DeFrancesco, Foster and Rahal Pleased with Practice 1 for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

Round 4 of 17 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES

PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES – Friday, May 2, 2025

DEFRANCESCO, FOSTER AND RAHAL PLEASED WITH PRACTICE 1 FOR THE CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX

1) Markus Ericsson 1:07.7470 / 122.219 mph

7) Devlin DeFrancesco 1:07.9302 / 121.890 mph (2nd fast in P1 All Cars)

15) Louis Foster 1:08.2194 / 121.373 mph (15th fast in P1 All Cars)

18) Graham Rahal 1:08.3549 / 121.133 mph (12th fast in P1 All Cars)

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Hendrickson Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Practice 1 was good although we weren’t able to completely put it all together on the last couple of runs on reds (alternate tires) so our lap time isn’t indicative of what we have in the car. We’ve got a pretty competitive work horse in the Hendrickson Honda so we’ll keep working away at it.”

FAST FACTS: Rahal will compete in his 15th race here… His best start here is second place in 2019 to bring the team a 1-2 start and his best finish is second, two times (2015-2016) in his previous 14 races here. In 2024, he started seventh on a two-stop strategy, ran in the top five hoping the timing of the caution periods would play into the team’s favor but they did not, and he ultimately finished 11th. He played a major factor in the most exciting races of the 2015 and 2016 seasons as he challenged for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama win but earned his best finish here of second place both times… Has six IndyCar Series wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and five poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street; 2023 Indy road course, Portland road course) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015… He is currently ranked 17th in series point standings with 45.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO, No. 30 EVTEC Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a very solid session. I’m very happy with the work the No. 30 EVTEC boys have put in and the results so far. We improved on where we needed to improve on from the test. Our package is solid here; these kind of tracks really suit our package and we were confident of that coming here. We’re going to work hard overnight and see what we can do for tomorrow buts it’s a great way to start the weekend in a fresh frame of mind. My engineers and I sat down after Long Beach and talked about the need to reset and get going for Barber. Our championship and our season starts from now. We had a tough three rounds but had potential and good pace at every one of them. It’s a great way to start from that reset here and get into the month of May.”

FAST FACTS: It will be his third INDYCAR race here. His top start is 18th in 2023 and his top finish is 17th in 2022. He also competed in two INDY NXT races here in 2021 and finished third two times. He is ranked 26th in series point standings with 24.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was decent day for us. It’s really hot; I’m sweating a lot. The south summer doesn’t joke around. We have some things to improve on the car, some changes to make, but our teammate is quick which is a good sign. The car felt good and it’s a good platform to start from. We should be strong tomorrow.”

FAST FACTS: Foster has competed at Barber in two INDY NXT races with a best finish of fifth place. In 2023, he qualified third but retired in 14th place after contact after completing 25 of 35 laps. His top finish of fifth came in 2024 after starting last in the field in 21st due to electrical issues. His top INDYCAR start of the season is 10th place at Thermal and his top finish of 16th at Long Beach, which is also the highest start/finish for a rookie this year. He is currently ranked 24th in series point standings with 25 points.

RLL AT BARBER: In 2019, the team qualified 1-2 for the race here, which was the first time the team locked out the front row of an Indy car race since the September 11, 2005 race at Chicagoland when Danica Patrick won pole and Buddy Rice started second. Sato led 74 of 90 laps en route to victory. The 2025 Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will mark the 13th INDYCAR SERIES race for the team at Barber Motorsports Park (BMP).

NEXT UP: Practice 2 will take place from 11:30-12:30 PM ET and qualifying from 2:35-4:00. All times eastern. The Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix will be televised on FOX beginning at 1:30 PM ET Sunday, May 4.