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Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Practice Shots: Lundgaard Gives Chevrolet a Strong Early Run
INDYCAR Honda has been nearly unstoppable in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, claiming 11 wins in 12 races, including a perfect 3-for-3 record on street circuits. Dating back to the 2022 Toronto race weekend, Honda has captured 13 of the last 14 street circuit victories. That stretch includes a podium sweep on the 1.786-mile Exhibition Place track last season. Heading into this weekend, Honda remains the heavy favorite to collect more hardware. But if Chevrolet is going to mount a challenge, keep an eye on Christian Lundgaard and his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, a pairing that was ninth-fastest in Friday's practice with a lap of 1 minute, 1.1962 seconds. Lundgaard's lone career victory in 64 starts came in Toronto in 2023 — 37 races ago — where he won from pole position while driving a Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It remains his last NTT P1 Award. 'Coming to Toronto always brings back great memories,' Lundgaard said. 'I've had strong results here in the past, including my first win. I'm excited for the weekend ahead. We know what it takes to be quick here, so now it's all about putting it together and making it happen.' This season, Lundgaard has averaged an eighth-place finish on street circuits, including a podium at Long Beach. He has also never finished worse than eighth at Toronto, highlighted by a charge from 16th to seventh in last year's event. Here are three observations about the first practice in preparation for Sunday's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, plus other notes of interest: · The Turn 8 runoff proved to be a trouble spot during the session. At one point, Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet), Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) and Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) all ended up in the runoff simultaneously due to separate incidents. The flurry of mistakes wasn't surprising as Toronto's street circuit is notoriously bumpy and slick. Friday's session also featured both Firestone Firehawk primary and alternate tires, giving drivers a chance to push the limits ahead of qualifying. · Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) opted to use two sets of primary tires during Friday's practice session, leaving him with just three sets for the remainder of the weekend. With some drivers predicting Sunday's race could require a three-stop strategy, tire management may prove critical, especially if primary tires emerge as the preferred compound. That would leave Palou with only one fresh set for qualifying and two for Saturday's practice. Palou has yet to win at Toronto and struggled in qualifying. In three career starts, he's never advanced past the first round of qualifying, starting 22nd, 15th, and 18th. Despite those setbacks, the three-time series champion has consistently charged through the field, finishing sixth, second, and fourth. · Seven different teams were represented in the top eight of Friday's speed chart led by Andretti Global's Kirkwood. Team Penske was the only organization to place multiple drivers in the top eight, with McLaughlin in second and Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) in fifth. Rounding out the top eight were Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing) in third, Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian) in fourth, Callum Ilott (PREMA Racing) in sixth, Pato O'Ward (Arrow McLaren) in seventh, and David Malukas (AJ Foyt Racing) in eighth. DeFrancesco Returns Home For Third Toronto Start Ontario native Devlin DeFrancesco is the lone Canadian in this weekend's 27-driver field. He was 25th-quickest in Friday's session. Making his third Toronto start, his best result came in 2022, qualifying 12th and finishing 18th. 'I love Toronto,' DeFrancesco said. 'I got my first Fast 12 here and always look forward to going home. A lot of my family will be at the race.' Born 15 weeks premature and given last rites multiple times at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, DeFrancesco defied the odds. Now driving the No. 30 HUB International Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, he's optimistic after a strong showing on Detroit's bumpy street circuit — a layout similar to Toronto — and is encouraged RLL's 2023 win with Lundgaard. 'We found a few things, performance-wise wise on the Detroit street course that has helped us quite a bit so that is an avenue we will follow. This team has been very strong in Toronto the last couple of years, so we should be fast.' ECR Brings Momentum Alexander Rossi returned to Toronto after being forced to sit out last year's event with a hand injury suffered in a crash in practice. This time around, he left Friday unscathed, turning the 17th quickest lap (1:02.2232). Rossi, in his first year driving the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, has three career top-10 finishes at the venue, including a runner-up in 2017 driving for Andretti Global. Half of his four top-10s this season have come on street courses. 'The Toronto circuit is one that is always a great mix of exciting and challenging,' Rossi said. 'I am looking forward to competing this weekend after missing last year's race.' Teammate Christian Rasmussen, fresh off two top-10s at Iowa, is also feeling confident. He's 15th in points, just ahead of Rossi in 16th and was 12th overall (1:02.0923) on Friday. 'There's definitely momentum on our side,' he said. 'Hopefully, we can build on that and have another strong result.' Rasmussen earned his first professional win at this track in 2019, competing in USF2000. He claimed his first INDYCAR SERIES podium at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 15 — the second of four top-10 finishes this season, all coming on oval tracks. Team owner Ed Carpenter knows Rasmussen's aggressive driving style isn't always popular with competitors, but he's not concerned. 'He's super aggressive,' Carpenter said. 'I don't know if everyone likes it, but from my perspective, I love it. If he's making people nervous out there, I don't see a problem with that. He's been aggressive long enough now and pulls off a lot of really slick moves. He's done it enough that it's clearly not a fluke.' Odds and Ends · Toronto is the second-shortest street circuit on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar. At 1.786 miles, it's slightly longer than Detroit's 1.645-mile, 10-turn layout, the shortest street course in the series. By comparison, St. Petersburg measures 1.8 miles with 14 turns, and Long Beach is 1.968 miles with 11 turns. Despite their compact sizes, these circuits offer plenty of corners to challenge drivers and create separation in the field. Toronto has 11 turns, just one more than Detroit. Scott Dixon was 13th in Friday's session. The lack of overall speed in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda is somewhat concerning because he has a six-spot grid penalty in Sunday's race. Dixon suffered the same penalty at Detroit when he qualified 10th but rolled off 16th in the race. He climbed to finish 11th. Dixon is a four-time Toronto winner and has 12 career top-five finishes at the track. That's tied with Michael Andretti for most all-time. · The series returns to the track at 10:30 a.m. Saturday for the second practice session in advance of the three-round knockout NTT P1 Award qualifying session scheduled to begin at 2:35 p.m. Both Saturday sessions will air on FS1, FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio Network. recommended Item 1 of 1
