By: Spencer Neff
August 8, 2025
Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard would top Friday afternoon’s practice session for Sunday’s BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland. Lundgaard, who started third in his 2021 debut at the 1.968-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway permanent road course in Oregon.
Lundgaard notched a best lap of 58.532 seconds (119.627 mph) during the first of a pair of split-group sessions, following a best lap of 59.1037 seconds (118.470 mph).
Just .0061 of a second off Lundgaard was points leader Alex Palou, who placed his Chip Ganassi Racing entry second of 27 cars this afternoon.
Palou can wrap up his fourth INDYCAR Championship if he leads by 108 points or more over Lundgaard’s teammate Pato O’Ward (lead is currently 121 points). O’Ward was ninth on the day.
Completing the Top Five was Myer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.
Rahal’s teammate Louis Foster was best among the rookies in 10th. Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon went off course in Turn 11 early in the opening session, prompting the lone red flag for an incident this afternoon. Dixon would send the day 11th of 27 cars in the field.
Grid Penalty announced for Simpson
Prior to Friday afternoon’s practice, INDYCAR announced a six-place grid penalty for Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyffin Simpson. Simpson was penalized following a Lap 1 crash with Rosenqvist in the July 27 race at Laguna Seca. Per INDYCAR’s press release.-
“Simpson was in violation of:
Rule 9.3.3. Avoidable Contact – The primary responsibility for avoiding contact with a Competitor resides with the overtaking Competitor and the secondary responsibility resides with the Competitor(s) being overtaken. A Competitor who fails to demonstrate their responsibility and initiates a maneuver that results in contact with another Competitor may be penalized.
According to the rulebook, a penalty can be applied at the next INDYCAR race if the penalty cannot be served at the event where the infraction took place.
Consistent with an Unapproved Engine Change-Out penalty in the INDYCAR rulebook, the Avoidable Contact grid penalty is six positions on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, the BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI on Sunday, Aug. 10 at Portland International Raceway.
Up Next
Here is the remaining weekend schedule at Portland International Raceway. Stay with IndyCar1909.com and our social media platforms for the latest on the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Saturday, Aug. 9
9-10 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice 2 (45 minutes green flag or 1 hour total), FS1 (live)
11:35 a.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI NTT P1 Award qualifying (three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (live)
1:30-2:15 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone practice 2, FS1 (live)
4:32-4:57 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES final practice, FS1 (live)
5:30 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying (two groups/12 minutes each), FS2 (live)
Sunday, Aug. 10
10:01 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland “Drivers, start your engines”
10:06 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Portland (35 laps / 68.74 miles / 55 minutes), FS1 (live)
Noon – FOX on air
12:15 p.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI “Drivers, start your engines”
12:22 p.m. – BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI (110 laps/216.04 miles), FOX (live)
Header Image By Chris Owens/INDYCAR
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