By: Spencer Neff
April 1, 2023
After Chevrolet teams led the first practice and qualifying, Saturday afternoon would see Honda get a turn on top of the speed charts.
Scott Dixon placed his No.9 Chip Ganassi Racing entry first among the 28-car field in the hour-long session. The five-time winner on the 1.5-mile oval posted a best lap of 222.378 mph (23.3117).
Josef Newgarden of Team Penske, the 2019 and 2022 TMS winner, was second, .0615 of a second back to Dixon. Dixon starts on the front row next to pole winner Felix Rosenqvist, who ended the session eighth in his Arrow McLaren entry. St. Petersburg winner and points leader Marcus Ericsson finished 10th in final practice after qualifying 16th.
After pacing this morning’s opening practice and qualifying 15th, Newgarden’s teammate Scott McLaughlin finished fourth. Teammate and two-time defending INDYCAR Champion Will Power finished sixth and starts eighth as he looks for a third win at Texas.
First among a trio of rookies making their INDYCAR oval debut this weekend was Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino. The driver of the No.78 was 15th in the 28-car field and will roll off 19th tomorrow.
Takuma Sato and Ed Carpenter, the only two drivers who did not race in the 2023 opener at St. Petersburg, finished third and 21st. Sato, the 2019 Texas Pole winner, lines up sixth, while Carpenter, who won at TMS in 2014, is 18th on the grid.
Only Helio Castroneves did not record a lap, as the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing entry spent the remainder of the day addressing a mechanical issue. Castroneves will start 21st as he looks for a fourth win at this track.
Newgarden paces high-line special session
Prior to the final on-track session before Sunday’s 250-lap race, two 12-minute practices were held. The field was split into 14 car pairs as the field looked to add tire wear to the track’s second racing groove. As was the case last year, this was done to help promote increased overtaking for the race.
Although not the ultimate goal of the extra track time, Newgarden was quickest when the session ended. The No. 2 entry clocked a best lap of 217.734 (23.8089), .0869 of a second clear of Dixon.
Up Next
Below is a full schedule for race day. Stay with IndyCar1909 and our social media platforms for all the latest on the PPG 375.
At-track schedule (All times local/Central Time):
Sunday, April 2
11 a.m. NBC on air
11:10 a.m. “Drivers, start your engines”
11:15 a.m. PPG 375 (250 laps / 375 miles), NBC (Live)
Header Image By Chris Jones/INDYCAR
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