After an uncharacteristically quiet opening day, Team Penske roared to the top of the overall speed charts Tuesday during the finale of an NTT INDYCAR SERIES Group Test at Sebring International Raceway.
Series champions and Indianapolis 500 winners Will Power and Josef Newgarden ended up 1-2 for the fabled team and overall in the two-day test, which served as final preparations for all 27 full-time drivers before the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding on Sunday, March 2 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida (noon ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, INDYCAR Radio Network).
SEE: Overall Test Results
Power was quickest today and overall with a lap of 52.2549 seconds in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by Newgarden at 52.3191 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Both laps were completed in the cooler morning session, when seven of the 10 quickest laps of the two-day session were turned. The field was split into morning and afternoon groups both days on the 1.67-mile “short course” at the historic circuit in Central Florida.
“It’s funny, after a couple days back in the car, you feel right at home, back to the same old stuff, and going through the same old changes and just confirming stuff,” Power said. “I know it so well now, but it always changes. It’s never the same. So, you’ve got to be on your toes, super-tight field.”
Less than eight-tenths of a second separated the entire 27-car field over two days of testing.
The results for Team Penske today were a contrast from Monday, when Power was the quickest for the team in seventh at 52.8032, more than four-tenths of a second behind the day’s leader, Pato O’Ward of Arrow McLaren at 52.3470.
O’Ward’s leading time from Monday still placed him third overall on the combined speed chart. His best lap today was 52.7060 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Marcus Armstrong’s afternoon session-leading time Monday of 52.3675 stood up as fourth overall in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing normally driven by Felix Rosenqvist, who was ill Monday. Rosenqvist was back behind the wheel of the No. 60 machine Tuesday and was ninth overall at 52.5273.
Colton Herta ended up fifth overall with his lap this morning of 52.3818 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global. Nolan Siegel helped Arrow McLaren join Team Penske with two drivers in the top six as he clocked in at sixth overall at 52.4405 with his top lap this morning in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Three-time and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou was seventh overall at 52.4948 with his best lap Monday in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Series newcomer PREMA Racing, which has dominated global junior open-wheel racing, finished its first Group Test on an encouraging note. Series veteran Callum Ilott ended up eighth overall at 52.4998 in the team’s No. 90 Chevrolet.
A challenging test for Scott Dixon ended with the six-time series champion at 13th overall in the 27-driver field at 52.6120 with his best lap this morning in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Dixon only turned two laps Monday due to a mechanical problem, and he crashed into the barriers in Turn 6 approximately 15 minutes into the morning session today. His car suffered minor rear damage, and Dixon was unhurt and returned to testing.
Source: INDYCAR
