Alex Palou – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Chris Owens

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Alex Palou continued his mastery of INDYCAR’s longest-and-winding road-course Friday, pacing opening practice for the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America presented by AMR.

Alex Palou – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo

A two-time/reigning NTT IndyCar Series champion, Palou covered the 4.104-mile/14-turn layout in 1-minute, 43.1709-seconds/140.063 mph during a 75-minute session. Palou was the only driver in the 27-car field to crack the 140 mph barrier. Recall the Spaniard previously won on the permanent, natural-terrain layout in Elkhart Lake, Wis., en route to his series championships in 2021 and 2023.

“It’s a really great start so far,” said Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. “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 (qualifying).”

NTT P1 Award qualifying is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. (EDT) today, preceded by a morning practice with both sessions available live on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Live coverage of Sunday’s 55-lap/220.55-mile race will start at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) on NBC and Peacock and 3 p.m. on the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Colton Herta – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Chris Owens

Colton Herta was second on the chart at 1:43.2506/139.955 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda fielded by Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian. Herta is the defending pole-winner at 1:40.1945/144.223 mph.

Team Chevy was led by Dallas resident Santino Ferrucci at 1:43.3618/139.804 mph in the No. 14 A.J. Foyt Racing/Sexton Properties Chevrolet.

Two-time/reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Josef Newgarden rebounded from a 26th-place finish last Sunday on the Streets of Detroit to place fourth at 1:43.3812/139.778 mph in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Christian Lundgaard of Denmark completed the top-five at 1:43.3984/139.755 mph in the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Scott Dixon – XPEL Grand Prix at Road America – Photo by Joe Skibinski | IMS Photo

Six-time series champion and point-leader Scott Dixon of New Zealand _ winner in Downtown Motown last Sunday _ was sixth at 1:43.5340/139.572 mph in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Pato O’Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio, was ninth at 1:43.6815/139.373 mph. “I love coming here, especially after the repave. It’s a track that I really enjoy,” O’Ward said after completing 14 laps. “However, we have some work to do after Practice 1. I don’t think we rolled off as strong this year as we did last year. We’ll be looking at what we need to improve on and get ready for qualifying.”

Arrow McLaren Team Principal Gavin Ward said the track was “very different” from a year ago. “We had some slower lap times and it was a pretty windy day here,” Ward said. “We have some work to do to get our Arrow McLaren Chevrolets in a better spot.”

Luca Ghiotto of Italy was quickest among the six rookies in the 27-driver field, placing 17th at 1:44.1009/138.811 mph in the No. 51 GAV Air Technology Honda of Dale Coyne Racing. And INDY NXT by Firestone championship contender Nolan Siegel _ subbing for Agustin Canapino of Argentina at this race _ was 26th at 1:45.1027/137.488 mph in the No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet.

Less than one second separated the top-17 drivers on the flowing and picturesque circuit that is easily the longest on the schedule. That said, many drivers visited the grass-and-gravel area outside Turn 14, a right-hander leading to the long hill up the front straightaway. Frenchman Romain Grosjean made contact with the tire barrier adjacent to that turn in his No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, triggering a red flag 19 minutes into the session. A former Formula One regular, Grosjean was uninjured.

Star-crossed David Malukas has a new NTT IndyCar Series mailing address in Pataskala, Ohio.

Malukas will drive Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda for the remainder of the 2024 season, starting with the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in California on June 23. In anticipation of his debut with MSR, Malukas will test at Milwaukee Speedway on June 11th.

Helio Castroneves, a four-time Indianapolis 500 champion and minority owner of MSR, will wheel the No. 66 entry for a second consecutive race during this weekend’s XPEL Grand Prix at Road America. Castroneves replaced rookie Tom Blomqvist at last weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, following the Englishman’s first-lap spin and crash in the 108^th Indianapolis 500 on May 26.

Blomqvist saw his “Month of May” end moments into the scheduled 200-lap Indy 500 when he hooked a wheel in Turn 1 of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, spun up the track and into the outside wall. The cars of Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi and 2022 Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson of Sweden were swept-up in the melee, ending the race for all three with credit for zero laps.

“This whole process has been extremely difficult on myself and (team co-owner) Jim Meyer,” Mike Shank said in a statement. “There were so many things for us to consider as we need to do everything we can to make up ground in the championship and Leader Circle standings. We are pleased to have David join us as he has both experience and potential and we are looking forward to having him start with us in Milwaukee for the test and then go racing with him at Laguna.”

Malukas was added to Arrow McLaren’s three-car INDYCAR lineup last September as teammate to lead driver Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi. Malukas won seven of 20 INDY NXT by Firestone races and racked-up a series-record 16 podium finishes during the developmental series’ 2021 season. Those results earned Malukas a seat in the NTT IndyCar Series with Dale Coyne Racing. Driving for Coyne’s underfunded team, Malukas scored two podiums over two seasons.

Malukas’ 2024 season began to unravel when he injured his left wrist in a training accident involving a mountain bike on Feb. 11, one month before the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in Florida. Missing Race No. 4 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., triggered a clause in Malukas’ contract that allowed McLaren CEO Zak Brown to terminate his services. Formula 2 standout Theo Pourchaire of France has been hired to replace Malukas.

