NEWTON, Iowa — Four-time winner Josef Newgarden was the fastest driver in Friday’s 90-minute practice session for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway.
Newgarden’s best speed was 176.428 mph in the No. 2 Chevrolet for Team Penske.
Teammate Scott McLaughlin was second at 175.986 mph in the No. 3 Chevrolet.
“It was OK,” Newgarden said. “As you could see, we have a pretty good package, we ran a good first couple of laps, but it was just OK in race trim. This place is tricky. Everyone is going to be really good this weekend. A lot of people have tested. No one stands still in the IndyCar Series. You are constantly trying to keep up.
“We aren’t 100 percent where we want to be, but I felt like we have plenty of potential to get where we need to.”
Newgarden is one of the favorites at Iowa Speedway, but it’s a role he discounts.
“You have to be really careful because past success does not equal future success,” Newgarden said. “It doesn’t matter how good you are somewhere, in this series, it can change at a moment’s notice, and you will be behind the 8-ball. I’m not feeling overly confident about anything. It’s going to be tough Saturday and Sunday.
“We have to nail our balance and make sure we are where we need to be because if not, there is a whole grid that is ready to beat us.”
Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing was third in the No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda at 175.877 mph followed by Colton Herta of Andretti Autosport at 175.521 mph in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
Pato O’Ward, who won last year’s second race of the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend, rounded out the top five at 175.470 mph in the No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren.
“We’re not quite there yet,” O’Ward said. “We are somewhat strong. We are definitely not the strongest. There are some strong cars there. We go qualify and then everybody races their qualifying cars. The wind will change a little bit and it’s as bumpy as I remember it being. It’s going to be a deg (tire degradation game) like it is every year.
“This is all we are going to get for this weekend. Tomorrow is a race with a qualifying session beforehand but also a chance to make the car go better in Race 2. We’ve got some work to do.”
Takuma Sato of Chip Ganassi Racing was sixth, followed by the driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Christian Lundgaard.
The 28 drivers ran over 2,766 laps.
Qualifying is at 9:30 (ET) on Saturday.
The Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart starting lineup will be determined by the first of two laps. Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 Presented by Gatorade starting lineup will be determined by the second lap speeds.
In the first 10 minutes, Ericsson had the fastest speed at 173.811 mph.
Newgarden upped the speed to 176.428 mph in the No. 2 Chevrolet followed by Colton Herta’s 175.521 mph and Ryan Hunter-Reay’s 174.204 mph. With 44:23 left in practice; Augustin Canapino spun out in Turn 2 for the first caution of the practice.
The Argentine was leaving pit lane and when he got on the throttle, his car spun out in the acceleration lane.
Santino Ferrucci went high on the track and very close to the wall late in the session with just a few minutes left. IndyCar turned on the yellow light for about five seconds, but when Ferrucci was able to regain control of the No. 14 Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing and drive into the pits, the green light quickly returned.
Because the cars will be impounded after qualifications, the teams are basically qualifying on their race setup.
“If you have a Rocket Ship on this track in race setup, you’re chilling,” O’Ward said.
Keyword: Newgarden Sets The Pace At IndyCar Iowa Doubleheader