Kyle Kirkwood showed his street track prowess by setting the fastest lap so far in Practice 2 for the IndyCar Arlington GP. Álex Palou and Marcus Armstrong finish out the overall top three in second and third, respectively.
IndyCar returned to the Streets of Arlington after Scott McLaughlin topped the overall charts in Practice 1 on Friday. In Practice 1, drivers got a feel for the track’s bumpy nature across its variety of driving surfaces. Drivers utilized Practice 2 at the Arlington GP to further dial in their setups as they prepare for qualifying.
Practice 2 will follow Practice 1’s format, with one 40-minute session with all drivers and two 12-minute sessions with the grid split, so drivers can practice their qualifying runs with less traffic.
Combined Session
The latest IndyCar winner, Josef Newgarden, set the early pace with a 1:42.6221. Pato O’Ward and David Malukas slotted into second and third as the session got underway. Graham Rahal ran wide at the final corner but rejoined without losing time. Alexander Rossi and Mick Schumacher both encountered trouble at the same turn, with Schumacher sliding into the run-off and Rossi locking up his brakes. Both drivers returned to the session without incident.
As the field began finding its rhythm, Kyle Kirkwood surged to the top of the timesheets with a 1:37.0870, trailed by Malukas in second and Caio Collet in third. Markus Ericsson then displaced Kirkwood by dipping under the 1:36 barrier, posting a 1:36.5629. Rookie Dennis Hauger wasted little time making his mark, jumping to second with a 1:35.749 and further underlining his impressive early form.
Red Flag with Power and Dixon
IndyCar veterans Will Power and Scott Dixon triggered a red flag at Turn 12 when Dixon spun and stopped on track, leaving Power with no visibility as he approached the corner and nowhere to avoid the stationary No. 9 car. Both drivers returned to the pits under their own power and walked away unharmed.
The session resumed 17 minutes in, with McLaughlin immediately making his presence felt by jumping to second with a 1:35.549. Kirkwood, continuing to look at home on street courses, snatched top spot with a 1:35.529. McLaughlin locked up shortly after but kept his car out of trouble, with only his tyres grazing the run-off.
The top of the order began to shuffle rapidly. Ericsson grabbed the lead with a 1:35.249 before Lundgaard moved to second and McLaughlin reclaimed first with a 1:35.0024. Ericsson fired back, breaking into the 1:34s with a 1:34.966.
Kirkwood speeds through
Kirkwood then posted the fastest lap of the weekend so far at the Streets of Arlington with a 1:34.5313, only for Malukas to immediately go quicker with a 1:34.3889. O’Ward locked up at Turn 4 but rejoined safely. McLaughlin could not find the time to overhaul Malukas, settling into second with a 1:34.426 before Palou displaced both of them with a 1:34.3733.
Further down the order, Schumacher climbed to sixth and became the fastest rookie of the session with a 1:34.6691. Power, returning to the track fitted with a new front wing, made swift progress from 24th to 14th with a 1:35.6165.
With eight minutes remaining, Palou led on a 1:34.3733 ahead of Malukas and McLaughlin. Kirkwood then raised the stakes dramatically, vaulting to the top with a 1:33.634 to become the first driver to crack the 1:34 barrier. Ericsson slotted into second on a 1:34.069. Schumacher, having locked up again, made it back out with four minutes left to run.
Newgarden in the wall in Arlington
The second red flag waved as Newgarden hit the front right tyre into the barrier as his rear wheel locked up. With front-suspension damage, his car had to be recovered while Newgarden walked away from the crash.
With the clock running under red-flag conditions, Kirkwood ended the session as the overall fastest, with Ericsson and Palou in second and third, respectively.
Group 1
The first group session got off to a disrupted start, with a brief green flag quickly followed by a red flag that sent the field back to the pits. Once running properly, Rossi locked up at Turn 4 as drivers began setting their first representative times. Rahal led the way early with a 1:37.04, followed by Siegel and Rasmussen in second and third.
The pace improved quickly. Rasmussen moved to the top with a 1:35.268, only to be displaced by Palou on a 1:34.4771. Siegel slotted into second with a 1:34.961, before Armstrong climbed to the head of the group session and third overall with a 1:34.354.
Palou continued pushing, reclaiming the group lead and moving to second overall with a 1:34.021, with a well-executed pass on Sting Ray Robb on the straight through traffic adding to his momentum. Armstrong then edged ahead of Palou’s best in the group, but drama struck immediately after he crossed the start/finish line, spinning out and stalling his car. The resulting red flag brought out the officials to clear the stricken machine. Crucially, Palou had already responded before the stoppage, reclaiming the group lead and going fastest overall with a 1:33.5008.
The green flag returned with just two minutes left, giving drivers one final push. Hauger improved to tenth with a 1:35.546, while Collet wrapped up the session as the fastest rookie on a 1:34.9874. Palou topped both the group and the overall standings, with Armstrong and Malukas rounding out the top three in the group.
Group 2
Power locked up on his way out of the pits but kept his car on track as the session got underway. After the first runs, Kirkwood led the way with a 1:35.498, Grosjean slotted into second, and Ericsson rounded out the top three. Schumacher made early progress, climbing from ninth to fourth with a 1:37.143.
By the midpoint of the session, Kirkwood had pushed his best to a 1:33.384, the fastest time of Practice 2. McLaughlin moved up to fourth with a 1:35.030, edging Palou by a tenth of a second. With four minutes remaining, Kirkwood remained on top, Power and Ericsson holding second and third.
The closing stages brought a flurry of incidents. Foster spun and stopped on track but rejoined safely after a few seconds. Power made brief contact with the wall but kept his car moving. Grosjean had his own moment on his final lap, sliding wide and narrowly avoiding the barrier. All three continued without significant damage.
As the chequered flag fell, Kirkwood had topped the group with Power and Ericsson completing the top three. The headline, however, belonged to Kirkwood’s overall benchmark: a new track record of 1:33.1409 at the Arlington GP, with Palou and Armstrong rounding out the overall top three in Practice 2.
Co-Author: Chiara Martin
