2026 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington

Kirkwood Hunts Down Palou for Thrilling Arlington Victory

Kyle Kirkwood ran down Alex Palou in the closing laps and made a daring pass in Turn 13 on Lap 55 to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, taking his sixth career IndyCar victory in front of a grandstand sellout at the Streets of Arlington on Sunday afternoon. Palou held on for second and Will Power completed the podium for Andretti Global, giving the team a 1-3-4 finish as pole sitter Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top four.

Kirkwood, who started seventh after a costly mistake in Saturday's Firestone Fast Six, crossed the finish line 0.3140 of a second ahead of Palou when a late caution bunched the field for a green-white-checkered attempt that added one final lap of drama to an already riveting race. The race featured eight lead changes among five drivers and just two cautions for two laps.

Ericsson led from the pole through the opening stint in the No. 28 InPwr Andretti Global Honda, holding Palou's No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at bay for the first 15 laps as the field worked through early pit strategy. Mick Schumacher received a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact involving Christian Lundgaard on Lap 2, and Kyffin Simpson was assessed a drive-through for hitting his own equipment and personnel during a pit stop. Lundgaard continued and ultimately finished seventh.

The first pit cycle reshuffled the order dramatically. Ericsson and Palou both pitted on Lap 16, with Palou beating Ericsson off pit road to take the net lead — but Power, running long on his first stint in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda, assumed the effective lead as the first of three stints at the front for the Australian. Felix Rosenqvist briefly led from Laps 19-20 in the No. 60 SiriusXM / Texas A&M Meyer Shank Racing Honda before Power reclaimed the position.

Palou emerged as the race leader on Lap 23 after Power's second pit stop and built a gap of more than three seconds, with Ericsson and Kirkwood working through traffic behind him. Rosenqvist cycled to the lead again on Lap 29 following a second round of pit stops before handing it back to Power, who led at the halfway mark on Lap 35. When Power made his third stop on Lap 46, Palou moved into the lead for the final time before his own stop — and when the pit cycle completed, Kirkwood emerged in second, 1.9570 seconds behind Palou with 20 laps to run.

What followed was one of the finest closing sequences of the young season. Kirkwood, running significantly less downforce than Palou and generating a decisive straight-line speed advantage, closed relentlessly. By Lap 53, the gap was under a second. On Lap 55, Kirkwood made his move at Turn 13 — a bold late lunge that caught Palou by surprise and stuck.

"It was kind of all or nothing," Kirkwood said. "He was so good in the tight, twisty section. It was hard to get to his gearbox. I knew he was going to brake a little later there because his car was bottoming more than ours. Just had to do a bit of a late lunge and surprise him a little bit — because if he started defending, there was probably no chance."

Palou, who led 16 laps himself, acknowledged he had no answer. "He just passed me incredibly. It was a very awesome overtake," Palou said. "I tried hard. I could see already on the second and third stint that I was pushing as much as I could using push-to-pass to try to get gaps and he was closing. I was like, Oh man, it's going to be tough."

Kirkwood extended his lead to 5.2273 seconds by Lap 65 before a full course yellow on Lap 68 — Rasmussen's No. 21 Java House Chevrolet stopped at pit exit, ending a difficult race for the Ed Carpenter Racing driver whose day had been compromised by the Turn 1 contact at the end of warm-up — brought the field back together.

Race Control opted to attempt a green finish. Kirkwood led the field back to green on Lap 69, and contact between Romain Grosjean and Nolan Siegel in Turn 14 immediately triggered a second caution, ultimately bringing out the yellow and checkered flag simultaneously to end the race. Grosjean was classified 23rd and Siegel 24th, both finishing two laps down.

Rosenqvist, who crossed the line fifth, was dropped to 20th in the final running order after Race Control issued a post-race penalty for jumping the Lap 69 restart.

Power's third-place finish was his first podium of 2026, and he was effusive about the strength of the new-look Andretti squad in his first season with the team. "Very happy with the new team. Very, very strong," Power said. "Still improving a lot. I think this will be the team to beat this year, actually."

