LEXINGTON, Ohio – The top 10 drivers in Friday’s practice session for Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio include some that could use a little luck.
Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden, a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion, has been hit with bad luck in each of the past two races. He dominated the second race of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, leading all but the final three laps when the grip on his Firestone Red tires faded at the finish. Two weeks ago, at Road America, Newgarden’s car wouldn’t upshift on the final restart of the race after he dominated the contest.
Newgarden was the fastest driver in Friday’s practice session when he drove his No. 2 XPEL Chevrolet to a fast time of 1:07.2524 around the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
RESULTS: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Practice
“I thought it was a good start and I was really happy for my car,” Newgarden said. “Once we got going, I was super pleased with the car, and we have to keep it up Sunday.
“If we can keep the speed we have right now, we should be in good shape.”
Two-time NTT IndyCar Series race winner Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren SP was second at 1:07.5050 for a speed of 120.418 mph in the No. 5 Chevrolet followed by Jack Harvey in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda for Meyer Shank Racing at 1:07.5840 (120.277 mph).
Next up is another hard-luck driver, Alexander Rossi of Andretti Autosport. The perennial contender for the NTT IndyCar Series championship hasn’t won a race since he blistered the field at Road America on June 23, 2019, winning by 28.439 seconds over Will Power.
Rossi was the fifth-fastest Friday in the No. 27 NAPA Honda for Andretti Autosport at 1:07.7245 (120.027 mph). Graham Rahal was sixth at 1:07.7561 (119.971 mph) and the Honda driver hasn’t won a race since sweeping both races in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle on June 4, 2017. Former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean hasn’t won a race in eight years (GP2), and he was sixth in the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda at 1:07.7589 (119.967 mph).
Perhaps the most hard-luck driver in the top 10 is James Hinchcliffe, who rounded out the 10 fastest at 1:07.8223 (119.854 mph) in the No. 29 Genesys Honda for Andretti Autosport.
Hinchcliffe’s last IndyCar race victory came at Iowa Speedway on July 8, 2018. He’s under a one-year contract with Andretti Autosport and enters the weekend 20th in the standings with 118 points. Alex Palou leads the championship standings with 349.
With seven races left in the season, the July 4 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is very important if any of these drivers hope to salvage the season.
“It’s always good to go into the winter after a couple strong results, but it’s also good to start off the season strong, too,” Hinchcliffe said. “We still have half of a chance of doing that. If we put down some strong finishes, hopefully there are some options for next year.
“I think anybody that sits up here will tell you, you put a lot of pressure on yourself every time you sit in the car qualifying for a race weekend. And it’s definitely — it’s nice to have a good year one year when you’re in a contract situation. Tough to have a bad year when you’re in a contract situation.
“But we have to put all those distractions out of your head and just focus on the job. We’ve been racing IndyCars for 10 years now for a reason. Just have to get doing what we have been doing and hopefully it all comes together.”
The only driver at Andretti Autosport that is having a decent season is Colton Herta, who is seventh in points with one victory.
“It’s no secret we’ve struggled across the board,” Hinchcliffe said of Andretti Autosport. “It’s nice to have a clean session. A lot of what the team did that was successful last year transferred over to Friday’s practice. It’s nice to have a top-10 car at the start and improve from there.
“We’ve had a ton of bad luck like traffic in sessions or being back in pit lane. It’s only practice No. 1, but hopefully it’s a good place to start the race weekend and go from there.”
Up front, Newgarden remains baffled at his run of bad luck, but is confident the team will give him a car that will ultimately overcome the bad luck.
“I think in the moment it’s always excruciating,” Newgarden said of the past two races. “It’s a terrible feeling. But, honestly, right after that, it’s no different for me. Move on to the next weekend. Focus forward.
“From that standpoint, not doing anything different, don’t have to do anything to get ourselves to move forward. We pick up where we left off, just do it again. That’s kind of our mantra. It’s been my mantra, at least one race at a time. Would have loved to have had different results the last couple of weekends. Can’t change. That just keep doing our program. We’re doing a great job. I’m super proud of my team, proud of our efforts.
“I’m not asking something different from my team because I don’t think they need to do that. Just not falling into place perfectly. So, we’re here. We’re ready to rock. I’m excited to run again. I feel like my car’s really good. We’ll see if we can put it together this time around.”