Anders Krohn tops Indy Lights session

Anders Krohn and Conor Daly set the early pace in practice for the March 27 race on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit. Both competed in the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear last year on the racetrack.

Krohn, driving the No. 9 Liberty Engineering Racing Special for Belardi Auto Racing, had a quick lap of 1 minute, 9.0371 seconds in the hour-long session. Daly had a best lap of 1:09.1544 in the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry.

ANDERS KROHN (No. 9 Liberty Engineering Racing Special, first): "It is a great start with a new team and a new series – it was a lot of fun out there. I know it is only practice but it is good to see we are in the ballpark. I think we have a lot of improvement in the car -we can do much better in the turns. Both myself and the car can improve. I am glad we started so well we just need to stay at the top tomorrow during qualifying and for the race. It was fun today. A good start for everyone, that's for sure. The Firestone tires were great – the last lap I ran was my fastest – they were very consistent the whole run."

CONOR DALY (No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, second): "
"I'm very happy with the car at the moment. With just a few changes, we should be in a good position tomorrow. As long as we can keep a clear track in front of us, we should be able to keep it toward the front tomorrow. When you want to enter a competitive series like this, you want to be with the best guys. The Sam Schmidt Motorsports guys are definitely the best in the business and it's fantastic to be with them. They know what they're doing. I'm comfortable to learn all I need to learn in their environment."

VICTOR CARBONE (No. 3 Nevoni Sam Schmidt Motorsports): "It was pretty good today. I'd never been to this road course before. So, I just trying to build up and gain confidence. We will continue to work hard and tomorrow hopefully do better."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 11 Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, eighth fastest): "It went just Ok. There was a lot to take from the session. We got a lot of data and a lot of visual experience out there, especially for myself. We've got a lot of time still. We have another 45-minute session tomorrow and a lot of time to sort through the data tonight. We'll look at all that, and I think we'll be right there with those guys tomorrow. The circuit is really cool. I mean, I like the walls and the fact it is a real street circuit. It's very fun to drive and a good bit of grip for a street circuit as well. I'm enjoying it. I'm really excited for the race."

ESTEBAN GUERRIERI (No. 7 Lucas/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, third fastest): "The times are not what count right now. Having a good feeling with the track and the car is what should be the main point. We achieved that. We were quite good on the pace. I tried to be consistent with the minimum changes we made. I think it was all very positive. The course is really fun. I think with a little more grip after the sessions tomorrow, it will be a lot more fun."

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