Zoom Motorsports excited about IRL coming to Barber Motorsports Park

April will be a busy month for motorsports fans in Alabama and around the Southeast.

In addition to NASCAR’s top series returning to Talladega Superspeedway for its spring race, Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds will host an Indy Racing League event April 9-11.

Clark Virden, marketing director for Zoom Motorsports, spoke to the Talladega Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, telling members about the park itself as well as the racing series coming to the track in the spring.

“We’ve got a little party coming up next April with the Indy Racing League,” Virden said. “We’re very excited about it.”

Barber hosted a test session for the IRL drivers in March and Virden said the event was a great success even with no competition taking place on the track.

“We felt like we did a pretty good job,” Virden said. “In three days we had 25,000 people that came out for a test session. It was not based on competition-type setting. They just simply wanted to come out to see Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves, see Ashley Judd’s husband, Dario Franchitti.”

IRL will definitely visit Barber Motorsports Park for the next three years, but Virden said his event management team hopes Barber’s partnership with Indy is a long one.

“We’ve got representation of all major forms of auto racing in the state of Alabama,” Virden said. “Alabama is being recognized as a mecca of motorsports just like North Carolina, just like Indianapolis is.”

The event will also bring more recognition to Honda Manufacturing of Alabama.

“American Honda is the sole engine supplier to the Indy Racing League,” Virden said.

Virden said he expects 100,000 people to attend the event over the weekend.

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