The first practice session of the weekend saw the drivers of the NTT IndyCar Series take on Portland International Raceway, the final road course of the 2024 season.
Despite rain showers in the area and dark clouds surrounding the track, the entire session was completed under dry conditions.
Drivers had 45 minutes to get a handle on the course, and then were given a separate 10-minute session to tackle the course of the softer, red walled tires.
At the end of the session, it was Scott McLaughlin that turned the fastest lap. He completed a circuit of the 1.96-mile course in 58.3669 seconds, nearly matching last year’s pole time.
McLaughlin has won at Portland before in 2022, and has finished in the top 10 each time he’s visited the circuit.
Alex Palou and Marcus Armstrong turned the second and third fastest times respectively.
Conor Daly had a shorter than planned practice session, with fuel pressure issues forcing him to climb out of the car after only five laps.
Daly was hoping to turn as many laps as possible to help him get up to speed with the hybrid power system, which he has not yet raced on a road course. He’ll have to hope he can get a full day in on Saturday to make up the lost laps.
His Juncos Hollinger Racing team-mate Romain Grosjean also had some issues in the form of contact on track.
He was racing side by side through the tight first set of turns when he glanced off the veteran’s wheels.
Grosjean’s car was bounced into the air slightly, but there appeared to be no damage to his #77 entry and they both were able to continue uninterrupted.
Multiple drivers found the limits as they explored the extent of the course, and a few pushed just over the limit and had to drive through the escape path or took a trip through the grass.
A couple flat spotted tires were the only casualty of the incidents, and there were no stoppages during the entire afternoon.
The drivers will be back on track Saturday morning at 9:00 for a second practice session, followed by qualifying just past noon.
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