BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Heavy rain that pounded Barber Motorsports Park throughout the day forced suspension of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by America's First to noon ET Monday. The race will be picked up where it left off today, when 23 laps were completed before it was red-flagged due to treacherous track conditions.
The race's conclusion will air live on NBCSN, beginning with a prerace show at 11:30 a.m. ET.
Pole sitter Josef Newgarden led every lap until the race was halted and will pick up in first place on Monday. Barber Motorsports Park announced that it will open its gates and allow fans to attend the conclusion without a ticket.
The race on the 2.3-mile permanent road course began under rainy conditions that grew stronger as the day went on. Following a full-course caution to start the race clock, the green flag waved for the 23-car field at the end of Lap 1.
Newgarden, the defending Barber race winner driving the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, led every lap until another full-course yellow on Lap 12 when Charlie Kimball’s No. 23 Tresiba Chevrolet came to a stop on track after making contact with a barrier. Kimball said that Ed Jones, in the No. 10 NTT DATA Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, ran into him, sending Kimball into the wall in Turn 17.
“I was just going through the corner and he ran into the back of me," Kimball said. "Apparently, the stewards reviewed it and no action taken and I vehemently disagree with that because, when you are driving your race, especially in the wet, you have to be conscious of where the cars are. Yeah, its hard to see, but at the same time it's just a dumb move. He is not a rookie anymore and he needs to not be making rookie mistakes like that.”
The race restarted four laps later but quickly went yellow again when Will Power, running second behind Newgarden, spun on the front straight and crashed his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet into the barrier at Turn 1.
“It’s just a real shame for everyone on the Verizon Chevy team,” Power said. “The car was good and we were doing our best out there, but it was really hard to see anything in front of me. The conditions were just so bad.
“As soon as I got to the front straight (on the restart), the car just came around and I tried to keep it off the wall, but it was hydroplaning and there was nothing I could do. I feel bad for the team and for the fans in this weather. Just too bad. Hopefully, our luck can turn around when we get to Indianapolis.”
After three more laps behind the pace car, INDYCAR ordered the entire field to pit lane for a red-flag stoppage on Lap 19 that lasted 37 minutes. Engines were then refired and four laps run under the caution flag before it was determined that track conditions remained too treacherous to return to racing.
The field returned to pit lane at 4:28 p.m. ET for the second red flag of the race. After waiting nearly 90 minutes, INDYCAR officials determined that the track was still not suitable for racing and, with more rain forecast, made the call to postpone the completion until Monday. It is the first Verizon IndyCar Series race postponed since the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway in August 2016.
The race clock stopped at 44 minutes, 16 seconds, meaning that about 75 minutes remain to complete a two-hour timed race.