Colton Herta put in the fastest lap in Saturday morning’s second practice session from Mid-Ohio, lapping the course in 1:07.0275.
Herta’s time came near the end of the session as he and the rest of the field put in qualifying simulations at time wound down.
It was very tight at the front, and Will Power’s fastest lap was only 0.0034 seconds slower than Herta. Much of the rest of the field was stacked close together as well, with seven cars within a quarter of a second of the top time.
David Malukas was among those near the top, and put in the fourth fastest time of the day. The rookie has been fast the entire weekend so far, and remarked that this is the best car he’s ever had going into qualifying.
Rinus VeeKay was at the top of the standings for much of the session, but fell down to sixth just behind Alex Palou as others put in fast times.
There were a few stoppages during the 45-minute practice, including one just two minutes into the session. Devlin DeFrancesco got himself stuck in the gravel on his first flying lap, and had to be rescued by the AMR safety crew.
Dalton Kellett also brought out a red flag, sliding through the grass on the outside of the final carousel complex and ending up in the tire barriers.
A final red flag at the end of the session was displayed for Will Power, who reported a throttle issue and came to a stop alongside the track.
His Team Penske crew will have a few hours to diagnose the problem and get him ready in time for qualifying, which takes place at 2:45 PM Eastern Time.
