Scott Dixon and Scott McLaughlin have finished the first IndyCar practice session at Laguna Seca in 11th and 12th respectively.
The Kiwi pair ended the session unscathed, while Helio Castroneves and Colton Herta both had off-track moments, with Castroneves bringing out the red flag with 18 minutes left in the session.
Both drivers escaped their incidents with little damage to their cars, Herta going on to finish the session second
Championship contender Josef Newgarden finished the session in first, less than a tenth of a second faster than Herta in second place.
McLaughlin again finished the session as the second-fastest Team Penske car, with teammates Will Power and Simon Pagenaud ending the session in 15th and 20th respectively.
Championship leader Alex Palou ended the session in third 0.26 seconds slower than Newgarden, while Pato O’Ward, currently second in the championship, was 14th 0.7 off the fastest lap.
The second practice session starts at 5.45 am NZT tomorrow morning with the qualifying to follow at 9.05 am NZT.
Main image: Joe Skibinski