INDIANAPOLIS — For the second time this season, and the first time since Mid-Ohio six weeks ago, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was the fastest in practice in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Rahal was the fastest driver in Friday morning’s 90-minute practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix. Rahal lapped the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course at 1:10.627 for a speed of 124.321 mph.
“It’s good,” Rahal said. “Those Reds through everybody for a loop compared to what we used in the May race. There is a lot more time in it for us. I like it. We’ll see how qualifying goes, but I like the pace for the race car. I feel strong.”
Felix Rosenqvist of Arrow McLaren was second in the No. 6 Chevrolet at 1:11.374 (123.019 mph) followed by the pole winner on his course in May, RLL’s Christian Lundgaard at 1:11.082 (123.525 mph) in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda.
Defending Gallagher Grand Prix race winner Alexander Rossi was fourth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 1:10.612 (124.348 mph). Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing, who enters the race weekend with a 84-point lead in the championship standings, was fifth at 1:10.197 (125.083 mph) in a Honda.
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was 24th in the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet at 1:11.2450 (123.792 mph).
“It just wasn’t a good session for us,” Newgarden said. “We’ll go back and reassess. We’ll have to look at it before we go back out.”
Lundgaard, the pole winner from the GMR Grand Prix on this course in May, set the fastest time in practice with one hour left in the session at 1:10.4945 followed by rookie driver Marcus Armstrong’s 1:10.7238. Points leader Palou jumped to the top of the timing monitor at 1:03003 with Rossi moving up to second at 1:10.3981.
With 20 minutes to go, Felix Rosenqvist of Arrow McLaren took over the top spot at 1:09.9267 in the No. 6 Chevrolet.
Rahal eventually went faster to become the No. 1 driver on the board at 1:08.8421 in the No. 15 United Rentals Honda.
Qualifications are set for 12:15 p.m. (ET).