Power led 16 laps and managed his alternate tires for 12 laps in one stint — a stretch Palou watched with some admiration. "They told me he had to do 12 laps more. I was like, In two laps he's just going to die. Very impressive."

Ericsson, who held the lead for 15 laps before the pit cycle swallowed his advantage, ultimately crossed the line fourth — a bittersweet result after claiming his first career pole the day before, but a strong points day nonetheless. O'Ward finished fifth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, David Malukas sixth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Lundgaard seventh. Scott Dixon posted the race's fastest lap at 1:33.9902 on Lap 66 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda while charging from 20th to eighth at the finish.

Newgarden salvaged 15th from 11th on the grid in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet — a quiet day for the championship leader that opened the door. Rossi was ninth for Ed Carpenter Racing, Armstrong 10th and McLaughlin 11th despite starting 25th, the most positions gained of any driver in the race with 14.

For Kirkwood, the win was a statement — his fifth career street course victory and another demonstration of Andretti's dominance on that discipline. "It's incredible to see that we're able to do it at another one," he said. "We're adding street courses to our calendar."

Team CEO Dan Towriss was equally bullish on what the weekend represented. "It wasn't our best day in the pit lane. I think it shows the resiliency of this team, the speed of the cars, the talent of the drivers."

Off the track, the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington delivered in every respect. A grandstand sellout, the striking backdrop of AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, and a race that went nearly flag-to-flag under green produced what several drivers called an instant classic event. "My expectations were high, but this has exceeded by 10 times," Palou said. "By far this is the best street course race I've been a part of."

Kirkwood seconded the assessment, predicting the event could quickly become one of IndyCar's marquee weekends. "I could see this being one of our marquee events outside of the 500 in a very short period of time."

The Java House Grand Prix of Arlington marked the conclusion of a three-race opening stretch to the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series season. Three races have produced three different winners — Palou at St. Petersburg, Newgarden at Phoenix and Kirkwood here in Arlington — and the championship picture is tightening. The series now heads to Barber Motorsports Park for the next round.

Simpson Sets Warm-Up Pace as Rasmussen Spins Late; Race Day Arrives at Streets of Arlington

Kyffin Simpson turned the fastest lap of Sunday morning's 20-minute warm-up session, posting a 1:34.7588 in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to head the field ahead of the 11 a.m. CT green flag for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on FOX.

Simpson, who starts 14th on the grid, was one of the pleasant surprises of the brief session, edging Rinus VeeKay by just 0.0116 of a second. Scott Dixon was third at 1:34.8027 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, with points leader Josef Newgarden fourth at 1:34.8199 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and Dennis Hauger fifth at 1:34.8615 in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

Pole sitter Marcus Ericsson and front-row starter Alex Palou were not among the session leaders, finishing 14th and 10th respectively — consistent with teams prioritizing race setup over outright lap time in the brief session. Ericsson noted after qualifying that warm-up would be critical for teams sorting through the wind and tire degradation questions that loom over the race. "The wind is going to be quite high and that long straight you need the top speed," he said. "Warmup is going to be an important session for all of us to try and figure that out."

The session ended on an anxious note when Christian Rasmussen spun and made rear contact with the tire barrier in Turn 1 just as the checkered flag was being displayed. Rasmussen, who qualified eighth and showed strong pace throughout the weekend in the No. 21 Java House Chevrolet, had posted a 1:34.9619 — sixth fastest in the session — before the incident. The condition of his car heading into the race will be worth monitoring.

Over the full weekend's combined practice times, Kyle Kirkwood's Practice 2 best of 1:33.1409 remains the benchmark, with Palou second at 1:33.5008 and Marcus Armstrong third at 1:33.9702. Ericsson is fifth in the combined chart at 1:34.0695, while Newgarden sits 11th at 1:34.6502 — a reminder that the Team Penske Chevrolets have been lurking in the midfield in practice despite Newgarden's championship-leading form through two races.

