Newgarden tops Indy Lights practice in Baltimore

Championship points leader Josef Newgarden was quickest in the lone Firestone Indy Lights session (1 minute, 27.5145 seconds) in the No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong car to lead four Sam Schmidt Motorsports drivers at the top of the time sheet. Conor Daly was second (1:28.0619), followed by Victor Carbone and Esteban Guerrieri.

"I think everyone did a great job of prepping for the track and going through the simulations before getting here, so it seems that we at least have a strong starting package for us as a base for the race this weekend," Newgarden said of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports contingent. "We really just need to be focusing on progressing that as time allows us to this weekend. I'm looking forward to the challenges of this place. It's bumpy in some spots and smooth in others, so it's going to be a fun circuit to race on for sure and will provide interesting challenges for everyone."

PRACTICE QUOTES:

CONOR DALY (No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Sam Schmidt Motorsports, fastest of the day): "I thought the track was pretty cool. Good fun to get back in a Firestone Indy Lights car, the team gave us some great cars, I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend. The track is a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to it."

JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong/SSM, second fastest): "I thought it was a great job for the team, we were 1-2-3-4. I think everyone did a great job of prepping for the track and going through the simulations before getting here, so it seems that we at least have a strong starting package for us as a base for the race this weekend. We really just need to be focusing on progressing that as time allows us to this weekend. I'm looking forward to the challenges of this place, it's bumpy in some spots and smooth in others, so it's going to be a fun circuit to race on for sure and will provide interesting challenges for everyone."

WILLY T. RIBBS (No. 32 Willy T. Ribbs/Starting Grid Inc./DHR): "This place is pretty rough. It has obviously been a long time since I've been in one of these cars. It just takes time to get re-acclimated to how you need to drive these cars into the corner, where you can pick up the power, what the car is capable of and getting use to that rough stuff again. We still have some practice time left so we will be all right. Really, it's just like getting back on a rodeo horse again."

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