By: Spencer Neff
August 24, 2024
Final Practice Results Combined Practice Results
Sitting 59 points behind points leader Alex Palou with four races left in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 2024 season, Andretti Global’s Colton Herta is looking to make things happen in a hurry.
On Saturday afternoon, Herta led the final 30-minute practice ahead of Sunday’s BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland. The 2019 pole winner notched a best lap of 59.0031 seconds (119.831 mph) during the session. Herta will start tomorrow’s 110-lap race in eighth following engine change penalties to Graham Rahal and teammate Kyle Kirkwood.
Palou was second in the session, .201 of a second behind Herta. The two-time and defending race winner starts 3rd tomorrow. Teammate Marcus Armstrong was third for a 1-2-3 between Honda-powered entries. Armstrong rolls off seventh after qualifying ninth.
Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden was fourth and starts fifth after the aforementioned penalties. After winning his first career pole earlier in the afternoon, A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci was ninth.
Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel was the best rookie in 12th, he will start 24th.
Two additional Grid Penalties announced
Prior to the final practice, INDYCAR announced two more grid penalties, these ones assessed to the No. 3 Team Penske entry (Scott McLaughlin) and the No. 4 Chip Ganassi Racing entry (Kyffin Simpson).
The teams were in violation of:
Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland Sunday, Aug. 25 at PIR.
Up Next
Below is the race day. Stay with IndyCar1909 and our social media platforms for the latest on the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Sunday, Aug. 25
10:15 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines”
10:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes), Peacock (live)
Noon – USA Network on air
12:23 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines”
12:30 p.m. – BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps/216.04 miles), USA Network (live)
Header Image By Chris Owens/INDYCAR
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