Fans get into gear at Barber Motorsports for the IndyCar Grand Prix

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – From Talladega to Birmingham, racing in central Alabama continues. The IndyCar Grand Prix is at Barber Motorsports this weekend.

There are grandstands at the fan village, but people can sit on any of the open green spaces around the track. Many fans brought their own tents, lawn chairs and coolers to set up and watch the cars zip by. For one man, his love of racing goes beyond just being a fan.

“I grew up interested in car racing, had an uncle that raced, and about 15 years ago, I went to the Skip Barber race school and drove formula cars,” said Mike Waters. “It’s fun to watch and to watch the cars entering and exiting the corner and I try to judge ‘did they enter it correctly? Did they come out correctly? What are they working on? What are they trying to practice as they get ready for a race?’ So, I don’t just sit there and watch, I try to put myself in the seat and analyze what they’re doing.”

For some people, coming out to Barber is an annual tradition. Others say, while it might be their first time, it certainly won’t be their last.

“This is a treat for us. Now, we don’t have to go to Talladega. Why go to Talladega raceway when you’ve got this?” Betty Dykes from Birmingham said.

“It’s going to be a little family, just a yearly. We’ll be back next year,” Birmingham resident Natalie Barhonovich said. “We look forward to being back next year.”

Organizers expect 80,000 people to be come in for the 15th annual IndyCar Grand Prix. Eventive Sports CEO Gene Hallman says the fans are coming from 44 states and nine countries.

“This racing is more than just an entertainment product,” said Cody Hardin, from Starkville, MS. “This is about drivers pushing cars as fast as they possibly can at the pinnacle of engineering.”

Hardin has been coming to the races at Barber since 2017.

“My mom was a fan and I’ve watched it ever since I was small. IndyCar drivers used to be on television all the time, you know when there was only three channels, right? So, I’ve just kept following it and never stopped,” Hardin said.

Family tradition seems to be a theme at the Barber IndyCar Grand Prix. The Dowell family comes out from Atlanta every year with three generations to enjoy the races.

“You can’t replace it. This is one of the races, we got to Nashville as well quite a few things in the summertime with the races, but the cars and the racing brings everybody together,” Henry Dowell Jr. said.

“It’s my family. We’re always together all the time so we always stay together in a tight-knit family but just to have our love for cars and get out and do these things,” said Myles Dowell. “It encases my memory all the time and to get out here every year is great.”

Hallman says, because of how big NASCAR is in the area, there were skeptics about how well IndyCar would do here. But he says after 15 years, they’ve proven them wrong and continued to grow the event.

“When that green flag drops on Sunday and that race is underway, there’s a great sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that you’re able to put on an international sporting event for the folks here in central Alabama at this beautiful facility and know at the end of it, there’s going to be a check back to charity, Children’s of Alabama, which makes it doubly rewarding,” Hallman said.

The IndyCar series will wrap up Sunday. You can find more information here.