One of the more unusual occurrences on a telecast in a while came at the Grand Prix of Alabama Sunday. That NTT IndyCar Series race, which was broadcast on NBC and Peacock, took place at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham. That course has often featured some unusual decorations, and one of those was a mannequin hung from a bridge overlooking the track. And the mannequin fell during that race, and then lost an arm to one of the cars, prompting a lot of broadcast discussion:
A mannequin falling at today’s IndyCar race drew broadcast comment. “There’s been an accident of a different kind.” “…Not a real person, we should point that out right away.” “…Her name is Georgina.” “…We’d better hope the IndyCar drivers know that’s a mannequin.” pic.twitter.com/1l7mNnRJuy
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 28, 2024
Why was there a mannequin at this race? Well, as per a 2016 Birmingham magazine piece by Cary Estes on the track, businessman and former driver George Barber (who created the park and the accompanying Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum) insisted it be put up overlooking the course that year:
Barber lovingly tends to his creation like a farmer caring for his crops. Earlier this summer, he instructed track workers to hang a mannequin he dubbed “Georgina” off the pedestrian bridge that crosses the track near Turn 8. He returned to the spot three times over the next two hours to see the progress and offer advice.
“Put her right over the middle of the track,” Barber instructed the track workers. “I want the drivers to be able to see her. They’ll come around that turn and think there’s somebody hanging off the bridge.”
That is a good indicator of Barber’s offbeat sense of humor, as is the unconventional artwork displayed throughout the park. Barber enjoys taking visitors for a ride around the track and pointing out the various sculptures and statues, usually throwing in a joke along the way.
As he passes a sculpture of a giant spider, Barber quips, “We have a terrible insect problem here.” A collection of metal daisies prompts Barber to say, “We try to find places to grow things here, and if they won’t grow, we make our own.”
The track has hosted IndyCar’s Grand Prix of Alabama since 2010, so “Georgina” was doing just fine until now. (And drivers were probably somewhat used to seeing the mannequin hanging there.) But it’s still remarkable to see a mannequin fall this way and then immediately get hit by a car. And the NBC broadcast did a solid job of covering both the absurdity of the situation while also relaying some context and commenting on potential race implications.
In the end, that race was eventually won by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, notable around a larger ongoing controversy with that team. And the mannequin fall didn’t appear to have a massive impact. But it was still an unusual thing to see.
Update: And there were some notable photos of McLaughlin with “Georgina” after the race:
Georgina has made a friend.#IndyCar #IndyBHM @SpeedFreaks pic.twitter.com/ZVUSRt1OhT
— Jess Peters (@_Jess_Peters_) April 28, 2024
And he posted one himself:
Had to meet the ol’girl even though she nearly ruined my race. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/mAtaJRSTY8
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) April 28, 2024
[Awful Announcing on Twitter/X]
