O’Ward didn’t take the lead until the last third of the race. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
The IndyCar Series visited the natural-terrain road course of Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, and it was a tough battle under unexpectedly clear skies.
With the forecast rain moving through in the early morning rather than the afternoon, all 26 drivers lined up on slick tires for the 90-lap race.
Rinus VeeKay led the field away from pole, but Pato O’Ward remained hot on his heels all afternoon waiting for any mistake from the Dutch driver.
O’Ward’s tenacity paid off immediately following the second and final pit stop cycle, when the young Mexican driver sent a late-braking dive into turn 5 on fresh tires to steal the lead.
From that point on, nobody could catch him, and O’Ward went on to take the victory around the roller coaster course in convincing fashion.
VeeKay ended up slipping to a disappointing third position in the final laps, with Alex Palou getting the better of him as well to take the second spot on the podium.
The second pit stop cycle provided other entertainment as well, with the two Kiwis of Scott McLaughlin and Scott Dixon battling side by side for a position in the top 5.
McLaughlin ended up braking too late and taking a trip through the grass, but he showed amazing skill by keeping his Team Penske Chevy pointed the right direction and only lost one position due to the mistake.
He ended up slipping a couple more positions in the laps that followed, however, with unseen damage to his car upsetting the balance of his machine.
Will Power and Simon Pagenaud had incredible runs through the field, improving 15 and 13 spots respectively on the day. Power worked his way all the way up to the fourth position, equaling his worst finish of what has been a great year so far for the veteran.
The common factor between the two drivers that gained the most was the strategy to start on the harder compound tires, leaving the softer compound for later in the race when it was needed most.
Colton Herta once again seemed to be pushing a hair too hard during the race, and ended up diving too deep into turn 5. The resulting contact with McLaughlin sent the California driver into a spin, and left him with a 10th place finish.
Callum Ilott also had a race to forget after having high expectations coming into the day. An 11th place qualifying effort and a fastest lap in final qualifying were all thrown away with a spin into the gravel during the race. 26 position and two laps down was not the plan for the up and coming British driver.
Now that the race at Barber is complete, IndyCar will set up shop in its hometown of Indianapolis for the entire month of May.
In two weeks it’s a race around the Indianapolis road course, immediately followed by the two-week event that is the Indianapolis 500.
Keyword: O’Ward steals victory at Barber for first win of 2022