Power leads Andretti 1-2 in opening Mid-Ohio IndyCar practice

Andretti Global led last week’s half-field test at Mid-Ohio and picked up where it left off during the opening practice session on Friday for the Honda Indy 200, with Will Power and Kyle Kirkwood taking first and second for the team.

Run in sweltering heat, Power fired the No. 26 Honda around the road course with a best a 1m05.554s to lead Kirkwood in the No. 27 Honda (1m05.667s) and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou in the No. 10 Honda (1m05.756s). Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard was fastest for the Bowtie runners (1m05.892s) in the No. 7 Chevy to earn fourth, and he was followed by teammate Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Chevy (1m06.034s) and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Chevy (1m06.055s) who completed the top six.

“It’s pretty toasty out there,” Lundgaard said as temperatures soared toward the mid-90s. “It was a good session. I feel like we are somewhat there. We need to find some time. Ultimately, I feel like it’s where we left off. We’re on the right path. I’m trying to stay hydrated and trying to stay cool. That’s the most important thing right now. We’ll keep digging.”

Elsewhere, Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel stood out in seventh with the No. 6 Chevy (1m06.171s) to shadow his heralded teammates, and Josef Newgarden, while continuing to heal and recover from the leg injury he suffered in May, was fastest among the Team Penske drivers on the way to ninth in the No. 2 Chevy (1m06.219s).

The session was red flagged near the halfway point of the opening 40-minute segment when Marcus Armstrong crashed in Turn 11. After coming to a stop with the suspension on the No. 66 Meyer Shank Racing in an altered state, Armstrong told the team, “Something broke.” He was unable to complete the rest of the session as repairs were made to the car.

One more stoppage was required when Romain Grosjean spun the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda entering Turn 9 and backed the car into the barriers, which broke the rear wing and did damage to the back of the car in the second of the split sessions.

UP NEXT: Practice 2, Saturday 10am ET

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