21 July 2023 00:00 (UTC)
"There's no reason why we can't be competitive come tomorrow"
Friday's on-track action from Iowa Speedway consisted of one 90-minute practice session.
All cars for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team ran a total of 297 laps. Pato O'Ward ran fifth quickest, Alexander Rossi in 14th and Felix Rosenqvist in 26th.
Saturday brings an early morning qualifying session to set the field for both Saturday and Sunday's races. Then, the activity continues with Saturday's race at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
Read what each of the drivers and Racing Director Gavin Ward said after today's session.
Race Dates | Saturday, July 22 Sunday, July 23 |
Rounds | 11 of 17 12 of 17 |
Total Laps | Race 1: 250 laps Race 2: 250 laps |
Total Race Distances | 223.5 miles / 359.69 km |
Length | 0.88 miles / 1.41 km |
Number of Turns | 4 |
"It’s just tough to read after one session on this track. Around here, five laps difference on your tires versus somebody else’s tires is really a world of difference. So, it’s super easy to spook yourself and feel like you’re not as strong as what you actually are, or you can get a misread and be like, “I’m a hero!” and then you’re not. I think tomorrow will be an opportunity to learn more about what everybody’s got to work with for Race 2. We don’t have more time to really work on the car. It’s just qualifying and then race that qualifying car. I think it will be a tire degradation game, just like it always is. Putting 60 laps on a set will be a pretty tall order."
Practice | 5th | 175.470 mph |
"It was a whirlwind session, trying to figure out this short-oval car for the first time. We started out struggling a little bit, but by the end, I ended up pretty happy with the car. It's going to be difficult tomorrow to guesstimate what you'll be able to get away with the early qualifying session, but it's the same for everyone and we'll make the most of it."
Practice | 14th | 173.072 mph |
"We first had some issues with the radio. Then, we seemed kind of lost on the setup to start with, so we tried to steer it back in the right direction. The car was a bit better in the end. It seemed OK on the long runs, but we’re struggling a bit on one-lap pace. We have quite a lot of things to think of overnight."
Practice | 26th | 168.526 mph |
"It was a busy session as it always is at short ovals. The laps come around fast. I think we're feeling pretty good. We've got a bit to learn from teammates here, but there's no reason why we can't be competitive come tomorrow."
Qualifying | Saturday, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. ET |
Race 1 | Saturday, 3:00 p.m. ET on NBC |
Race 2 | Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC |
