Josef Newgarden sweeps both Friday practice sessions at Road America

The defending champion appears to be back in control. Josef Newgarden topped both Friday practice sessions at Road America as the Team Penske driver looks to overcome a string of difficult races.

Newgarden deftly scorched the field with a time of 1:43.0477 in Practice 1, nearly half a second faster than Takuma Sato in P2. In addition, the defending series champion was the only driver to break 140 mph throughout the session, proving his Chevrolet to be the best of the bunch.

As the Verizon IndyCar Series continues to debut its 2018 aero kit at tracks throughout the season, new surprises come up each race week as drivers adapt. Newgarden took particular note of the new car’s approach to cornering around Road America.

“You can get away with more power slides this year,” he said after the first session. “This car is a little bit more engaging so it lets you know when it's going to happen. You can get away with more. That's a lot of fun. That's a difference from last year.”

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“Session two might tell a better story of what's really going to happen throughout the weekend.”

 As more of the field caught up to the 140 mph pace, Newgarden remained at the top of the charts and set himself up for a promising run into Saturday’s final practice and qualifying runs. After a series of issues lead to a P13 finish at Texas despite starting on pole, the Kohler Grand Prix could set the stage for Newgarden to improve from fifth in the championship.

Robert Wickens continues to impress in his IndyCar rookie season, coming up just short of Newgarden as second fastest in Practice 2. The Kohler Grand Prix marks a year since buzz began around Wickens attending his first IndyCar weekend.

“A big reason why I agreed to help out the team last year was because it was at Road America, just because it's such a cool track to drive,” he said after Practice 1. “Now I'm a full-time guy. Hopefully we can get some good results this weekend.”

The Verizon IndyCar Series returns to the track Saturday, June 22 in preparation for the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America. Final practice begins at 12 noon ET, with qualifying at 4 p.m. ET.