IndyCar News: McLaughlin nips Palou in Iowa Practice 1
Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin turned a lap of 17.3134s to top opening practice for the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 IndyCar weekend at Iowa Speedway.
McLaughlin finished with the session’s fastest lap at 185.891 mph. He will be one of the drivers trying to break Helio Castroneves’ track-record speed of 186.809 mph set in 2014 when NTT P1 Award qualifying is held Saturday at 3:45 p.m. ET
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was a close 2nd to McLaughlin with a time of 17.3465s.
Last week’s winner, Pato O’Ward was third for the McLaren team with a time of 17.4767s.
David Malukas (No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda of Meyer Shank Racing) and Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) rounded out Friday’s top five at 184.112 and 183.784 mph.
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet) won both of these races last year. His quickest lap Friday, obviously sandbagging, ranked 15th at 181.511 mph.
Spins Aplenty
The car of Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson took right-side damage after he ran out of talent and lost control of the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda in Turn 3.
The impact was first with the right rear, then with the right front. The winner of the 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge was not injured, but the accident happened on just his fourth lap of practice, which meant he won’t get another lap until Saturday’s qualifying session.
“Really strange,” Ericsson said of losing control. “I was so comfortable … a massive setback.”
Katherine Legge also had to scramble at that end of the track. Her No. 51 e.l.f. Cosmetics Honda of Dale Coyne Racing was passing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda driven by Christian Lundgaard in Turn 4 when the car began to slide. The driver who last raced at this track in 2012 was able to keep the car off the wall, preventing damage.
Santino Ferrucci saw his No. 14 AJ FOYT RACING/SEXTON PROPERTIES Chevrolet push nearly to the wall in Turn 4. Moments later, Agustin Canapino lost control of his No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet in Turn 2 while following Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Neither car touched the wall.
Returning to pit road, Canapino took light contact from Scott Dixon and his No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon said he mistook Canapino for the team’s sister car, driven by Romain Grosjean, and didn’t realize Canapino was pitting. Again, neither car took significant damage.
Finally, as the session was ending, Scott McLaughlin spun his No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet off Turn 4 as Legge did. He, too, got away without damaging the car.
SCOTTY MAC KEPT IT OFF THE WALL. 😳
He was fastest in practice at Iowa Speedway. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/cTEDOy4O62
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 12, 2024
“That proves to kids growing up, like don’t give up if you’re spinning,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said he lost control as a result of trying the outside lane, a part of the track where the older surface doesn’t have as much grip. That’s also where excess tire rubber builds up, he said, something all drivers will have to watch for in the races to come.
Practice 1 Results
| RANK | DRIVER | NO. |
MFR
|
TIME | SPEED | LAPS | BEHIND | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott McLaughlin | 3 |
 |
00:17.3134 | 185.891 | 121 | –.—- | –.—- |
| 2 | Alex Palou | 10 |
 |
00:17.3465 | 185.536 | 99 | 0.0331 | 0.0331 |
| 3 | Pato O’Ward | 5 |
|
00:17.4767 | 184.154 | 111 | 0.1633 | 0.1302 |
| 4 | David Malukas | 66 |
|
00:17.4807 | 184.112 | 90 | 0.1673 | 0.0040 |
| 5 | Alexander Rossi | 7 |
|
00:17.5119 | 183.784 | 102 | 0.1985 | 0.0312 |
| 6 | Scott Dixon | 9 |
|
00:17.5275 | 183.620 | 74 | 0.2141 | 0.0156 |
| 7 | Agustin Canapino | 78 |
|
00:17.5278 | 183.617 | 99 | 0.2144 | 0.0003 |
| 8 | Linus Lundqvist | 8 |
|
00:17.5748 | 183.126 | 74 | 0.2614 | 0.0470 |
| 9 | Colton Herta | 26 |
|
00:17.5903 | 182.964 | 86 | 0.2769 | 0.0155 |
| 10 | Will Power | 12 |
|
00:17.5965 | 182.900 | 86 | 0.2831 | 0.0062 |
| 11 | Graham Rahal | 15 |
|
00:17.6083 | 182.777 | 66 | 0.2949 | 0.0118 |
| 12 | Felix Rosenqvist | 60 |
|
00:17.6274 | 182.579 | 89 | 0.3140 | 0.0191 |
| 13 | Santino Ferrucci | 14 |
|
00:17.6570 | 182.273 | 76 | 0.3436 | 0.0296 |
| 14 | Rinus VeeKay | 21 |
|
00:17.6728 | 182.110 | 80 | 0.3594 | 0.0158 |
| 15 | Josef Newgarden | 2 |
|
00:17.7312 | 181.511 | 105 | 0.4178 | 0.0584 |
| 16 | Nolan Siegel | 6 |
|
00:17.7627 | 181.189 | 80 | 0.4493 | 0.0315 |
| 17 | Pietro Fittipaldi | 30 |
|
00:17.7928 | 180.882 | 112 | 0.4794 | 0.0301 |
| 18 | Kyle Kirkwood | 27 |
|
00:17.8313 | 180.492 | 58 | 0.5179 | 0.0385 |
| 19 | Christian Lundgaard | 45 |
|
00:17.8666 | 180.135 | 86 | 0.5532 | 0.0353 |
| 20 | Romain Grosjean | 77 |
|
00:17.9089 | 179.710 | 82 | 0.5955 | 0.0423 |
| 21 | Marcus Ericsson | 28 |
|
00:17.9104 | 179.694 | 3 | 0.5970 | 0.0015 |
| 22 | Jack Harvey | 18 |
|
00:17.9136 | 179.662 | 56 | 0.6002 | 0.0032 |
| 23 | Marcus Armstrong | 11 |
|
00:17.9261 | 179.537 | 77 | 0.6127 | 0.0125 |
| 24 | Katherine Legge | 51 |
|
00:18.0276 | 178.526 | 63 | 0.7142 | 0.1015 |
| 25 | Sting Ray Robb | 41 |
|
00:18.1041 | 177.772 | 104 | 0.7907 | 0.0765 |
| 26 | Kyffin Simpson | 4 |
|
00:18.3339 | 175.544 | 101 | 1.0205 | 0.2298 |
| 27 | Ed Carpenter | 20 |
|
00:18.4823 | 174.134 | 76 | 1.1689 | 0.1484 |