The smooth track at Road America was incredibly slippery during the second practice session for the NTT IndyCar Series on Saturday morning. Just as teams were getting ready to hit the track, race control declared the track to be wet and demanded that everyone switch to rain tires before leaving their pit boxes.
Despite the challenging conditions, some drivers ventured out on the wet track. However, the recently repaved asphalt proved to be extremely slippery, causing many drivers to go off track in braking zones. Alex Palou was the first to need assistance from track personnel, resulting in a red flag being waved just 12 minutes into the session.
Pietro Fittipaldi and Kyle Kirkwood also faced difficulties, with Kirkwood sliding through a grassy area and making contact with the tire barriers. Fortunately, Kirkwood’s car suffered only minor damage and should be able to continue in the afternoon session after some repairs.
While several drivers went off track, most were able to recover and continue despite the excessively wet grass. Colton Herta demonstrated exceptional skill in navigating the treacherous conditions, clocking the fastest lap time of 2:07.3027 on the long track.
Will Power and Christian Rasmussen were second and third fastest, respectively, but their lap times were nearly two seconds slower than Herta’s. The constantly changing track conditions, influenced by varying rain intensity, played a role in the performance differences.
Of the 27 drivers, only 23 braved the rain and ventured out on track. Newly appointed Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Nolan Siegel chose not to set a fast time due to the risky conditions. With few laps completed yesterday, Siegel faces the difficult task of finding a suitable setup for qualifying and Sunday’s race.
Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, and Jack Harvey only completed installation laps and are waiting for dry conditions during qualifying later in the afternoon. Teams are uncertain about the weather forecast, which indicates the possibility of persistent rain at the start of qualifying at 2:25 PM central time.
