O’Ward tops second Indy GP practice

Pato O’Ward set the stage for today’s qualifying session for the GMR Grand Prix after posting the fastest lap in the second practice session with the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevy (1m09.7839s). O’Ward, like the rest of the drivers in the 27-car field, performed qualifying simulation runs on Firestone’s faster red-banded alternative tires, and behind the most recent race winner, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou was a close second in the No. 10 Honda (+0. 0.0298s).

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Third belonged to Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta in the No. 26 Honda (+0.0584s); Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay was fourth in the No. 21 Chevy (+0.1426s), Christian Lundgaard was happy in fifth in the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda (+0.2163s) and Andretti’s Romain Grosjean completed the top six in the No. 28 Honda (+0.2322s).

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A red flag was required seven minutes into the session as Dalton Kellett spun off into the gravel at Turn 4 and stalled the car. A trailing David Malukas followed Kellett into the gravel but he was able to continue without assistance. The next red followed after 12 minutes of running time as Jimmie Johnson executed a nearly identical spin-and-stall into the gravel. Beyond those minor incidents, a number of big brake lockups and quick trips across the grass were seen as temperatures rose to the mid-80s.

RESULTS

UP NEXT: Qualifying, 4 p.m. ET