IndyCar Barber: McLaughlin tops incident-packed first practice

Inevitably, after a warm-up lap at the start of the session, the veterans parked and let the rookies use their extra set of primary tires to clean the track and add grip to the surface already baptized with Firestone rubber thanks to the Indy NXT cars on track earlier in the afternoon.

Despite a lurid moment at Turn 9 in his #11 Chip Ganassi Racing entry, Marcus Armstrong was the first to lap the course at an average of over 122mph on his sixth lap out, producing a 1m07.7542s around the 17-turn 2.3-mile course.

Christian Lundgard was the first series non-rookie to lay down a fast one, and within three flyers he was top dog with a 1m07.4060s, a couple of tenths ahead of Andretti Autosport’s Romain Grosjean.

Then Helio Castroneves took too big a bite out of the extended curbing at Turn 8, went airborne and his Meyer Shank Racing car ended up in the gravel trap on the outside of Turn 9, but without reaching the tire wall.

Armstrong’s Ganassi teammates were next to show their mettle, Alex Palou – 2021 winner here – going top, with Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson clocking third.

Then out came the second red, as Grosjean’s right-side exhausts started smoking heavily and he was advised to stop on track.

When the action resumed, Scott McLaughlin, who topped the test here at Barber in mid-March, jumped his Team Penske cart up to third on his sixth lap, ahead of Alexander Rossi’s Arrow McLaren. Meanwhile, Palou had delivered a 123mph lap to set a 1m07.2709s, but he was soon eclipsed by teammate Scott Dixon who has scored nine podiums in 12 starts at Barber but is still seeking his first win here, while Ericsson made it a Ganassi 1-2-3.

David Malukas of Dale Coyne Racing was the first driver to put on a set of the alternate Firestones and moved into fifth, but Simon Pagenaud also using the softer rubber was able to shade him to grab P4, then went top with a 1m07.1071s

Pato O’Ward had a lurid moment over the blind crest approaching Turn 16, oversteering off the track and mowing down two advertising boards, but keeping the car undamaged. Two-time Barber winner Will Power wasn’t so lucky, running slightly wide at Turn 1 on his first attempt on alternates, and then rolling across the gravel trap at Turn 2, knocking the front wing of the #12 Team Penske car into the tire wall and requiring rescuing.

In the final five minutes, Lundgaard laid down a 1m07.0200s on alternates, but Ericsson cracked the 67sec barrier with a 1m06.9994. He was rapidly deposed by McLaughlin’s 124mph effort, a 1m06.6610s, with Colton Herta second for Andretti Autosport.

Power was the last driver to squeeze in a lap and despite slightly worse-for-wear tires, he wound up third, just ahead of old foe Dixon, fastest of the Ganassi drivers.

Second practice will begin at 11.00am on Saturday, with qualifying starting at 2.00pm.