“That to me just made a lot of sense. It was just a really cool, fun, put-together week. So maybe doing that next year would be something that would work as well,” he added.

So, although no NASCAR races are currently set in stone for Kasey Kahne, his consistent involvement in dirt track racing has kept him sharp behind the wheel.

Now at the age of 45, he remains active through Kasey Kahne Racing and is set to compete full-time in the 2025 Kubota High Limit Racing Series. His initial exit from NASCAR, however, wasn’t by choice.

At 38, Kahne faced recurring issues with overheating and rapid dehydration inside the car, an issue he discussed on a February episode of Dirty Mo Media’s Dale Jr. Download. After spending several years away from the demanding heat and duration of a stock car cockpit, he felt the time was right to strap back in, this time with Richard Childress Racing.

Whether Kahne takes another swing at NASCAR — be it in Cup, Xfinity, or Trucks — remains up in the air. Still, a return would undoubtedly fire up the fan base. If given the green light for a Cup start, similar to how NASCAR accommodated drivers like Katherine Legge, his appearance would surely turn heads.

Qualifying is complete at Texas and the lineup is set for Sunday’s Würth 400 in Fort Worth.

The 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval is one of the fastest on the Cup Series circuit, and the speeds confirmed that.

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Carson Hocevar, driving a Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, cleared the 191 mph mark in winning the pole Saturday. He’ll be joined on the front row Sunday by another Chevy driver, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron.

Texas brings the 11th race of the 2025 Cup Season, which includes 26 regular-season races through late August before the 10-race playoffs.

Through the first 10 races of this season, the pole sitter has yet to win. The fastest qualifier has had three runner-up finishes, however.

GREAT AMERICAN RACE? NASCAR legend Tony Stewart shares bold Daytona 500 opinion: ‘It doesn’t mean the same now’

The front row at Texas

Carson Hocevar: 191.659 mph

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William Byron: 191.564 mph

NASCAR Sunday lineup for Texas

1. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

3. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford

4. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

5. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

6. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

7. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brother Racing Ford

8. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

9. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota

10. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

11. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

12. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

13. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

14. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

15. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

16. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

17. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

18. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford

19. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

20. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford

21. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota

22. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

23. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

24. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford

25. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

26. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

27. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

28. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota

29. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

30. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford

31. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

32. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

33. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford

34. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet

35. Jesse Love, No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet

36. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford

37. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

38. Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford

NASCAR on TV from Texas today

2 p.m.: Xfinity Series, Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 (CW)

Sunday on TV: Week 11 of 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule

3:30 p.m.: Cup Series, Würth 400 (FS1)

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR lineup at Texas: Starting grid set by qualifying results