Race
2023 calendar
Race reviewindynxt_R2_Apr.30.2023Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
A 2.3-mile permanent road course in Birmingham, Alabama. A compact circuit that features flowing turns and a number of elevations, while the narrow circuit width – only 45 feet – means drivers need to plan overtaking maneuvers carefully.
Race start: 11:50am ET
17 Turns
31 Laps
80.5 Miles
Raceresults
| Qual | Race | |
|---|---|---|
Gold | 07 | 17 |
Nannini | 12 | 15 |
Birmingham, AlabamaApril 30, 2023
The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama was a short-lived race for both Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers, as Reece Gold retired early with a clutch issue and Matteo Nannini exited after suffering contact.
Reece started the race in P7, hoping for an audacious performance to replicate his Indy Pro 2000 Championship win at Barber Motorsports Park last season, while Matteo lined up on the sixth row in P12.
Matteo made good progress in the early laps to move up to P10, while Reece remained in contention despite conceding a position.
However, Reece was soon forced to nurse his car back to the pit lane due to clutch issues. Matteo retired on lap 13 after tangling with a rival on the exit of the final corner.
“I WAS MANAGING THE RACE, NOTHING TOO CRAZY, BUT ALSO I HAD MORE SPEED THAN THE CARS IN FRONT. IT’S A PITY TO LOSE A RACE LIKE THIS.”
Matteo Nannini said:
“I was managing the race, nothing too crazy, but also I had more speed than the cars in front. It’s a pity to lose a race like this. There have been struggles through the weekend, but we will try our best to improve and I saw in the race that we were making progress. Now, we will just focus on Indianapolis.”
“IT WAS NOT THE BEST WEEKEND OVERALL, BUT WE HAD A DECENT RUN IN P8 AND WERE LOOKING GOOD FOR POINTS.”
Reece Gold said:
“It was an unfortunate end here at round two. I had an issue with the clutch. It was not the best weekend overall, but we had a decent run in P8 and were looking good for points. It’s just a shame to end it like this.”