Kyle Kirkwood tops IndyCar Road America practice for Andretti

Kyle Kirkwood topped Friday’s IndyCar Road America practice with a lap of 1m44.988s in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda.

The session, which lasted 75 minutes, was the first opportunity for teams and drivers to adapt to the new hybrid power units introduced for the season, adding an extra layer of complexity to an already challenging track.

As the session commenced, a cautious approach was evident among the teams. Only a handful of drivers ventured out in the opening minutes with most opting to conserve their Firestone tires for the more critical stages of practice.

This strategy led to a subdued start with Kyffin Simpson initially setting the early benchmark as the field gradually began to populate the circuit. However, Marcus Ericsson soon eclipsed Simpson’s time as the track started to rubber in.

The first notable incident of the session involved Santino Ferrucci who pushed the limits at Turn 5, locking up his front tires and running into the gravel.

His early off-track excursion was a harbinger of the challenges that would persist throughout the session as Turn 5 repeatedly caught out several drivers including Colton Herta, Santino Ferrucci, and Alexander Rossi.

As the session progressed, Santino Ferrucci momentarily held the top spot with a lap of 1:45.742, just ahead of Christian Lundgaard. However, reigning champion Alex Palou made his mark by jumping to the top of the timesheets midway through the session.

With just over 20 minutes remaining, the intensity ramped up as teams began to switch to the softer alternate tires in preparation for qualifying simulations.

Palou was among the first to make the switch, improving his time but still facing stiff competition from the likes of Josef Newgarden and Ferrucci. The final 15 minutes saw a flurry of activity, with drivers pushing the limits in search of the perfect lap.

It was during this period that Kyle Kirkwood, fresh off his second win of the season at Gateway, delivered a blistering lap of 1:44.988 in the No. 27 Andretti Global Honda. Kirkwood’s time, set on the alternate tires, was the only lap to break the 1:45 barrier and ultimately secured him the top spot.

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Devlin DeFrancesco rebounded from his earlier off-track moment to post the second-fastest time of 1:45.141 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Defending Road America winner Will Power of Team Penske slotted into third with a 1:45.180, closely followed by his teammate Josef Newgarden at 1:45.223 while Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top five.

Scott McLaughlin posted a 1:45.319 to secure sixth place while David Malukas and Linus Lundqvist Foster impressed with seventh and eighth, respectively. Alex Palou, despite his earlier pace-setting runs ended the session ninth with a 1:45.366 just ahead of Kyffin Simpson in tenth at 1:45.508.

2025 IndyCar Road America Practice Results