IndyCar held a second practice session Friday afternoon, with conditions much more representative of the rest of the weekend.
Times were switched around a bit from the morning run, partly on account of drivers using the softer alternate tires for the first time in an effort to simulate qualifying runs.
The drivers that put the red walled tires to use the best was the trio from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
All three drivers swept the top three positions, with Graham Rahal setting the fastest lap overall with a 1:09.7242 late in the afternoon.
Rookie Louis Foster and Devlin DeFrancesco set the second the third fast times, surprising even themselves in the process.
The two Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers Sting Ray Robb and Conor Daly set the fourth and fifth best times, completing an unexpected group at the top of the time sheets.
Some drivers chose not to run the softer tires, however, including Alex Palou. The first practice leader was seventh overall, quickest of those on black tires.
There were no stoppages during the final practice session, which was helpful to all the drivers that were looking to get their qualifying setups dialed in.
Santino Ferrucci was only able to get on track with five minutes remaining as his AJ Foyt Racing team was repairing some mechanical issues.
Another driver suffering from mechanical issues was rookie Robert Shwartzman, who did not complete a fast lap at all.
The beleaguered driver has not been able to complete a single lap at full speed all weekend, and will head into qualifying with zero laps of experience. Less than ideal for sure.
Qualifying gets underway in just a few short hours, with the first group taking the track at 4:30 PM eastern time.
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