“I’m extremely grateful to Jim Meyer, Mike Shank and the entire Meyer Shank Racing team for the opportunity to finish out the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season,” said Malukas, 22, a first-generation Lithuanian-American. “Despite setbacks earlier this year, I have been diligently focusing on my recovery, putting in the necessary effort and dedication to get back to peak condition. I’m ready and excited to be back in the car, aiming to make the most of this chance and deliver strong performances for the team and our supporters.

“This opportunity means a great deal to me, and I’m determined to repay the faith shown in me with my best efforts on the track.”

Blomqvist, 30, has won back-to-back Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona races and one IMSA championship for MSR. He competed in the season’s first five INDYCAR events, posting a best finish of 15th in the opener on the Streets of St. Pete. Blomqvist reportedly remains part of the MSR organization. 

In addition to Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing will field series full-timer Felix Rosenqvist in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda at Road America. The Swede is ninth in the point standings. Castroneves placed 21^st on Friday’s opening practice chart with a top lap of 1:44.5616/138.200 mph.

Englishman Louis Foster appears ready to add Road America to his INDY NXT list of greatest hits.

Winner of the last two INDY NXT by Firestone races, Foster led Friday’s first practice for the Grand Prix at Road America with a top lap of 1-minute, 51.9070-seconds/129.129 mph in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global. Foster was the only driver in the 21-car field to crack 129 mph.

 “The car was good,” Foster said after logging 15 laps. “We struggled here a bit last year, especially with front (tire) deg (wear). So, it’s nice to start on the right foot. Made some good changes during that session. We’ve still got to do it (Saturday in qualifying), haven’t we? It’s only practice, so let’s not get too excited.”

Qualifying is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (EDT) today, preceded by a morning practice, with both available on INDYCAR LIVE and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Live coverage of the 20-lap/55-minute timed race on the 4.014-mile/14-turn permanent road-circuit is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Sunday on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Foster will try to become the first driver in the INDYCAR developmental series to win three consecutive races since Linus Lundqvist during the Swede’s championship season in 2022. A second-year INDY NXT driver, Foster is second in the standings _ 25 points behind leader Jacob Abel.

Rookie Caio Collet also continued his recent strong form by ending up second in the 45-minute session at 1:52.1101 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports entry. Collet has finished on the podium in each of the last two races.

Championship leader Abel was third at 1:52.4096 in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine fielded by Abel Motorsports, followed by James Roe at 1:52.5488 in the No. 29 Topcon car of Andretti Global. Rookie Bryce Aron completed the top-five at 1:52.8317 in the No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield car fielded by Andretti Global.

Wisconsin native Yuven Sundaramoorthy triggered a red flag during the session when he hit the tire barrier in Turn 12 about 10 minutes into the practice. He was uninjured.

Fast facts heading into Sunday’s XPEL Grand Prix, Round 7 of 18 on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule:

_ There have been five winners in six NTT IndyCar Series races this season: Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla.), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach and Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road-Course) and Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500). The record for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.

_ There have been five winners in the last 10 series races: Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward. Dixon (Indianapolis Motor Speedway GP-2 2023, World Wide Technology Raceway 2023, Laguna Seca 2023, Long Beach 2024 and Detroit 2024) and Palou (Portland International Raceway 2023 and Indianapolis GP 2024) are the only drivers to have won multiple races over that stretch.

_ The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America will be the 35th INDYCAR event conducted on the Wisconsin venue since it hosted its first series race in 1982. Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti and Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi all have three wins at RA, most by an INDYCAR driver at the track.

_ Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou have won twice at Road America _ most among active drivers. Other previous Road America winners entered include Will Power, Alexander Rossi and Felix Rosenqvist.

_ Eight drivers have won at Road America from pole position: Mario Andretti (1983, 1984,1987), Danny Sullivan (1989), Paul Tracy (1993), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Bruno Junqueira (2003), Sebastien Bourdais (2007), Will Power (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2018).

_ The driver who has gone on to win the championship has won at Road America seven times: Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Jacques Villeneuve (1995), Alex Zanardi (1997), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Sebastien Bourdais (2007), Scott Dixon (2020) and Alex Palou (2023).

_ Scott Dixon and Will Power have competed in 11 previous races at Road America, most of any driver. Fourteen entered drivers have led laps at the track: Josef Newgarden 149, Alexander Rossi 70, Will Power 67, Pato O’Ward 43, Scott Dixon 43, Colton Herta 33, Helio Castroneves 41, Felix Rosenqvist 15, Alex Palou 15, Marcus Armstrong 5, Graham Rahal 5, Marcus Ericsson 4, Romain Grosjean 1 and Christian Lundgaard 1.

_ Chip Ganassi Racing has won seven times at Road America (1997, 2001, 2017, a sweep of the 2020 doubleheader, 2021 and 2023), including four of the last five INDYCAR races at “America’s National Park of Speed.” CGR is one of three current teams with wins at the track. Team Penske has won six times (1989, 1992, 1993, 2016, 2018 and 2022) while Andretti Autosport (now Andretti Global) won in 2019.

_ Rookies Luca Ghiotto, Linus Lundqvist, Théo Pourchaire, Christian Rasmussen and Kyffin Simpson along with veteran driver Pietro Fittipaldi will compete in an NTT IndyCar Series car at Road America for the first time this weekend. Rasmussen has won at Road America in each division that leads to the series, including his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory in 2022.

_ CGR ace Scott Dixon is poised to make his record-extending 329th consecutive INDYCAR start.