IndyCar provided spectators with another entertaining race at Barber Motorsports Park. Scott McLaughlin made it two wins in a row at this track. Whilst having to endure cautions, mannequins and his teammate, McLaughlin ensured that his superior pace was bolstered by solid race craft. After a week in which Team Penske faced controversy, having been disqualified for cheating during the opening race, McLaughlin delivered a much-needed result for the team, catapulting himself up the standings in the process.

Pato O’Ward had a less solid time. Whilst being one of IndyCar’s young talents, Pato seems to have a propensity to make mistakes under pressure. That was true at Long Beach and was repeated at Barber. Pato ruined his race on the second lap, through missing his braking point, locking up and going through a gravel trap. Shortly after this, he took Pietro Fittipaldi out of the race, receiving a drive-through penalty for his efforts. Due to the Penske disqualifications, Pato received a lifeline, with a belated victory in the opening race of the season. To see him throw this lifeline away with mistakes and collisions was incredibly disappointing.

Pato was not the only McLaren disasterclass of the day. The pit crew failed to attach Alexander Rossi’s tyre on properly, leading to it falling off. This led to a caution being called, which became the fulcrum of the event. At this point, McLaughlin and Power, who had been running 1^st and 2^nd, found themselves in the middle of the pack. Will Power briefly overtook Scott McLaughlin in the chaos, which could have provided him with the opportunity to win the race. However, McLaughlin showed his tenacity, overtaking Power with a fantastic move, before proceeding to cut through the pack. Another caution ensured that McLaughlin was in the hot seat to lead again, but before that caution, there was a unique occurrence.

Before Sting Ray Robb crashed, a slightly risqué mannequin fell from a bridge, onto the side of the track, before its hand was run over by an IndyCar. This was one of the most bizarre moments I’ve ever seen on live TV. Thankfully, it didn’t appear that anyone was convinced that they had run over an actual person, but I can imagine it was incredibly frightening for all involved. During the 3^rd caution, Georgina (the mannequin) was removed from the side of the track, no doubt saving her from the fright of her life.

Overall, I had fun with this one. Whilst not being as memorable as the previous race, McLaughlin was a well-deserved winner and the race was complemented by a number of entertaining incidents, battling and mannequins.