With high winds in the forecast, alternate tire degradation a known concern and a brand-new street circuit still offering unknowns even to the drivers who've spent the weekend learning it, the 70-lap Java House Grand Prix of Arlington sets up as a wide-open race. Ericsson leads from the front in search of his first IndyCar win since 2023, while Palou — winner of the season opener at St. Petersburg and two-for-two on inaugural street circuit wins in recent seasons — will look to extend both streaks from the second row. Newgarden, 11th on the grid, will need a measured charge through traffic if he is to add to his points advantage.

Ericsson Claims Pole in Dramatic Debut of Single-Car Fast Six at Streets of Arlington

Marcus Ericsson won the NTT P1 Award for the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Saturday afternoon, posting a 1:34.3562 in the opening run of the first-ever single-car, single-lap Firestone Fast Six to claim his first career IndyCar pole position in his 117th series start. Alex Palou will start alongside him on the front row after a 1:34.8180, with Pato O'Ward, Will Power, Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong rounding out the top six.

Qualifying ran in 73-degree temperatures under sunny skies, with a track surface of 96.8 degrees.

In Segment 1, Group 1 went first with 12 minutes of track time. Palou set the fastest time at 1:33.7398 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to lead the group, with Felix Rosenqvist second at 1:34.0500 in the No. 60 SiriusXM / Texas A&M Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Alexander Rossi was third at 1:34.3222 in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden fourth at 1:34.4569 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and Christian Rasmussen fifth at 1:34.4930 in the No. 21 Java House Chevrolet. Ericsson scraped through in sixth at 1:34.5667 in the No. 28 InPwr Andretti Global Honda. "I started off too loose in Q1 and I just scraped through there with a bit of a scare," Ericsson said. "The car was just out of the window." The six advancers were Palou, Rosenqvist, Rossi, Newgarden, Rasmussen and Ericsson.

Group 2 produced a red flag when Scott McLaughlin made contact with the barrier in Turn 8 in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin was seen and released from the IndyCar Medical Unit, but Race Control assessed a two-lap penalty — stripping his two fastest times — leaving him 13th and last in the group at 1:38.6580 and effectively ending his qualifying session there. The session resumed with just over two minutes remaining. A separate penalty was issued to Nolan Siegel for causing a local yellow that affected another competitor, costing him his best lap to that point but preserving his ability to advance. Despite the incidents, Siegel narrowly missed the cut. Kyle Kirkwood led Group 2 at 1:33.9473 in the No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Andretti Global Honda, with David Malukas second at 1:34.4049 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Santino Ferrucci was third at 1:34.5629 in the No. 14 Homes for Our Troops AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet, Armstrong fourth at 1:34.5881 in the No. 66 Root Insurance Meyer Shank Racing Honda and Power fifth at 1:34.6383 in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda. O'Ward advanced in sixth at 1:34.7435 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

In Segment 2, the 12 advancing cars had 12 minutes to set their times. Palou again led the way at 1:33.4049, with O'Ward second at 1:33.5740 and Rosenqvist third at 1:33.6132. Power was fourth at 1:33.7756, Armstrong fifth at 1:33.8391 and Ericsson sixth at 1:33.8453 — the six advancing to the Firestone Fast Six. Kirkwood just missed the cut in seventh at 1:33.8868, with Rasmussen eighth, Malukas ninth and Rossi 10th. Race Control issued a drive-through penalty to Rossi for causing a local yellow that affected another competitor, though it did not affect his advancement.

Newgarden and Ferrucci were the other Segment 2 eliminations, finishing 11th and 12th respectively.

Then came the main event: the inaugural single-car, single-lap Firestone Fast Six. Under the new format, the sixth-fastest qualifier from Segment 2 ran first and the fastest ran last, with each car getting one flying lap. Ericsson, who qualified sixth in Segment 2, went out first at 2:50 p.m. and immediately set the bar with a 1:34.3562. Armstrong went second and posted a 1:35.6012. Power ran third at 1:35.0856, moving into second at that point. Rosenqvist was fourth at 1:35.1607, then O'Ward went fifth and delivered a strong 1:34.8453 to move into second. Palou, last on track as the Segment 2 leader, needed to beat Ericsson's 1:34.3562. His lap of 1:34.8180 was not enough, leaving Ericsson on pole by 0.4618 of a second.

