Palou Dominates Barber Qualifying, Earns Pole Position

Four-time champion leads Firestone Fast Six, looks to repeat 2025 victory

Mar. 28, 2026 at 10:37pm

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Alex Palou continued his strong start to the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, earning the pole position for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park. The four-time series champion led the Firestone Fast Six with a lap of 1 minute, 6.2341 seconds in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, his first pole of the year. David Malukas will start alongside Palou on the front row, while Graham Rahal, Marcus Armstrong, and series leader Kyle Kirkwood round out the top five.

Why it matters

Palou's dominance at Barber Motorsports Park is a concerning sign for his rivals, as he won this race by over 16 seconds last season. The Spaniard appears to have the car and the pace to repeat as the winner, which would give him an early advantage in the championship fight.

The details

Palou led practice earlier in the day and said his car was 'one of the best I've driven.' He was the only driver to dip under 1 minute, 6.5 seconds in the Firestone Fast Six. Malukas continued his strong start with Team Penske, qualifying second, while Rahal, Armstrong, and Kirkwood rounded out the top five. Two-time series champion Will Power crashed in the first round of qualifying and will start 23rd.

  • Palou led practice earlier on Saturday morning.
  • Qualifying took place on Saturday afternoon.
  • The 90-lap race is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET.

The players

Alex Palou

A four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion who drives the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

David Malukas

A driver for Team Penske who qualified second in the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet.

Graham Rahal

A driver for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing who qualified third in the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda.

Marcus Armstrong

A driver for Meyer Shank Racing who qualified fourth in the No. 66 SiriusXM Honda.

Kyle Kirkwood

The current NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader who qualified fifth in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda for Andretti Global.

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What they’re saying

“Honestly, one of the best cars I've driven. This morning (in practice) I already felt the car was really, really good, really well balanced. We just wanted to start up front, capitalize on a really good car we had today and see for tomorrow. Really happy to get our first pole this year.”

— Alex Palou, Driver, No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

What’s next

The 90-lap Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst will take place on Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET, with live coverage on FOX, FOX One, the FOX Sports app, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

The takeaway

Alex Palou's dominant qualifying performance at Barber Motorsports Park suggests he could be poised to repeat his victory from last season, which would give him an early advantage in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship fight. His rivals will need to find a way to keep pace with the four-time champion if they hope to challenge him for the title.