INDIANAPOLIS — Alexander Rossi has just five races left with Andretti Autosport and realizes that, if he is going to get a victory with the team, time is running out.
Rossi showed he has the speed in the No. 27 NAPA Auto Parts Honda when he was the fastest driver in Friday morning’s 90-minute practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He had a fast time of 1:10.0919 around the 14-turn, 2.439-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, who was re-evaluated and cleared to return to action after an examination by the IndyCar Medical Staff on Thursday, was second fastest at 1:10.1121 in the No. 2 Chevrolet.
Colton Herta, the most recent winner on the IMS road course in May’s Gallagher Grand Prix, had a fast time of 110.1507 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Chevrolet.
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin was fourth at 1:10.2065 in the No. 3 Chevrolet with beleaguered Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou fifth at 1:10.2093.
It is IndyCar’s only practice session before Friday’s qualifications for Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix at IMS.
Qualifications are set for 1 p.m. (EST) Friday.
Saturday’s race is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with the NBC telecast beginning at noon.
It’s the tightest six-driver battle since the modern IndyCar championship system began in 2002. Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing has an 8-point lead over Will Power entering the weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
IndyCar’s Friday morning practice session on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course featured two of IndyCar’s top young drivers at the top of the timing list for much of the session.
Rinus VeeKay, who claimed both his first career pole on this course in October 2020 Harvest Grand Prix and his first career IndyCar Series win in the 2021 GMR Grand Prix, was once again among the fastest around the road course, but ended up 19th by the end of the session.