P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Josef Newgarden’s desire to put the events of the past few days behind him didn’t take long to bear fruit at Barber Motorsports Park on Friday when he put the No.2 Team Penske Chevrolet atop the ti…
Josef Newgarden quickly put the events of the past few days behind him at Barber Motorsports Park, setting the pace in the NTT IndyCar Series’ opening practice session with his No.2 Team Penske Chevrolet. Newgarden’s fast lap time of 1m06.7045s was a confidence booster for him, acknowledging that being on track and turning laps was just what he needed. His closest competitors were Pato O’Ward and Will Power, both driving Chevrolets, securing the top three spots. Colton Herta was the fastest Honda in fourth place, followed by Christian Lundgaard in fifth for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The session had its exciting moments, including Newgarden’s spin that caused a red flag, and some hair-raising incidents involving other drivers like Grosjean and Rossi. Luca Ghiotto also made his IndyCar debut, completing 39 laps for Dale Coyne Racing as he familiarized himself with the series. The focus now shifts to Practice 2 on Saturday at 12:15pm ET.
