{"id":14493,"date":"2023-05-12T15:02:30","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T19:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=14493"},"modified":"2023-08-25T09:13:20","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T13:13:20","slug":"palou-leads-the-way-in-gmr-grand-prix-practice-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2023\/05\/12\/palou-leads-the-way-in-gmr-grand-prix-practice-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Palou leads the way in GMR Grand Prix Practice 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a difference there was between practice session 1 & practice session 2.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou<\/strong><\/a> in his No.10 Honda used every inch of the racing surface he could to post the fastest lap of the hour-long practice session with a time of 1:09.9383.<\/p>\n

The top spot of practice session 2 jockeyed between a handful of drivers before Palou took firm control of the top spot with just 3 and half minutes left in the session.<\/p>\n

Palou said after practice 2, \u201cIt\u2019s always fun when you\u2019re fast, the car was great this morning, and it\u2019s a little bit more comfortable now in practice 2. Hopefully we can keep up the same pace in qualifying. At the end of the day, it\u2019s great to be P1 in practice, but it\u2019s qualifying that matters.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Palou was followed for the second straight session<\/a> by Rahal Letterman Langian Racing’s Christian Lundgaard<\/strong><\/a> in the No. 45 (1:10.2580), practice session 2 leader & Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward<\/strong><\/a> in his No. 5 Chevrolet (1:10.2604), and the highest rookie in practice session 2, Chip Ganassi Racing driver Marcus Armstrong<\/strong> <\/a>in his No. 11 Honda with a lap of 1:10.3022, putting him at P4. Rounding out the top 5 was Lundgaard’s team mate Jack Harvey<\/strong><\/a> in his No. 30 Honda (1:10.3038).<\/p>\n

After following up his strong run during practice 1, Lundgaard said of practice 2, \u201cThe car is fast; it\u2019s as simple as that, we do have a bit of a concern with braking issues, which we\u2019re trying to figure out. But the car is fast, and we\u2019ve been up there both sessions now. So, I\u2019m quite confident for quali.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

During the practice session, a few drivers and crews had one issue or another ,starting with Andretti Autosport driver Kyle Kirkwood<\/strong><\/a> in the No. 27, who had clutch problems with his car that limited him to just 14 laps. For the second practice session in a row, Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0had issues with his car, but his crew worked quickly to resolve the issue and Dixon was able to complete 21 laps with the quickest lap being 01:10.4018, which put him P9.<\/p>\n

The most troubling issue from practice session 2 came from Meyer Shank Racing driver and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves<\/strong><\/a> in his No. 06 Honda when smoke bellowed from the headers of his engine.<\/p>\n

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Engine issues for @h3lio<\/a> in practice 2. #INDYCAR<\/a> \/\/ #INDYGP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jq5R59HPzN<\/a><\/p>\n

— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 12, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n