"It was really close to St. Pete already, obviously second there, just two hundredths off pole," Ericsson said. "It got me really fired up, because I knew we were going to have a good shot here in Arlington. It just feels amazing." The Swede was enthusiastic in his praise for engineer Ron Barhorst, who made significant setup changes between segments to transform the car's handling. "We started off qualifying, the car was really loose. Then Ron did quite a few big changes that you normally don't do in a qualifying session, and it really put the car in the window for me."

Palou was measured in his assessment of the new format. "I was slower than what I did on old tires in the previous sessions. Tire temp made a difference." He acknowledged Ericsson's pace, however. "The lap that he did, it's probably close to what he did on new tires. It's a pretty good lap even on warm tires."

One storyline to watch Sunday is tire strategy. Both Ericsson and Palou flagged the alternate tires as significantly more aggressive in degradation than they were at St. Petersburg two weeks ago. "They behave very differently to what we've seen in St. Pete," Palou said, adding that he expects the gap between a fresh set of alternates and primaries to be roughly six to eight tenths of a second but believes a full stint on the reds is possible with careful management. Ericsson pointed to the track surface as a factor: "It's still very slippery. I think it eats tires a little bit more."

The weather will also play a role. High winds are forecast for Sunday in Arlington, prompting IndyCar to revise the race day schedule. Warm-up has been moved, running from 9:50-10:10 a.m. ET on FS1. The FOX pre-race show goes on air at 11:30 a.m., with the green flag for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington now scheduled for noon.

"The wind is going to be quite high and that long straight you need the top speed," Ericsson said. "Warm-up is going to be an important session for all of us to try and figure that out."

Sunday's race sets up as a strategic puzzle, with the alternate tire degradation question and unpredictable winds likely to play as big a role as outright pace. Ericsson leads a Honda-heavy front row into a race where, as Palou noted, cautions could be plentiful on a new and still-evolving street circuit. With Newgarden starting 11th and needing a strong result to protect his points lead, Kirkwood seventh and both ECR Java House cars of Rossi and Rasmussen in the top 10, the field is stacked with drivers hungry to make moves.

Kirkwood Sets Overall Pace as IndyCar Field Shows Significant Improvement in Practice 2 at Arlington

Kyle Kirkwood emerged as the overall pacesetter in Practice 2 at the Streets of Arlington on Saturday morning, clocking a best of 1:33.1409 in the Group 2 session to head the combined Practice 2 standings. Alex Palou was second overall at 1:33.5008 after leading Group 1. The session was interrupted by three red flags, including a Turn 2 barrier strike by points leader Josef Newgarden that ended the all-cars segment early.

Like Practice 1 on Friday, the session ran in three parts — a 40-minute all-cars run followed by back-to-back 12-minute group sessions, with groups reversed from the previous day.

Kirkwood set the pace in the all-cars segment, posting a 1:33.6340 in the No. 27 JM Bullion / Gold.com Andretti Global Honda to go fastest ahead of Marcus Ericsson’s 1:34.0695 in the No. 28 InPwr Andretti Global Honda. Alex Palou was third at 1:34.3733, David Malukas fourth at 1:34.3889 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Scott McLaughlin fifth in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet at 1:34.4262.

The segment was twice halted by red flags. The first came at 8:46 a.m. when Scott Dixon spun at Turn 4 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Will Power made contact with Dixon’s left rear in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda. Both cars returned to pit lane under their own power with damage. Dixon received a five-minute time penalty for causing the red flag. The session resumed at 8:52 a.m. before a second stoppage at 9:14 a.m., when Newgarden’s No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet made contact with the barrier in Turn 2. Newgarden climbed from the car without assistance from the AMR IndyCar Safety Team and was later seen and released from the IndyCar Medical Unit. Race Control called the checkered flag at 9:15 a.m. with the session not resuming, and issued Newgarden a five-minute time penalty to be served in his group session.

