[h=2]Rossi, Honda start fast at Road America[/h] Friday, 23 June 2017
By Marshall Pruett / Image by IMS Photo
Andretti Autosport's Alexander Rossi topped the field Friday morning at a warm and sunny Road America. The Honda-powered driver is especially adept at high-commitment tracks like the sprawling 4.0-mile road course, and posted a lap of 1m43.3285s in his No. 98 entry early in the session and held the spot until the end.
The 2016 Indy 500 winner led a trio of Team Penske Chevys as Simon Pagenaud (-0.2340s), Will Power (-0.4223s) and Josef Newgarden (-0.4495), who were well behind the Andretti driver. Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon (-0.5709s) and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports James Hinchcliffe (-0.5762s) completed the top six with their Honda-powered cars. SPM's Robert Wickens, who is standing in for Mikhail Aleshin, was 20th in his first official outing.
The 45-minute opener had a bit of drama at various points of the session. Dale Coyne Racing's Esteban Gutierrez only managed to turn four laps due to a right-rear brake disc fire (
pictured, Marshall Pruett photo) that started when he came to a stop on pit lane. The DCR spent the remainder of the session tending to the right-rear corner but were unable to get the Mexican out for more running.
A.J. Foyt Racing's Carlos Munoz had a minor off and Andretti's Ryan Hunter-Reay closed the session with an off that left the No. 28 Honda stranded in the gravel. Extricating the car took some time; once it was free, Hunter-Reay pulled onto pit lane and found the majority of IndyCar teams had already packed up and returned to their transporters.