Honda Powers Five of Six Drivers in Firestone Fast Six at Barber

Reigning champion Alex Palou scores first pole position of 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season

Mar. 29, 2026 at 2:40pm

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In qualifying for the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park, Honda-powered cars claimed the top five spots in the Firestone Fast Six round, with reigning and four-time champion Alex Palou taking pole position in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. This marks the second consecutive race where Honda has powered five of the six cars in the final round of NTT INDYCAR SERIES elimination qualifying.

Why it matters

Honda's strong performance in qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park demonstrates the manufacturer's continued dominance in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, with all five Honda-powered teams represented in the Firestone Fast Six. This result is particularly significant as the series returns to multi-manufacturer competition, highlighting Honda's engineering prowess and the competitiveness of its customer teams.

The details

Alex Palou drove his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to pole position, his first of the 2026 season. Palou will be looking to replicate his 2025 victory at Barber, where he led 81 of 90 laps from pole in a Honda Racing Corporation USA-liveried vehicle. Other Honda-powered drivers in the Firestone Fast Six include Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) in third, Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing) in fourth, Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Global) in fifth, and Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing) in sixth.

  • On March 28, 2026, all five Honda-powered IndyCar teams made the Firestone Fast Six round of qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park.
  • Alex Palou scored his first pole position of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

The players

Alex Palou

The reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion, driving the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Graham Rahal

Driver of the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda, who qualified third.

Marcus Armstrong

Driver of the #30 Meyer Shank Racing Honda, who qualified fourth.

Kyle Kirkwood

Driver of the #27 Andretti Global Honda, who qualified fifth.

Romain Grosjean

Driver of the #51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, who qualified sixth.

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What they’re saying

“We just got my first pole position of 2026. I'm super happy, my #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda was insanely quick today with amazing balance. One of the best feelings I've ever had in the car. I'm also thrilled to have five Hondas in the Fast Six with five different teams, which is pretty impressive for Honda. The big day is tomorrow, so cheer for us and cheer for the #10 car.”

— Alex Palou, Driver, #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

“Right away this morning I felt like I was in the hunt. It was a great day for us and for Honda with all of the work that everybody has put in—if I say Honda a bunch more times, I may get another box of cookies [from the Honda PR team]! The performance has been strong and it's been a good week, good day, good performance overall.”

— Graham Rahal, Driver, #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

“Good day for us in the #27 JM Bullion Honda. There were a lot of Hondas in the Fast Six, as well as a Honda on pole, which is so good to see. We were one of the only ones to run used tires, so it was not completely unexpected that we were a little further back in the Fast Six, but we were glad that we just solidified ourselves a spot in there. Very happy with today's performance.”

— Kyle Kirkwood, Driver, #27 Andretti Global Honda

What’s next

The big race day is tomorrow, Sunday, March 29, 2026. Television coverage of the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix starts at 1:00 PM ET on Fox, with complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also available on the INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

The takeaway

Honda's dominance in qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park, with five of the six cars in the Firestone Fast Six, underscores the manufacturer's engineering prowess and the competitiveness of its customer teams in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This result sets the stage for an exciting race as the series returns to multi-manufacturer competition.