Fox Sports
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Favorites and Sleepers: Iowa
INDYCAR Honda is a perfect 10-for-10 in 2025, including both oval wins this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader Alex Palou and at World Wide Technology Raceway by Kyle Kirkwood. But Iowa Speedway has been Chevrolet territory, with nine straight wins. Team Penske has dominated, claiming eight of those, including a 2024 doubleheader sweep by Scott McLaughlin and Will Power, and 2023 weekend sweep by Josef Newgarden. Power and Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward also have finished second in five of the last seven Iowa races, while Penske has also scored 11 NTT P1 Awards in the last 13 races here. However, only one pole-sitter has won at Iowa in the last 21 attempts – Newgarden in 2020. Can Honda break Chevy's grip? Will Penske stay near-perfect in Iowa? The Synk 275 powered by Sukup starts at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, with the Farm to Finish 275 powered by Sukup taking the green flag at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Both races air on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Favorites Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet) Despite a brutal stretch with finishes 25th, 25th and 27th in his last three starts this season, Newgarden could be the comeback story of the weekend. He has dominated at Iowa in the past with six wins in 16 starts, including a 2023 sweep and 1,847 laps led at the .894-mile short track, including nine of his last 13 starts leading 111 or more laps. He's been especially strong in Race 1, with four straight top fives compared with two top-five finishes in Race 2, both being wins. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 XPEL (Race 1), Gallagher Insurance (Race 2) Team Penske Chevrolet) McLaughlin, like Newgarden, has suffered bad luck on circle tracks this season. He crashed on the pace lap at Indy and suffered a mechanical DNF at WWTR. Also, he enters with a string of finishes of 30th, 12th, 24th, 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the last five races this season. Still, he won Race 1 at Iowa last year, earning his first oval win, and followed that with a third-place finish in Race 2. He's riding a streak of five straight top-five finishes at Iowa. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) O'Ward enters Iowa as a clear contender, boasting four podium finishes in his last six starts at the short oval. He won Race 2 in 2022 and finished runner-up in Race 1 last year. His Race 1 record is especially strong, with finishes of fourth, second, third and second, respectively. Though Race 2 has been more up-and-down (including a win and a 12th), his oval form this season – third in the '500' and runner-up at WWTR – makes him one to watch. Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) Power finally broke through for his first Iowa win last year in his 18th start, capping a strong recent run at the track. He's landed five podiums in his last seven Iowa races, including three runner-up finishes. Power has been dominant in Race 2, with finishes of second, second, second and first since 2020. Race 1 has been less consistent, with results of 21st, third, fifth, and 18th. Still, his Race 2 form makes him a serious threat. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Fresh off his Indy 500 win, Palou is building momentum on ovals. He finished second in Iowa's Race 2 last year and has two podiums in his last three Race 2 starts. While Race 1 has been less kind with no top-fives in four tries, Palou has shown strong pace. He crashed while running in the top 10 in Race 1 last year. Can Palou end Chip Ganassi Racing's recent Iowa drought (0-for-18 since 2009)? Sleepers David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet) Malukas has quietly built a solid oval résumé. Though last year's Iowa outings with Meyer Shank Racing yielded finishes of 26th and 13th, he posted back-to-back eighth-place finishes in Race 2 with Dale Coyne Racing in 2022 and 2023. His Race 1 results of 14th and 12th were less impressive but consistent. Malukas also shined at the Indy 500 with a runner-up finish and showed speed at WWTR, qualifying fourth and leading 67 laps before a late mistake dropped him to 12th. He's a dark horse with upside. Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Dixon may be winless in 21 Iowa starts, but don't count him out. The six-time series champion has quietly strung together nine straight top-six finishes at the short oval, including a pair of runner-up results. Despite Iowa being one of only five active tracks he hasn't conquered, Dixon's consistency keeps him in the conversation. He's not a favorite, but he's absolutely a sleeper with the experience and pace to steal a win. Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet) Ferrucci showed promise last season with a sixth and 11th place at Iowa, his and AJ Foyt Racing's first races at this oval with a Team Penske technical alliance. Strong top-five finishes in the Indy 500 and at World Wide Technology Raceway this year make him a driver to watch this weekend. Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) Herta showed strong pace at Iowa last year, leading 86 laps in Race 1, his best showing in four attempts, before finishing 11th. He improved in Race 2 with a solid fifth-place finish, following a seventh the year before. Herta's qualifying has been impressive, too, with six top-six starts in his last eight visits. However, Andretti Global Andretti drivers are 0-for-11 at Iowa since winning seven of the first nine races at the bull ring. But Andretti Global has won two of the last three oval races in the series, with Herta victorious in the 2024 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway and Kirkwood winning last month at WWTR. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Delaware Life Honda) Ericsson has been solid at Iowa, never finishing worse than 11th until a 23rd-place result in Race 2 last year. He posted strong runs with a fourth and ninth in 2023 and followed with a ninth-place finish in Race 1 last year. Consistent and competitive, Ericsson remains a contender. recommended Item 1 of 1
