IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights teams will continue preparations for the 2011 season with an Open Test at Barber Motorsports Park on March 14-16. IndyCar teams will be on the 2.38-mile circuit that features 80 feet of elevation change March 14-15. Firestone Indy Lights teams will be joined by Star Mazda teams on the track March 16.

"We are pleased to have the IZOD IndyCar Series back again to test at our facility, and we hope that it provides more opportunity to promote the event in April," said Gene Hallman, president of ZOOM Motorsports, the event promoter at the Alabama road course. "Barber Motorsports Park is a very technical track and the more familiar the drivers get with the layout, the better the racing will be."

"It's a track I really enjoy driving," said Charlie Kimball, who will see his first track time during the Open Test in the Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing car. "I'll have all the depth of the Chip Ganassi Racing team there to draw on. It's a question of getting comfortable in the car, learning as quickly as possible and moving forward."

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Park is scheduled for April 10. An oval Open Test will be conducted May 9-10 at Kentucky Speedway before the first oval race of the season – the Indianapolis 500.