The NTT IndyCar Series returned to action on Friday, completing a practice session in hot and humid summer conditions.
The session allowed all 27 drivers to sample the re-profiled Turn 4, which was completely rebuilt last winter in order to improve safety if someone would happen to spin into the gravel in that area.
Arrow McLaren had pace right off the bat, with all three drivers setting quick times in the early portion of the session.
At the end of the allotted time, however, it was Kyle Kirkwood that was the fastest of all.
Kirkwood set a lap of 1:05.8272 in his Honda-sponsored Andretti Global Honda, which was ever more fitting because this event is effectively Honda’s home event.
Pato O’Ward was second quickest, followed by the championship leader Alex Palou in third.
Graham Rahal, whose father is the grand marshal this weekend, was eighth quickest in the opening session and well ahead of both of his RLL team-mates.
Multiple times throughout practice, drivers found themselves stacked up in the back part of the course looking for room away from their competitors.
The traffic jam served to interrupt many drivers’ fast laps, which is the reason IndyCar chose to split the field in two for the final 12 minute segments of Friday’s running.
Spins, spins, everywhere
The first driver to bring out the red flag was Jacob Abel, who spun while navigating Turn 1. He was able to continue on his own after managing to re-fire his #51 Dale Coyne Honda.
The second red flag was due to David Malukas, who suffered a much more damaging crash.
Malukas lost the rear of his AJ Foyt Racing Chevy while braking for Turn 9, and spun into the gravel at considerable speed.
His momentum carried him all the way into the tire barriers, and the 23-year-old was forced to take a ride back to the paddock in the safety car while his race car was towed back without him.
Colton Herta also lost control and backed his car into the wall, bringing about another stoppage even though he was able to drive back on his own.
Later in the session, Felix Rosenqvist pulled aside on the grass after losing drive at the end of the long straight heading towards Turn 4.
Each of the drivers was given a five-minute time penalty that effectively shortened their practice time, although the point was moot for those with damage to their cars.
It seems that rear grip will be a hot topic in engineering meetings this evening, as drivers look to make sure they do not have a similar issue Saturday and Sunday.
Drivers will return to the track tomorrow, with second practice set for 10:30 AM followed by a knockout qualifying session on the 2.26-mile course.
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