IndyCar completed its second practice session at Portland International Raceway on Saturday morning, with drivers testing out setup changes made overnight.
They spent the session finding the limits in preparation for qualifying later in the day.
The quickest on track was Marcus Armstrong, with the New Zealander completing in 58.2981 seconds. His lap was quicker than last year’s pole time, which shows just how hard he was pushing.
Armstrong’s time was helped by the fact that his Meyer Shank Racing crew sent him out on the softer compound tire in order to get a feel for how it reacts under load.
His run showed the rest of the field just how valuable the red-walled tires are, however, because his lap was over three tenths of a second quicker than the rest of the field.
Alex Palou was second quick, following up his leading time on Friday with another fast lap on the harder compound.
Scott Dixon was third quick and nearly matched his Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate on pace.
Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas rounded out the top five, with Malukas the only Chevy representative in the top seven positions on the timesheets.
Once again, drivers pushed the limit while cutting the curb at Turn 1.
Multiple drivers grazed the Armco barrier, but Rinus VeeKay was a bit too ambitious and clipped the inside with his front wing and right front wheel.
He was able to continue, and ended the session as the 14th fastest driver.
Marcus Ericsson took a trip through the dry grass at Turn 6, clipping an advertisement along the way.
The piece of foam stuck in his front wing, and he brought it all the way around to his Andretti crew to have it removed by hand.
The next time drivers will be on track is for qualifying, which takes place at 4:00 PM pacific time.
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