Qualifying for IMSA’s Battle on the Bricks from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway took place on Saturday afternoon.
The start of the session was delayed a bit for lightning in the area, but the prototype classes qualified as planned as the sun popped out from behind the clouds.
Setting the fastest time of the day was Tom Blomqvist in the #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura.
His fast time was completed in 1:14.674 at an average speed of 117.582 MPH, which was a full three tenths of a second quicker than any other driver.
Blomqvist related that he felt that the track was still a little slick when he first went out, but quickly overcame the conditions with hot tires and brakes.
The second fastest time of the session was set by Jack Aitken in the #31 Cadillac Whelen prototype.
The points-leading entry rocketed to the top with a couple minutes remaining in the session, but did not have anything for the pace of the Acura in the end.
Lining up third will be the #24 BMW Team WRT, with Dries Vanthoor setting a time just one tenth of a second slower than Aitken,
Louis Deletraz and Nick Yelloly in the #40 Cadillac and #93 Acura set identical times to one another.
They both crossed the line with a time of 1:15.216, but the Cadillac was awarded the fourth starting position on account of setting its quick time first.
The two Porsche Penske prototypes were on the provisional front row for the first half of the 15:00 run, but both pulled into the pits early when they were not able to match the increasing pace of the rest of the field.
The #7 and #6 will line up sixth and eight respectively.
LMP2 Class
The first class to take the track after the delay for rain showers was LMP2.
Even so, the ORECA prototypes all headed out on slick tires from the outset and had very little problem with the small amount of remaining moisture on the track.
The #43 Inter Europol entry was quickest, with Jeremy Clarke setting a time of 1:17.555 at an average speed of 113.214 MPH.
Second quick was the #22 United Autosports USA entry, with its best lap being run just over a tenth of a second slower.
The popular AO Racing entry was third quick, placing the recognizable purple Spike the Dragon livery onto the second row of the grid.
There were no major incidents during the session, although the #8 Tower Motorsports entry driven by John Farano did have a spin.
The orange car lost a rear wing in a tire barrier, but was able to drive back to pit lane and did not cause a red flag.
Drivers will return to the track on Sunday for the 160-minute race on the famous circuit.
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