P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The NTT IndyCar Series held the first practice session of the Barber Motorsports Park weekend on Friday, with 27 drivers
Amid heaps of controversy surrounding his and his team’s illegal use of Push to Pass in St. Petersburg, Josef Newgarden showed that he can put all that behind him as quickly as anyone by setting the fastest time of the session, with a lap of 1:06.7045 in his #2 Team Penske Chevy, 0.08 seconds quicker than Pato O’Ward. Despite being a bit distracted at the start due to a press conference about his disqualification penalty, Newgarden spun once but quickly regained focus and rose to the top of the timesheets. His Team Penske team-mate, Will Power, finished third, while Colton Herta and Christian Lundgaard completed the top five. Honda also had representation in the top ranks. Several drivers, including Agustin Canapino, Felix Rosenqvist, and Alexander Rossi, had incidents but were able to continue. Luca Ghiotto, in his first laps in an IndyCar, was competitive but the slowest driver in the session. Drivers will return Saturday for a second practice session before qualifying at 2:30 PM central time.
