Alex Barron (racing driver)
Alex Barron | |
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![]() Barron at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2006. | |
Nationality | ![]() |
Born | (1970-06-11) June 11, 1970 (age 54) San Diego, California, U.S. |
IRL IndyCar Series | |
Racing licence | ![]() |
Years active | 2001–2005, 2007 |
Teams | Sam Schmidt Motorsports Blair Racing Penske Racing Mo Nunn Racing Team Cheever CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports |
Starts | 62 |
Wins | 2 |
Poles | 0 |
Best finish | 5th in 2002 |
CART Championship Car | |
Years active | 1998–2001 |
Teams | All American Racers Penske Racing Dale Coyne Racing Arciero-Blair Racing |
Starts | 34 |
Wins | 0 |
Poles | 0 |
Best finish | 26th in 2000 |
Previous series | |
1997 1996 | Toyota Atlantic U.S. National Formula Ford 2000 |
Championship titles | |
1997 | Toyota Atlantic Championship |
Alex Joseph Barron[1] (born June 11, 1970) is an American former race car driver. He began racing CART FedEx World Series Championship cars in 1998 and made his first Indy Racing League Northern Lights Series (now IndyCar Series) start in 2001.
The 1997 KOOL Toyota Atlantic Champion, moved across to the IRL, where he had trouble finding a regular drive and got his opportunities through injuries to other drivers. However, in 2006, he stepped down a level to race in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, and then returned to IRL in 2007. After racing in the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Barron stopped racing at an international level.
Racing career
Early years
Barron was born in San Diego, California. In 1996, the opportunity for him to move up to US National Formula Ford 2000 came with the DSTP Team. This proved to be a steep learning curve from kart to open wheel race car, for the young racer. However, a podium, a fastest lap and six top ten finishes won him to chance to race in Toyota Atlantic the following season.[2]
Barron in his rookie season in the KOOL Toyota Atlantic series, surprised everyone, including his team, Lynx Racing by dominating and winning the 1997 championship, taking five victories along the way. With four pole positions, six fastest laps and nine top three finishes, he would also win the “Rookie of the Year” award.
Part of his prize for winning the Championship was a test with the Arciero-Wells Racing CART team. During his test, he was quickly matching the speed of their regular driver, Max Papis. Arciero-Wells were so impressed with him, they offered a testing contract. Following the retirement of Juan Manuel Fangio II, the All American Racers Team and their boss, Dan Gurney, wanted a young American driver who could develop with the team, and Barron got the call.
In just 24 races, 12 races in both the Formula Ford 2000 and Toyota Atlantic, Barron made the jump from racing karts to CART.
Indycars
Alex's time with Gurney and his AAR team was a troubled by an uncompetitive combination of the chassis (they used both Eagle and Reynard chassis), Toyota engines and Goodyear tyres. Midway through his second season (1999) with AAR, he was let go. Later that season, he was signed by Marlboro Team Penske to race in two 500 mile events. Once again he found himself in an uncompetitive combination, this time it was a Penske PC27B-99 with Mercedes engines and Goodyears.
It was not until the second half of 2000 season that Barron reappeared in CART, running with Dale Coyne Racing. The following season, he raced just the final two races for Arciero-Blair Racing. During these races, Alex led both, before retiring with problems the Ford Cosworth engines both times.