Group 1 — comprised of yesterday’s Group 2 drivers, including Palou, Rossi and Rasmussen — got underway at 9:23 a.m. but was immediately halted by a red flag for a track incursion. Race Control confirmed the group would receive the full 12 minutes when it resumed, and the session restarted at 9:35 a.m. It ran cleanly until 9:46 a.m., when Marcus Armstrong spun and stopped on course in Turn 14 in the No. 66 Root Insurance Meyer Shank Racing Honda, drawing another red flag. Armstrong received a five-minute time penalty, and Race Control extended the session to allow each car one additional timed lap, with cars required to leave pit lane within 30 seconds of the green. The session went green at 9:49 a.m. and the checkered flag flew at 9:52 a.m.

Palou was fastest in Group 1 at 1:33.5008 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Armstrong, despite his penalty, was second at 1:33.9702 — a strong rebound lap in the extended running. Alexander Rossi was fourth in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet at 1:34.7692, Dixon fifth at 1:34.8671 despite his earlier incident, and Christian Lundgaard sixth in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 1:34.9230. Christian Rasmussen was ninth in the No. 21 Java House Chevrolet at 1:35.2065, with Sting Ray Robb 13th and last in the group at 1:36.4481 in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger-Goodheart Chevrolet.

Group 2 ran cleanly to the checkered flag. Kirkwood led the way at 1:33.1409, with Power second at 1:34.0226 in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda and Ericsson third at 1:34.2928. McLaughlin was fourth at 1:34.3970, Romain Grosjean fifth in the No. 18 BMax Dale Coyne Racing Honda at 1:34.6083 and Felix Rosenqvist sixth in the No. 60 SiriusXM / Texas A&M Meyer Shank Racing Honda at 1:34.6668. Newgarden, having sustained damage during the all-cars session, did not post a time in Group 2.

Across all segments of Practice 2, Kirkwood’s 1:33.1409 led the field. Palou was second, Armstrong third, Power fourth and Ericsson fifth. Malukas was sixth, McLaughlin seventh, Pato O’Ward eighth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 1:34.4446 and Rossi ninth. Lundgaard rounded out the top 10 at 1:34.5305. Newgarden’s best of 1:34.6502, set in the all-cars segment, placed him 12th for the session.

Looking at the combined results across both Practice 1 and Practice 2, Kirkwood’s Group 2 time of 1:33.1409 leads the field overall, with Palou second at 1:33.5008 and Armstrong third at 1:33.9702. Power is fourth, Ericsson fifth and Malukas sixth. McLaughlin, who topped Practice 1, sits seventh on the combined sheet at 1:34.3970.

The improvement in lap times from Friday to Saturday was notable across the field, consistent with what both McLaughlin and Palou had predicted after Practice 1. “Tomorrow we’re going to pick up quite a lot more grip,” Palou had said Friday, and the times bore that out — Kirkwood’s combined best was more than 1.7 seconds quicker than McLaughlin’s Practice 1-leading 1:34.8926.

The Streets of Arlington proved wide enough to offer multiple passing opportunities, as Palou noted after Practice 1. “It’s super wide, which I think for the race is going to be great,” he said. “There’s so many different passing zones.”

NTT P1 Award qualifying gets underway at 1:35 p.m. CT on FS2, featuring the debut of the single-car, single-lap Firestone Fast Six format on the Streets of Arlington.

McLaughlin, Palou Lead the Way as IndyCar Takes to the Streets of Arlington for the First Time

Scott McLaughlin and Alex Palou set the pace in the opening practice session of the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington weekend, with McLaughlin's 1:34.8926 topping the overall charts and Palou second at 1:34.9513 on a promising but eventful Friday afternoon on the Streets of Arlington.

Practice 1 ran in three segments — an opening 40-minute all-cars session followed by back-to-back 12-minute group sessions — under sunny skies with an ambient temperature of 80 degrees and a track surface of 100 degrees, according to Firestone Racing. The brand-new 2.73-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit delivered plenty of character from the opening lap, drawing immediate praise from the drivers who took it on.

