Rahal team runs 1-2 in 3rd IndyCar test session

Graham Rahal

Graham Rahal and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Takuma Sato were the only drivers to break into the 189 mph bracket to lead the 2nd IndyCar test session under the lights at Phoenix.

Rahal's lap of 189.090 mph was only slightly faster than Sato's lap of 189.065 mph

Penske Chevy drivers Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden were third and fourth fastest while Tony Kanaan rounded out the top-5 in his AJ Foyt Chevy.

The lone incident of the day came with less than 30 minutes remaining in the evening practice. Rookie Matheus "Matt" Leist spun in the No. 4 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet exiting Turn 2, but did not make wall contact.

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"It was nice to get behind the wheel of a car on an oval after everybody has been talking about it for so long," said Andretti Autosport's Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the No. 28 DHL Honda. "Got to get in there, get a feel for it myself. I liked it. It was good fun. Definitely (the car feels) lighter, a lot lighter than when we were here last year."

The lighter feeling Hunter-Reay referenced is from the universal aero kit every Verizon IndyCar Series competitor is using for the first time this year. The new design with its bold look produces significantly less downforce than the previous competitive aero kits from manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda.

Most of the downforce is now generated from underneath the car, which can make it feel less stable, or lighter, through turns. It puts driver skill front and center in developing a fast car that handles well.

"It's different," reigning series champion Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, said of the 2018 car. "I think there's definitely adjustments that need to be made from last year, obviously. It's useful to have this time and to be able to work through everything because I think we're all going to need it."

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing set the pace in each of the day's three-hour sessions. Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, who rejoined RLL this season after five seasons away, led the afternoon practice with a lap of 187.022 mph (19.6726 seconds) in the No. 30 Honda. Teammate Graham Rahal was fastest in the evening practice and quickest overall in the No. 15 Honda, at 189.090 mph (19.4574 seconds).

"We're good and Takuma is right behind us," Rahal said. "And frankly, that lap wasn't anywhere near what the potential was. We were on a (19.30-second lap), but I caught traffic.

"The car has pace. Both cars have pace, and so that's awesome. We haven't had a lot of luck here the last few years. We're used to coming here and getting our butts kicked. To be able to come here and be competitive with this aero kit is awesome."

"I was happy to get back behind the wheel," Sato said. "This is our first oval test with the team. It wasn't flawless because we had some electrical issues again, but the engineers deal with it very well. Once we get going, I think we were very comfortable."

"I was already doing race stints, we had already done our qualifying (simulation) stint," said Leist, who was fastest in a Thursday test among five rookies and two drivers who had no previous ISM Raceway experience in an Indy car. "Tony (Kanaan, Leist's teammate) was coming out of the pits and I was behind him, and he stopped too much. I was carrying a lot of speed and I lost the rear and it just spun. Fortunately, I didn't make contact."

Session 3 Results