All three Kiwis competing in the IndyCar Series at Road America this weekend finished in the top ten of the opening practice.
Championship leader and winner last time out in Detroit, Scott Dixon, was sixth quickest, with Scott McLaughlin eighth and Marcus Armstrong tenth.
Reigning champion Alex Palou led the way with a 1:43.1709 on the four-mile, 14-turn circuit, the longest on the IndyCar calendar.
“It’s a really great start so far,” Palou said.
“It doesn’t mean anything; it just means that the car is really good, easy to drive. It’s great to be back here. A proper track for INDYCAR. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Andretti Global’s Colton Herta was second quickest, just 0.0797 seconds off Palou’s best lap which came on his final of 16 laps.
Santino Ferrucci completed the top three, just shy of two-tenths behind Palou.
Dixon’s fastest lap, a 1:43.5340, came on his final flyer, while McLaughlin’s 1:43.6215 was completed on his 16th of 17 laps.
Armstrong completed 18 laps and set a best time of 1:43.6957.
Less than one second separated the top 17 drivers.
Many drivers, including Dixon, found the grass and gravel outside of Turn 14, a right-hander leading to the long hill up the front straightaway.
There was one red flag when Romain Grosjean crashed at Turn 14 and went nose-first into the tyre barrier. He was uninjured.
IndyCar returns for Practice 2 at 3.10 am NZST on Sunday, with qualifying following at 7.25 am.
The Grand Prix at Road America begins at 7.30 am on Monday and will be shown live on Sky Sport.
Header Image: Penske Entertainment: Joe Skibinski
