The morning rains at Barber Motorsports Park moved out before Saturday’s IndyCar practice session, but they moved back in before the session was complete.
The changing conditions led to uncertain strategies from the teams. Most drivers completed at least some laps on the damp track, attempting to stay in the dry groove with slick tires.
During that period, David Malukas set the fastest time. He powered his #4 AJ Foyt Chevy to a 1:08.1661 lap time, narrowly ahead of Alex Palou.
Christian Lundgaard and Will Power were on track for most of the dry portion, and ended up with the third and fourth fastest times respectively.
Louis Foster was on top for a while, and ended the session in fifth.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, rains moved through and suddenly soaked the 2.38-mile course.
More than a few drivers headed out on wet tires in an effort to practice a wet qualifying simulation, betting on the fact that more rain will roll through later in the afternoon.
Colton Herta and Alex Palou looked be the most secure in full wet conditions, possibly foreshadowing this afternoon’s qualifying runs.
Palou’s fast time in the wet was 1:21.9683, 13 seconds off his time on a damp track earlier on.
Team Penske was chasing some electrical issues on Josef Newgarden’s machine, forcing him to wait until the wet portion of the session to set any time at all.
He did complete eight laps, however, and will feel better for having completed a systems check.
Small mistakes, big consequences
Multiple drivers spun through the grass while pushing the limits, with the most common problem stemming from the heavy hybrid causing the rear end to come around.
There were two stoppages during the 45 minute session, with Pato O’Ward the first to get into trouble while coming through the final turn.
The rear end of his #5 Arrow McLaren Chevy broke loose midway through the corner, then when he caught the wobble he was immediately sliding through the gravel.
O’Ward slid all the way into the tire barriers, damaging his front wing and tweaking his suspension. He was not able to get back on track before the session was complete.
Towards the end of the session, Marcus Ericsson lost control through the quick 11-12 complex. A burst of rain had created unexpectedly slick conditions catching him off guard.
His Andretti Global Honda went sideways through the gravel trap and very nearly flipped over when his car caught the edge of the grass.
Luckily, Ericsson stayed wheel-side-down and came to a rest up against the tire barriers.
His crew will also have a lot of work to do in the two hours before qualifying, which gets underway at 1:30 PM central time.
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