Will Power/No.12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet grabbed the top spot from Alexander Rossi/No.27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Andretti Autosport Honda at the last minute of the first open practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Saturday’s IndyCar Grand Prix. Power’s time was 1.10.0866/125.279 mph, ahead of Rossi’s 1:10.1198/125.220 mph. Rossi led twice.
Third fastest was Rookie Jordan King/No.20 Ed Carpenter Racing/Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet. King also had led during the session, being the top rookie during the session.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Alexander Rossi/No.27 Honda, Jordan King/No.20 Chevrolet; and Sebastien Bourdais/No.18 Honda. Photos by Pablo Matamoros.
Fourth fastest was Sebastien Bourdais/No.18 Team SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing Honda, who was the last driver to take to the 2.439-mile course. Fifth overall was last year’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Takuma Sato/No.30 Mi-Jack/Panasonic Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
The other driver to lead the pack during the 45-minute session was Helio Castroneves/No.2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Rossi led twice during the session.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Takuma Sato/No.30 Honda; and Helio Castroneves/No.3 Chevrolet. Photos by Pablo Matamoros.
The weather was hazy sunshine, 70 degrees F with a 10 mph breeze. There were no interruptions or cautions in the session, with just a couple of drivers testing the track limits. No harm. No foul.
Conor Daly will be racing in the Indianapolis 500 this year, driving No.17 Honda with Dale Coyne Racing in partnership with Thomas Burns. Friday he also announced another racing opportunity – his debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America. He will be teammates with Ryan Reed and Ty Majeski in Roush Fenway Racing Lilly Diabetes Ford Mustangs. Both Reed and Daly have Type 1 Diabetes and have learned to manage their disease and race. Majeski’s grandfather has Type 2 diabetes. Conor will be the first and only person with type 1 diabetes to race in both NASCAR and IndyCar in the same year.
In the small but very competitive field of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires, the battle was down to the wire for pole position. It went back and forth between Colton Herta/No.98 Andretti Steinbrenner Racing and Rookie Pato O’Ward. In the end, O’Ward prevailed for the Friday afternoon race with a lap of 1:15.4255. The qualifying track record of 1:14.6743/117.583 mph was set in 2016 by Ed Jones. There are seven drivers this weekend.
Rookie Oliver Askew/No.3 Cape Motorsports has the pole for the Pro Mazda Series presented by Cooper Tires. His lap was 1:20.1683. The existing qualifying track record off 1:22.8800/105.41 mph was set in 2016 by Pato O’Ward. There are 14 drivers.
Rookie Kyle Kirkwood/No.8 Cape Motorsports is on pole for the Cooper Tires USF2000 powered by Mazda race, with a lap of 1:25.0252. The existing track record of 1:24.6831/103.685 mph was set last year by Oliver Askew. There are 26 drivers.
Between their first and second practice sessions, the VICS drivers spent an hour signing autographs in The Fan Village. The place was packed.
