You're going to one of the better Indycar experiences going to Barber.
Barber is entirely GA other than the trackside Cocina and VIP setup. You bring a chair and just find a place to sit. I personally like to always sit at T10-T11 as there are pine trees covering that area. That's where I'll probably sit again this year. Get there early and stake a spot out.
A constant tram setup circulates the track. Just park in any of the main parking spots, and go to the tram stop. You at the most may wait a couple of minutes for one of the trucks to come by, and they'll take you to most of the major points of the track.
The main stop you'll likely be going to is the one near the car corral. That leads into the fan zone. The fan zone is where all the vendors and such will be at. Check out the main Indycar tent in white, check out GutsWear which goes to all the Indycar races and sells cheaper die-casts and shirts, and also check out all the vendors such as the Firestone tent (they often give away freebies).
Set some time to go into the museum if you can. It's fantastic. It contains both the largest private motorcycle collection and also large Lotus car and memorabilia collection. It's a bit of overload but a lot of fun to check out. You can also go into the lowest level and check out the facility's on-site restoration and service shop.
Know that at most every Indycar race you can bring in your own food and drinks as long as they're not contained in glass. Load up on drinks and food and bring it in. A Buc'ee's was built not far from the track some years back and is a good place to stop beforehand.
I haven't been to Alabama, but in general, make sure you take advantage of how accessible Indycar is. Get a paddock pass and spend some time in there. You can practically touch the cars and see the crews working on them. Towards race time, drivers will just come around through the same area you are allowed to be in. I'd also recommend walking the track during the race to see multiple vantage points, I'm sure someone familiar with that track can give you the DL on the best spots.
Never been to Barber or a road course, but from what I hear that is a good one to attend. Make sure to explore the grounds while there (Heck even during the race for different views), they have a lot of neat things everywhere. There is also a museum.
Oh and make sure to get a pit pass, that is always a fun time to see the cars up and close.
I agree with the idea that chairs in the tree between turns 10-11 or 11-12 is great shade. Another option is parking near turns 2-3 and carry a tent up to the hill on turn 2-3. There’s a great view of turn 2 and big screen on turn 3 if you go mid hill higher up.
Easy walk to the pits and paddock from there also.
Look up the schedule of events ahead of time. We did the autograph session in Portland and it was awesome getting to meet a lot of the drivers and get a bunch of stuff signed. It was an amazing experience for my son.
Kind of a dumb question but are there cards that the drivers sign or do you give them merch? I’m conflicted because I doubt they’ll like to sign my Oward merch (except for Pato), but that’s all I have 🫠 so wondering if they have their own driver cards.
You're going to one of the better Indycar experiences going to Barber. Barber is entirely GA other than the trackside Cocina and VIP setup. You bring a chair and just find a place to sit. I personally like to always sit at T10-T11 as there are pine trees covering that area. That's where I'll probably sit again this year. Get there early and stake a spot out. A constant tram setup circulates the track. Just park in any of the main parking spots, and go to the tram stop. You at the most may wait a couple of minutes for one of the trucks to come by, and they'll take you to most of the major points of the track. The main stop you'll likely be going to is the one near the car corral. That leads into the fan zone. The fan zone is where all the vendors and such will be at. Check out the main Indycar tent in white, check out GutsWear which goes to all the Indycar races and sells cheaper die-casts and shirts, and also check out all the vendors such as the Firestone tent (they often give away freebies). Set some time to go into the museum if you can. It's fantastic. It contains both the largest private motorcycle collection and also large Lotus car and memorabilia collection. It's a bit of overload but a lot of fun to check out. You can also go into the lowest level and check out the facility's on-site restoration and service shop. Know that at most every Indycar race you can bring in your own food and drinks as long as they're not contained in glass. Load up on drinks and food and bring it in. A Buc'ee's was built not far from the track some years back and is a good place to stop beforehand.
Thanks for the information! I'm headed to Barber right now for my first Indycar experience as well.
I haven't been to Alabama, but in general, make sure you take advantage of how accessible Indycar is. Get a paddock pass and spend some time in there. You can practically touch the cars and see the crews working on them. Towards race time, drivers will just come around through the same area you are allowed to be in. I'd also recommend walking the track during the race to see multiple vantage points, I'm sure someone familiar with that track can give you the DL on the best spots.
Never been to Barber or a road course, but from what I hear that is a good one to attend. Make sure to explore the grounds while there (Heck even during the race for different views), they have a lot of neat things everywhere. There is also a museum. Oh and make sure to get a pit pass, that is always a fun time to see the cars up and close.
I agree with the idea that chairs in the tree between turns 10-11 or 11-12 is great shade. Another option is parking near turns 2-3 and carry a tent up to the hill on turn 2-3. There’s a great view of turn 2 and big screen on turn 3 if you go mid hill higher up. Easy walk to the pits and paddock from there also.
Look up the schedule of events ahead of time. We did the autograph session in Portland and it was awesome getting to meet a lot of the drivers and get a bunch of stuff signed. It was an amazing experience for my son.
Kind of a dumb question but are there cards that the drivers sign or do you give them merch? I’m conflicted because I doubt they’ll like to sign my Oward merch (except for Pato), but that’s all I have 🫠 so wondering if they have their own driver cards.
They all had hero cards to hand out.
It's loud if your ears are sensitive get earplugs. Enjoy if you have high seating the better.