"It's hands down the best street circuit personally that I've driven on," McLaughlin said. "It's so technical in spots, and then there's spots where it's really tough to brake into. It's an absolute blast."

Palou was equally effusive. "It's insane. It's super fun to drive. There's so many different corners — corners that you can attack so much, and you feel like a superhero. There's other corners where you need to back off because the grip is very different."

Pato O'Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was the pacesetter in the opening 40-minute segment, posting a 1:35.6861 to head the all-cars session ahead of McLaughlin's No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet at 1:35.8465. David Malukas was third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet at 1:36.2588, with Marcus Ericsson fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Andretti Global Honda and Alexander Rossi fifth in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet.

The session was interrupted twice by red flags. At 3:23 p.m., Sting Ray Robb brought out the first stoppage when the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger-Goodheart Chevrolet made contact with the wall on the entry to Turn 1, coming to rest in the runoff with front wing and right front corner damage. Robb climbed from the car without assistance from the AMR IndyCar Safety Team. The session resumed at 3:29 p.m. before a second red flag at 3:46 p.m., when Rinus VeeKay stopped on course in Turn 10 in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. The track went green again with just over a minute remaining, and the checkered flag flew at 3:50 p.m.

Race Control issued a drive-through penalty to David Malukas for an improper pit exit. Robb and VeeKay each received five-minute time penalties for causing red flags.

As a result, both Robb and VeeKay were unable to post competitive times in their group runs — the No. 77 and No. 76 ended the session 24th and 25th overall, respectively, with VeeKay's best combined time of 1:38.4434 set in the all-cars segment.

In Group 1, McLaughlin carried his momentum into the 12-minute run to clock the fastest time of either group session at 1:34.8926. Will Power in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global Honda was second at 1:35.3051, O'Ward third at 1:35.3641 and Felix Rosenqvist fourth in the No. 60 SiriusXM / Texas A&M Meyer Shank Racing Honda at 1:35.3775. Ericsson rounded out the top five at 1:35.6274. VeeKay, serving his time penalty, managed only a 1:50.3079 in his lone timed lap.

Group 2 saw Palou go fastest at 1:34.9513 — just 0.0587 of a second off McLaughlin's benchmark. Rossi was second in the group at 1:35.6693, Christian Lundgaard third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 1:35.6898 and Scott Dixon fourth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda at 1:35.9943. Graham Rahal was sixth in the No. 15 Mobil 1 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 1:36.1392. Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 Java House Chevrolet managed only a 1:49.8864 in two laps. Kyffin Simpson in the No. 8 Sunoco Chip Ganassi Racing Honda did not post a time.

Combined across all three segments, the overall order had McLaughlin on top, Palou second, and Power third at 1:35.3051. O'Ward was fourth, Rosenqvist fifth and Ericsson sixth. Rossi came home seventh overall, Lundgaard eighth, Dixon ninth and Dennis Hauger 10th in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Dale Coyne Racing Honda.

Points leader Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet was 16th overall at 1:36.3108, while Rasmussen's best combined time of 1:36.4479 — set in the all-cars segment — placed him 17th.

Both session leaders described a track that is still very much in its early stages of rubbering in, with multiple surface changes around the circuit presenting a challenge to teams chasing a consistent setup. "It's just challenging on the different pavements throughout the corners and throughout the track," Palou said. "You need different stuff in different sectors."

McLaughlin noted the track's signature bumpiness as the biggest early surprise. "The bumpiness down the back straight surprised me and the team a little bit. We definitely had to raise the ride height. I think everyone had the same issue." Both drivers expect significant lap time gains on Saturday as the surface continues to take rubber.

Practice 2 gets underway Saturday morning at 8:35 a.m. CT on FS1, with NTT P1 Award qualifying — including the debut of the single-car, single-lap Firestone Fast Six format — scheduled for 1:35 p.m. CT on FS2.