Franchitti leads final practice before Sonoma IndyCar qualifying - MotorSportsTalk

Dario Franchitti laid down a flier, 1:18.0988, on his first timed lap of the third IZOD IndyCar Series practice session at Sonoma Raceway. That lap was fastest in the final practice before qualifying for the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma (5:30 p.m. EST local time, on NBCSN at 9 p.m. EST).

The challenge for Franchitti – for that matter, most of the IndyCar Series field – is to bank their fastest lap on their first or perhaps second lap. The Firestone rubber here this weekend is the same as at Barber, but the low-grip Sonoma track surface makes it difficult to generate enough performance out of the tire for longer than one lap before a drop-off in pace.

The other variable going into qualifying will be the difference in the softer, alternate Firestone reds and their grip levels. Teams can’t run any of their three weekend sets of reds until qualifying.

Behind Franchitti, Ryan Hunter-Reay (1:18.3542), Sebastien Bourdais (1:18.5513), Scott Dixon (1:18.5643), and Justin Wilson (1:18.5695) rounded out the top five.

Points leader Helio Castroneves (1:18.6593) was sixth; Bourdais’ lap was noteworthy as it was set on his 16th and final timed lap, likely on a fresh set of tires. Marco Andretti, Charlie Kimball, Graham Rahal and Simona de Silvestro rounded out the top 10.

Right at the end of the session, Will Power made contact with E.J. Viso. The Australian contacted the rear wheel guard of Viso’s Team Venezuela-Andretti Autosport-HVM Chevrolet, damaging his front wing. Power ended the session 15th, Viso 19th. Series debutante Lucas Luhr improved to 23rd ahead of James Davison and Ed Carpenter.

Qualifying groups for later today are linked below.

Group 1               Group 2
#3 Helio Castroneves     #9 Scott Dixon
#12 Will Power           #1 Ryan Hunter-Reay
#19 Justin Wilson        #10 Dario Franchitti
#15 Graham Rahal         #25 Marco Andretti
#77 Simon Pagenaud       #4 Ryan Briscoe
#5 E.J. Viso             #7 Sebastien Bourdais
#27 James Hinchcliffe    #98 JR Hildebrand
#67 Josef Newgarden      #55 Tristan Vautier
#14 Takuma Sato          #83 Charlie Kimball
#16 James Jakes          #6 Sebastian Saavedra
#78 Simona De Silvestro  #11 Tony Kanaan
#18 James Davison        #20 Ed Carpenter
                         #97 Lucas Luhr

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The biggest race of the NTT IndyCar Series season (and in the world) is over, and NBC Sports’ power rankings look very similar to the finishing results in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Pole-sitter Alex Palou entered the Indy 500 at the top and remains there after his impressive rebound to a fourth after a midway crash in the pits. Top two Indianapolis 500 finishers Josef Newgarden and Marcus Ericsson also improved multiple spots in the power rankings just as they gained ground during the course of the 500-mile race on the 2.5-mile oval. Though Alexander Rossi dropped a position, he still shined at the Brickyard with a fifth place finish.

Santino Ferrucci, the other driver in the top five at Indy, made his first appearance in the 2023 power rankings this year and now will be tasked with keeping his A.J. Foyt Racing team toward the front as the IndyCar circuit makes its debut on a new layout..

Heading into the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through six of 17 races this year (with previous ranking in parenthesis):

Alex Palou (1): Three consecutive top 10 finishes at the Indy 500, and yet the 2021 IndyCar champion still seems slightly snake-bitten at the Brickyard. A few different circumstances and a dash of experience, and Palou could have three Indy 500 wins. But he at least has the points lead.
Marcus Ericsson (4): Some want to say the Indy 500 runner-up’s unhappiness with IndyCar race control was sour grapes, but the Swede had a legitimate gripe about the consistency of red flag protocols. Still a magnificent May for Ericsson, especially while the questions swirl about his future.
Josef Newgarden (7): Strategist Tim Cindric and team did a fantastic job catapulting Newgarden from 17^th into contention, and the two-time series champion did the rest. Particularly on a late three-wide pass for the lead, it can’t be overstated how brilliant the Team Penske driver was in his finest hour.
Alexander Rossi (3): He winds up being the best Arrow McLaren finisher in a mostly disappointing Indy 500 for a team that seemed poised to become dominant. With a third in the GMR GP and a fifth in the Indy 500, this easily was Rossi’s best May since his second place in 2019.
Pato O’Ward (2): Unlike last year, the Arrow McLaren star sent it this time against Ericsson and came out on the wrong side (and with lingering bitterness toward his Chip Ganassi Racing rival). The lead mostly was the wrong place to be at Indy, but O’Ward managed to be in first for a race-high 39 laps.
Scott Dixon (5): He overcame brutal handling issues from a wicked set of tires during his first stint, and then the team struggled with a clutch problem while posting a typical Dixon-esque finish on “a very tough day.” The six-time champion hopes things are cleaner the rest of the season after the first three months.
Santino Ferrucci (NR): Pound for pound, he and A.J. Foyt Racing had the best two weeks at Indianapolis. Ferrucci said Wednesday he still believes he had “by far the best car at the end” and if not for the timing of the final yellow and red, he would have won the Indy 500. Now the goal is maintaining into Detroit.
Colton Herta (NR): He was the best in a mostly forgettable month for Andretti Autosport and now is facing a pivotal weekend. Andretti has reigned on street courses so far this season, and few have been better on new circuits than Herta. A major chance for his first victory since last year’s big-money extension.
Scott McLaughlin (6): Ran in the top 10 at Indy after a strong opening stint but then lost positions while getting caught out on several restarts. A penalty for unintentionally rear-ending Simon Pagenaud in O’Ward’s crash then sent him to the rear, but McLaughlin still rallied for 14th. Detroit will be a fresh start.
Rinus VeeKay (10): Crashing into Palou in the pits was less than ideal. But a front row start and 10^th-place finish in the Indy 500 still were 2023 highlights for VeeKay in what’s been the toughest season of his career. The Ed Carpenter Racing cars have been slow on road and street courses, so Detroit is another test.

Falling out: Will Power (8), Felix Rosenqvist (9), Romain Grosjean (10)

PAST NBC SPORTS INDYCAR POWER RANKINGS

PRESEASON: Josef Newgarden is a favorite to win third championship

RACE 1: Pato O’Ward to first; Newgarden drops out after St. Pete

RACE 2: O’Ward stays firmly on top of standings after Texas

RACE 3: Marcus Ericsson leads powerhouses at the top

RACE 4: Grosjean, Palou flex in bids for first victory

RACE 5: Alex Palou carrying all the momentum into Indy 500