In 2002, Barron switched to the IRL, signing for Blair Racing, where he finish fourth in Indianapolis 500, co-winning the Rookie of the Year. Later that season, he would earn the first of his two IndyCar Series wins, the 2002 Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Speedway. Sadly, Blair Racing would fold at the end of the season, leaving Barron without a full-time drive for 2003. In 2003, Barron drove for three teams. After replacing the injured Gil de Ferran for a one-off appearance for Marlboro Team Penske, he raced for Mo Nunn Racing, filling in for the injured Felipe Giaffone. It was with Mo Nunn that Barron scored his second IRL victory, in the 2003 Firestone Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway. For the final three races of that season, Eddie Cheever hired Barron to drive for his Red Bull Cheever Racing outfit, instead of Buddy Rice. In his first race for Cheever, he gave the team their best finish of the season, seventh place at the Chicagoland Speedway.[3][4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/AlexBarronGarage2007Indy500.jpg/220px-AlexBarronGarage2007Indy500.jpg)
In 2004 and 2005 he drove for Eddie Cheever's Red Bull Cheever Racing. Red Bull sponsorship of the team ended for 2006, leaving Alex unable to remain with the team - he instead took a step backward, returning to the Champ Car Atlantic Championship for 2006 with Polestar Racing Group where he finished 14th in points. Early that year he raced twice for alongside Michael McDowell for Playboy/Uniden Racing, with a best finish of sixth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the pair aided by Memo Gidley. Greg Beck signed him to run races part-time in the IndyCar Series for the 2007 season for CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports. He competed in three races, including the Indy 500. Barron would return to Daytona for the 2008 Rolex 24, with Southard Motorsport, only to retire from the race. He would not race internationally again.[3][5]
He now runs a kart business.[6]
Racing record
Career highlights
Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Crawford-Ford DP03 | DP | 716 | 6th | 6th |
2008 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Riley-Lexus Mk XI | DP | 527 | DNF | DNF |
American open wheel racing results
(key)
CART
Year | Team | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | Rank | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | All American Racers | Reynard 98i | Toyota RV8C V8t | MIA 18 | MOT 24 | LBH 14 | NZR DNQ | RIO 12 | STL 14 | MIL DNQ | DET 20 | POR 14 | CLE 15 | TOR 28 | MIS 15 | 27th | 2 | [40] | |||||||||
Eagle 987 | Toyota RV8D V8t | MDO 16 | ROA 24 | VAN 19 | LS 20 | HOU 12 | SRF 19 | FON 13 | |||||||||||||||||||
1999 | All American Racers | Eagle 997 | Toyota RV8D V8t | MIA 15 | MOT 17 | LBH 23 | NZR 9 | RIO 23 | STL 16 | MIL 14 | POR | CLE | ROA | TOR | 27th | 4 | [41] | ||||||||||
Team Penske | Penske PC-27 | Mercedes-Benz IC108E V8t | MIS 18 | DET | MDO | CHI | VAN | LS | HOU | SRF | FON 24 | ||||||||||||||||
2000 | Dale Coyne Racing | Lola B2K/00 | Ford XF V8t | MIA | LBH | RIO | MOT | NZR | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | CHI | MDO | ROA | VAN 13 | LS 21 | STL 17 | HOU 12 | SRF 14 | FON 8 | 26th | 6 | [42] | |
2001 | Arciero-Blair Racing | Lola B2K/00 | Ford XF V8t | MTY | LBH | TXS | NZR | MOT | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIS | CHI | MDO | ROA | VAN | LAU | ROC | HOU | LS | SRF 13 | FON 9 | 29th | 4 | [43] |
IndyCar Series
Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | Dallara IR-01 | 99 | Oldsmobile Aurora V8 | PHX | HMS | ATL | INDY | TXS | PPI | RIR | KAN | NSH | KTY | STL 21 | CHI | TX2 | 44th | 9 | [44] | ||||
2002 | Blair Racing | Dallara IR-02 | 44 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | HMS 8 | PHX 23 | FON 12 | NZR 6 | INDY 4 | TXS 10 | PPI 10 | RIR 10 | KAN 8 | NSH 1 | MCH 12 | KTY 9 | STL 3 | CHI 12 | TX2 5 | 5th | 366 | [45] | ||
2003 | Penske Racing | G-Force GF09 | 6 | Toyota Indy V8 | HMS | PHX | MOT 17 | 17th | 216 | [46] | ||||||||||||||
Mo Nunn Racing | 20 | INDY 6 | TXS | PPI | RIR | KAN | ||||||||||||||||||
21 | NSH 5 | MCH 1 | STL 16 | KTY 20 | NZR 15 | |||||||||||||||||||
Team Cheever | Dallara IR-03 | 52 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | CHI 7 | FON 10 | TX2 20 | ||||||||||||||||||
2004 | Cheever Racing | Dallara IR-04 | 51 | HMS 16 | PHX 4 | MOT 12 | INDY 12 | TXS 3 | RIR 22 | KAN 10 | NSH 17 | MIL 7 | MCH 11 | KTY 11 | PPI 10 | NZR 12 | CHI 12 | FON 18 | TX2 14 | 12th | 310 | [47] | ||
2005 | Team Cheever | Dallara IR-05 | Toyota Indy V8 | HMS 8 | PHX 13 | STP 10 | MOT 19 | INDY 13 | TXS 14 | RIR 6 | KAN 13 | NSH 15 | MIL 8 | MCH 11 | KTY 4 | PPI 18 | SNM 3 | CHI 21 | WGL 17 | FON 14 | 11th | 329 | [48] | |
