Rahal sets date with Barber’s “Lady in the Lake”

Rahal

Visitors to Barber Motorsports can't miss the newest addition to the scenic facility's artwork collection: the Lady in the Lake just past the Fan Zone on the right-hand side.

It joins other whimsical sculptures, such as metal ants toting a motorcyclist outside the first turns and the giant spider and young brood that overlook the hairpin.

Graham Rahal said he'll swim out and kiss the Lady in the Lake and have the post-race victory celebration at Rusty's BBQ in Leeds — his favorite dining spot in Alabama — that evening should he win the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 1.

Rahal, the driver of the No. 38 Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, greeted Birmingham Mayor William Bell and grade-school students, who watched as City Council member Valerie Abbott enjoyed a ride in the Indy Racing Experience street-legal two-seater during Rahal's visit to Birmingham City Hall.

Rahal thanked the city for its support of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, saying that the race weekend at Barber Motorsports Park is an excellent time/place for youth to experience their first IndyCar race as children 12 and under are free with a ticketed adult.

Rahal will make his third start in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Practice gets underway on the 2.38-mile, 17-turn road course on March 30.