Mutoh tops rookie practice
Series officials have allocated extra practice time for rookies and drivers transitioning from the Champ Car World Series at Milwaukee, Richmond and Nashville.
Andretti Green Racing’s Hideki Mutoh was fastest on the 1-mile oval, lapping the circuit in 22.7518 seconds, 160.603 mph. KV Racing Technology’s Will Power was second (160.168 mph) and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal was third (158.506 mph).
Practice for all drivers and PEAK Motor Oil Pole Qualifying are scheduled for Saturday. The 225-mile race is set for 4 p.m. (EDT) Sunday.
INDYCAR SERIES POST-PRACTICE QUOTES:
HIDEKI MUTOH (No. 27 Formula Dream, fastest): “I think my car is really good. I could have gone faster, but my team, Kim (Green) and my engineer (Ray Gosselin) told me to be patient because this is a fast track. I think we’re in good shape (for tomorrow)." (How does this track compare to other tracks?): “It’s more like a road course because of the low banking. I’m more used to this kind of track. I feel really good here." (How much faster do you think you can go?) “I think we can pick up one second in qualifying." (About help from teammates): “Danica (Patrick) was in my pit during practice. She told me which line to take and I did it, so it was good advice. I’m very thankful that Danica helped me."
WILL POWER (No. 8 Aussie Vineyards-Team Australia, second): “It was a pretty eventful session. We found at the beginning we were out of the window, but by the end we found good balance in the Aussie Vineyards–Team Australia car. When we first went out, we were behind, and now the car is much better. This rookie practice really helped us. It gave KV Racing Technology an opportunity to find out a little more about the car and what it is doing. I am really happy and loving this circuit, it’s a lot of fun. I haven’t enjoyed myself more this year."
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps, third): “I think we learned a lot about the car in a short period of time. We made a big change at the end, went back out and I was really happy with the car. With 11 cars, it was already busy on track; I can’t believe 27 out there."
ORIOL SERVIA (No. 5 KV Racing Technology, fourth): “This hour of practice was really good because it gave KV Racing Technology an opportunity to check out the car and make sure all the systems were working correctly. It was like a carburetion day at Indy. Now we have a better baseline to start from tomorrow."
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 02 McDonald’s Racing Team, fifth): “It was very useful, and it allowed us to try to at least get the car closer. We can study the information tonight and hit the ground running tomorrow."