McLaughlin leads in the IndyCar practices at Laguna Seca.

The NTT IndyCar Series arrived at Laguna Seca for the weekend, arriving earlier than usual. The complete repaving of the track last year resulted in slightly reduced grip, but still with high speeds. Scott McLaughlin set the fastest time of the day in his Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevy, completing a lap near the end of the session. He was one of the few drivers who consistently performed during the afternoon, considering the limited availability of tires for the weekend. Colton Herta finished in second place, just a tenth of a second behind McLaughlin’s best lap, followed by Alex Palou in third. Josef Newgarden finished in fourth place, with Pietro Fittipaldi impressing in the #30 RLL Honda. Scott Dixon struggled during his runs and only managed the 18th fastest time. The session was temporarily interrupted by two red flags, when David Malukas and Pato O’Ward went off track and needed assistance. Malukas, making his debut with Meyer Shank Racing, set the 25th fastest time. Nolan Siegel, also a debutant, finished in 27th and last position after completing 17 laps. Some other drivers had incidents in the gravel but were able to continue without assistance. The corkscrew section proved particularly challenging, with several cars losing control due to the sharp elevation change. Santino Ferrucci even had to roll his car back down the hill before regaining control. The drivers will have another practice session on Saturday morning, followed by a qualifying session.