Last week’s second place finisher Pato O’Ward came off the truck with speed. (Al Steinberg Photo)
Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward was second at 1:16.1556 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, followed by Andretti Autosports’ Alexander Rossi’s No. 27 Honda at 1:16.5146. Simon Pagenaud’s No. 60 Honda for Meyer-Shank Racing was fourth at 1:16.6177 with Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson rounding out the top five at 1:16.6574 in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. Dalton Kellett brought out the red flag early in practice with 41 minutes remaining. After green flag practice continued, Felix Rosenqvist stuffed the No. 7 Chevrolet into the tire barrier to bring out another red flag with 28 minutes remaining. “I just got loose and tried to save it and ended up in the tire barriers,” Rosenqvist said. “I thought the track was kind of slippery. It happens.” On Wednesday, Kirkwood and Andretti Autosport announced that he would join that team beginning next season. For now, however, his focus remains on getting A.J. Foyt Racing to an IndyCar victory. “For me it’s been the same thing. It’s the same goal always,” Kirkwood said. “We’ve got 11 races left. Right now, we’re doing solid. Obviously, the focus is still with A.J. Foyt Racing and the Rocket Chevrolet because all I want to do is win for the team because they worked really hard for it.” How far away does he believe the team is from winning? “It feels like it right now,” Kirkwood said. “After that practice session, usually a lot of it is how you roll off the trailer, as many of us know, especially street courses. As the track evolves you want to make sure you have a good car right away. “Right now, it’s looking pretty sharp as long as we can continue.” O’Ward also believes his car was fast from the start with little changes. “I think we rolled off the truck really strong,” he said. “We can’t read too much into I think practice right now because really messy session, big difference from first run to second runs on tires. I think some people’s true pace wasn’t shown. I think it will be a lot better than that. Maybe I’m completely wrong. “I’m happy with the car. I think we’re definitely in the window. We just need to (indiscernible) her up a bit, see where the track evolves to. There’s going to be a lot of different rubbers out there. I think it’s going to be significant what the balance is going to be feeling like from qualifying and practicing, so forth.”
Keyword: Rookie Kyle Kirkwood Fastest In Detroit Practice