IRONDALE, Alabama – NTT IndyCar Series drivers showed again that their thirst for competition carries over off the racetrack when a trio gathered Thursday at Southern Skeet & Trap Club ahead of this weekend’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at nearby Barber Motorsports Park.

Jack Harvey, driver of the No. 60 AutoNation/Sirius XM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing with Arrow SPM, invited fellow drivers Max Chilton of Carlin and Simon Pagenaud from Team Penske for a day of “friendly” skeet-shooting competition at the club some 10 miles from the racetrack.

It was quiet at the club as the sun broke through the fog and Billy Pounds, club manager, set up the clay pigeon launcher. After a few practice shots from each driver, it is Pagenaud’s accuracy that comes as a surprise.

“It’s similar to being in the (race) car,” Pagenaud said. “Quick reflexes and hand-to-eye coordination. It’s good practice.”

Of course, Pagenaud has a bit of a “home-club” advantage, having been to Southern Skeet & Trap three years ago. The driver of the No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet hoped it was a good omen because he went on that year to win the Barber race and the NTT IndyCar Series championship.

“What are the terms?” Harvey asked his fellow drivers, as the true competition was about to begin.

After a quick discussion of what rules they’d follow and how much ammunition was available, Chilton was eager to begin. “I could stay all day; I love this,” the driver of the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet said.

For time’s sake, the rules were short and sweet: Two rounds of competition, each from a different shooting position. Ten pulls in each round with two clays for each pull. One point per clay hit. After two rounds, the driver with the most points wins.

Ever the competitor, Chilton tossed in an incentive, offering to shine Pagenaud’s shoes if the Penske driver could hit one clay pigeon in the first two shots.

As the competition began, so did the trash talk. Harvey and Chilton opted to wear their own sunglasses, while Pagenaud chose a 1980s pair of tinted safety glasses that had been left at the clubhouse. It made Pagenaud an easy “target” for barbs from the other two drivers.

After outscoring the competition in Round 1, Harvey (four points) assured Chilton (three) and Pagenaud (one) that it wasn’t a setup and he hadn’t been to shooting practice in months. His opponents are skeptical, but it was the truth. Harvey began trap shooting in his native England at 18 when his father, Paul Harvey, set up a few traps in their backyard. Since then, father and son go shooting whenever Harvey visits home.

Harvey, who turns 26 on April 15, repeated his score in Round 2 – four more points. A left-handed shooter, Chilton was hindered in the opening round by the clays being released from the low tower. In the second round, the clays are launched from the high tower on the right and Chilton’s experience revealed itself.

Also an Englishman, Chilton has many hobbies away from the track, from traveling to gardening and, yes, trap shooting. Chilton, who turns 28 on April 21, had two early misses in Round 2 followed by six hits in quick succession to take the lead with nine points total.

Pagenaud had a little trouble with his massive retro sunglasses in the second round, but insisted Harvey was the bigger issue.

“You’re a distraction!” the Frenchman shouted with a smile.

After Pounds offered some shooting tips, Pagenaud finished the round with three points to total four and sit a distant third in the competition.

At that point, each driver had shotgun rounds remaining, so they decided to keep going until they ran out of ammunition but stop counting points. Fat chance. Race drivers always keep score, so the additional hits counted as bonus points. Harvey and Pagenaud each added one point and Chilton tacked on four more hits to seal the victory.

Final tally: Chilton 13, Harvey 9, Pagenaud 5 – though the Team Penske driver protested the results.

No word yet on whether Chilton made good on his offer, but Pagenaud’s shoes may have an extra sparkle as he walks through the INDYCAR paddock on Friday at Barber Motorsports Park.

Tickets for the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama weekend are available at barberracingevents.com. Sunday’s race airs live at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network.