BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – You never know what you’re going to spot amongst the rolling hills at Barber Motorsports Park, which takes even track employees occasionally by surprise.

Tigers at Barber Motorsports ParkIt could be a concrete sculpture of a sea serpent in a pond or metal sculptures of “Charlotte” and two baby spiders, or even a wood sculpture of a piston and connecting rod. The most recent addition is three metal tigers in the infield of the 2.38-mile circuit. With another sculpture of a large cat perched atop the nearby scoring tower, it appears to be out of harm’s way.

More than three dozen pieces of art and sculpture are scattered over the 740 acres of the facility, which includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum, that was the vision of George Barber.

“When we started construction, we were attacked by the Cahaba River Society, which claims to be an environmental group,” Barber said during the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test at the track. “After about a year, everybody kind of got depressed about that so I thought I needed to do something to kind of kick this in the tail.

“So I did the spiders and the dragonflies and the ants, and I called the press and asked them to come out and look at this stuff. They came out and I said, ‘Look, this Cahaba River Society was right. Look at what happened. These ants came out here, drank the water and look at how huge they are. Everybody got a good laugh and got their mojo back to complete the project.

“We just let it appear. I don’t want it to be whimsical, but just enough to get a grin once in a while.”

The latest addition to the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum is a 1994 Lotus 109 Formula One car.

Zanardi, Firestone among individuals elected to Hall of Fame

Racing and motorsports industry legends Harvey Firestone, Alex Zanardi, Jack Chrisman, Masten Gregory, Brad Lackey, Bud Moore and Robert E. Petersen will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on Aug. 21 in Detroit.

The 25th annual celebration will also see chassis constructor and technology innovator Bob Riley receive the Hall’s Bob Russo Motorsports Heritage Award for his contributions to racing.

KV Racing Technology aligns with SH Racing

KV Racing Technology announced an alliance with SH Racing. The No. 11 Chevrolet-powered car driven by Tony Kanaan will be referred to as the KV Racing Technology-SH entry.

"KVRT and SH have done great things together since the inception of our relationship (in 2011 at Indianapolis) and I expect this season to be no different," KVRT co-owner Jimmy Vasser said. "The alliance with SH is one that has truly grown since its inception, and we have some exciting announcements together in the days to come."

Beatriz gets additional time on track

Ana Beatriz completed 31 laps in the Honda-powered No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing car March 12 on the 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park course and returned for additional 41 laps in the morning session March 13.

"I'd like to thank Dale for the opportunity,” said Beatriz, who in 2008 (Nashville) was the first woman to win a Firestone Indy Lights race, also won at Iowa Speedway in '09. “Unfortunately, we had some mechanical problems, so I didn't get to run as much as I'd like to."

Beatriz is seeking to join the team for select races this season. She has made 22 IZOD IndyCar Series starts -- most recently in the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

Of note

Andretti Autosport celebrated Marco Andretti’s 26th birthday with a cookie cake during the lunch break between sessions March 13. “I hate celebrating birthdays,” the driver said as he reluctantly took a photo with the cake. “But I’d probably eat half that thing if I could.” ... Verizon employed the Nos. 3 and 12 Team Penske cars for an early morning shoot that will be produced for a TV commercial. ... Quebec-based Lassonde and the Oasis Juices brand will be an associate sponsor on the No. 98 Barracuda Racing car of Alex Tagliani for Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian. ... Honda Performance Development and Magneti Marelli announced a technical partnership to develop powertrain components for use in the IZOD IndyCar Series.