While the first practice session gave teams a chance to try out the wet tires, the second practice session started with a nice dry track, just hours before qualifying.
And while more than a few drivers had moments earlier in the day, the first major moment of the weekend came when Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Honda brought out a red flag.
As the veteran approached a braking zone, the rear of his car stepped out and hit the wall, which ultimately left him stranded in the run-off area just ten minutes into the session.
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That unfortunately cost Rahal some valuable track time before qualifying gets underway.
The lap times really ramped up in the second practice session thanks to the dry track, but also drivers getting more familiar with the deceptively tricky seven-turn street circuit.
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The same part of the track — the braking zone into Turn 6 — also caught out Rahal’s RLL teammate Louis Foster.
He lost control of his car after hitting a bump on the track surface that sent him into the inside wall, damaging his front wing, and bringing out the second red flag of the session.
However, unlike Rahal, Foster managed to get his car to the pits after the entire nose had been removed, allowing the team to take a look at his car and get him back on track.
That bump into Turn 6 is going to be something that drivers will really be paying attention to in both qualifying and the race on Sunday.
Alex Palou topped the timesheet in the final practice session before the Freedom 250 Grand Prix qualifying. (Photo by Chris duMond/Lumen via Getty Images)
Team Penske saved their best for last, sending Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Chevrolet late in the “all-skate” session to drop the fastest lap of the day to that point, a 56.895 on the primary tire.
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In the next part of practice, it was time for some drivers to start throwing on the faster, alternate tires, giving us a taste of their single-lap qualifying pace.
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood continued his strong form, finishing the session in P2, but did so on the primary tire. ((Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images))
After both groups took to the track, it was Alex Palou leading the way with a 56.615 on brand new red alternate tires, while right behind him was Kyle Kirkwood, whose fastest lap of the session was a 56.691 on the primary.
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It looks like Kirkwood, known to be one of the series’ street aces, might have a little pace left in that car, but how qualifying shakes out will be anyone’s guess.
