Source: Team PR

Armstrong Produces Third-Fastest Lap in Opening St. Pete Practice

Palou P9, Dixon P12, Lundqvist P18 and Simpson P23

Reigning two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou followed up with the ninth-fastest lap time (1:01.0200) in the opening practice, sporting his new No. 10 DHL Honda.

Scott Dixon, who will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame on Tuesday, took the P12 spot, with newcomers Linus Lundqvist and Kyffin Simpson placing P18 and P23, respectively.

Lundqvist totaled 29 laps in the No. 8 American Legion Honda, the most among all drivers in Practice 1.

The INDYCAR field experienced a total of one hour and six minutes of uninterrupted green flag running, with three red flag cautions being displayed throughout the session.

Up Next: The five Chip Ganassi Racing Hondas return to the St. Pete street circuit tomorrow, Saturday, March 9, with Practice 2 from 9:35 to 10:35 a.m. ET and Qualifying from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET. Both sessions can be streamed on Peacock.

Marcus Armstrong
No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Honda
“It was great to return to the track here in St. Pete. While we were third-fastest, I think we can look through the data and find even more speed. Tomorrow will be a different day and it will bring different temperatures and different ambient temperatures. We have some homework to do but we’re in a good spot for day one.”

Alex Palou
No. 10 DHL Honda
“It was a very good day with it being the first practice of the year in the new DHL Honda. We obviously ran through some new stuff, not only as a team starting a new season, but with a new practice format, as well. We were focused on getting a lot of laps and it was nice out there without a ton of traffic. The car honestly felt pretty good. Of course, there is a lot of work to do as always, but it’s good to be back.”

Scott Dixon
No. 9 PNC Bank Honda“Today was quite interesting with the split sessions today. We missed a bit and probably weren’t aggressive enough with the changes throughout those sessions, but we’re optimistic and hopeful that there is a lot of speed to come. Looking forward to another practice and qualifying tomorrow with the PNC Bank crew.”

Linus Lundqvist
No. 8 American Legion Honda
“It was a great first practice and I was glad to run the most laps today, as that was one of the goals for this session. We are taking it step by step, but I feel that our Honda is in a pretty good place with the primary tires. When we went to the alternates, we didn’t kind quite get a quality run with the red flags that came out. But overall, we’re happy and I know the entire American Legion team will continue to work hard as we progress through the weekend.”

Kyffin Simpson
No. 4 Journie Rewards Honda
“It was great to drive an IndyCar for the first time and to do so here in St. Pete with the Journie Rewards crew. But, I thought it was a pretty tough session. I know our entire team will just continue to keep working, get as many laps in as we can and prepare for these upcoming sessions. I’m excited to get back on track tomorrow to continue learning and looking for more pace.”