2007 | CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports | Dallara IR-05 | 98 | Honda HI7R V8 | HMS 19 | STP | MOT | KAN 16 | INDY 15 | MIL | TXS | IOW | RIR | WGL | NSH | MDO | MCH | KTY | SNM | DET | CHI | 22nd | 41 | [49] |
Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums (non-win) | Top 10s (non-podium) | Indianapolis 500 wins | Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | 6 | 62 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Indianapolis 500
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Dallara IR-02 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | 26 | 4 | Blair Racing |
2003 | G-Force GF09 | Toyota Indy V8 | 25 | 6 | Mo Nunn Racing |
2004 | Dallara IR-04 | Chevrolet Indy V8 | 24 | 12 | Team Cheever |
2005 | Dallara IR-05 | Toyota Indy V8 | 22 | 13 | Team Cheever |
2007 | Dallara IR-05 | Honda HI7R V8 | 26 | 15 | CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports |
References
- ^ "Alex J Barron from Menifee, CA". Radaris.com. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Driver". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^ a b "Driver Story | Red Bull Cheever Racing Team". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
- ^ "Race Results". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Photos of Alex Barron's cars". Racingsportscars.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "Alex Barron". Oldracingcars.com.
- ^ "1996 SCCA/USAC United States Formula Ford 2000 National Championship". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "United States Formula Ford 2000 National Championship 1996 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "1997 KOOL Toyota Atlantic Championship". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "KOOL Toyota Atlantic Championship 1997 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "1998 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "CART FedEx Champ Car World Series 1998 standings". Driver db.com.
- ^ "1999 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "CART FedEx Champ Car World Series 1999 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "2000 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "CART FedEx Champ Car World Series 2000 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "2001 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "CART FedEx Championship Series 2001 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "Indy Racing Northern Light Series 2001 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "Indy Racing League 2002 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "IRL IndyCar Series 2003 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "IRL IndyCar Series 2004 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "IRL IndyCar Series 2005 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "2006 Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda". Champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Yokohama Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda 2006 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Grand American Rolex Series - DP 2006 standings | Driver Database". Archived from the original on 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
- ^ "Standings". Racing-reference.info.
- ^ "IndyCar Series 2007 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Grand American Rolex Series - DP 2008 standings". Driverdb.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "Formula2000 : Practice 1 / 27 April 2017 : Virginia International Raceway" (PDF). Assets-global.website-files.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "F1600 Championship Series 2018 standings | Driver Database". Driverdb.com.
- ^ "Formula1600 : Practice 1 / 1 June 2018 : Virginia International Raceway" (PDF). Assets-global.website-files.com. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 1998 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 1999 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2000 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2001 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2002 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Alex Barron – 2007 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
External links
- Photo sequence of 2005 Chicagoland crash with Ryan Briscoe.
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by | Toyota Atlantic Champion 1997 | Succeeded by |
Awards and achievements | ||
Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year (with Tomas Scheckter) 2002 | Succeeded by |
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Owners' Championship |
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