Mid-Ohio IndyCar: Newgarden leads O’Ward in opening practice
Josef Newgarden put Team Penske-Chevrolet on top in first practice for the NTT IndyCar Series’ 10th round, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course.
The two-time IndyCar champion was a quarter second ahead of Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet’s Pato O’Ward with an average speed of 120.870mph around the 2.258-mile course near Lexington, OH.
Barely eight-hundredths slower was Jack Harvey in the Meyer Shank Racing-Honda, the hometown team, with semi-teammate Alexander Rossi leading the Andretti Autosport-Honda contingent.
Local hero Graham Rahal was fifth fastest, although teammate Takuma Sato had an off in the penultimate turn which cost him some track time as he got the nose wings and suspension repaired.
Not surprisingly, Romain Grosjean shone again, clocking sixth fastest in the Dale Coyne Racing with RWR-Honda, half a second from top spot, and ahead of the six-time Mid-Ohio winner Scott Dixon, of Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda.
Sebastien Bourdais put in a spectacular final lap for AJ Foyt Racing-Chevy which couldn’t quite eclipse his best effort that left him seventh but ahead of championship leader Alex Palou (Ganassi).
James Hinchcliffe, who has appeared to be struggling for form this year, made it into the top 10, just ahead of five-time Mid-Ohio pole-winner Will Power.
Making his comeback after his Detroit Race 1 shunt, Felix Rosenqvist caused a red flag with a spin in the second Arrow McLaren SP-Chevrolet, but eventually landed a time half a second off teammate O’Ward.
Colton Herta, who along with Power, scored a race win in Mid-Ohio’s double-header last year, had a huge moment after the blind crest leading through Thunder Valley, but survived it without brushing a wall, and finished the session in 14th.
Rinus VeeKay finished the session within a hundredth of Ed Carpenter Racing-Chevy teammate Conor Daly, as the Dutchman drove an IndyCar in anger for the first time since breaking his scapula when on a training ride.
Ryan Norman, a decent Indy Lights driver making his IndyCar debut for Dale Coyne Racing this weekend, did a thoroughly respectable job to end up 1.55sec from the ultimate pace, while Jimmie Johnson – who had never driven any type of car at Mid-Ohio – was 2.56sec off the pace, 2.1sec off fastest teammate Dixon.
Second practice begins at 9.05am local (Eastern) time Saturday morning.
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