WEST ALLIS, Wis. – Rookie Josef Newgarden topped the initial IZOD IndyCar Series practice session at the Milwaukee Mile with a quick lap of 22.0232 seconds (165.916 mph) in the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car.
Helio Castroneves (22.1095 seconds; 165.268 mph) was second in the No. 3 Penske Truck Rental car and E.J. Viso (22.2776; 164.021) was third in the No. 5 CITGO/PDVSA/KV Racing Technology car. The top 21 cars were separated by less than a second.
Following Firestone Indy Lights qualifications, Justin Wilson was quickest in the 60-minute session preceding IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying with a lap of 22.1744 seconds (164.785 mph). Newgarden (22.2438 seconds) was second and Helio Castroneves was third (he was second in the morning). Rubens Barrichello, also making his first start at the Mile, was sixth quick in the afternoon.
Single-car qualifications for the Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ at 5 p.m. (ET). The race is scheduled for 1 p.m. (ET on ABC) June 16.
Click it: Practice 1 results || Practice 2 results || Video highlights
Dario Franchitti, the 2011 winner from the pole, was 11th in the No. 10 Cottonelle car for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the morning and 18th in the afternoon session. He's glad the event is on the schedule.
"With all the problems, it looked like we weren’t going to be coming back to Milwaukee," Franchitti said. "But we’re back here because of what the IndyCar Series and Michael Andretti and his team did to put this together. It’s great to be back at Milwaukee and this track is one we all love. There’s so much history.
"In order to get Indy car racing back to where it needs to be, we need to be at these places. There are so many things going on for the fans and I think Michael and his team have done a good job and it should be a good event.”
Briscoe joins grid penalty list
Ryan Briscoe, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske car, will incur a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change at Milwaukee.
Also moving back for the 225-lap race will be the No. 9 (Scott Dixon), No. 12 (Will Power), No. 14 (Mike Conway), No. 15 (Takuma Sato), No. 18 (Wilson) and No. 67 (Newgarden) cars.
Bourdais’ team qualifies 10th at Le Mans
Sebastien Bourdais, who is competing in IZOD IndyCar Series road/street course events the remainder of the season for Dragon Racing, is participating in the 80th Le Mans 24 Hour event this weekend in France.
Joining Nicolas Minassian and Seiji Ara, the Pescarolo LMP1 car qualified 10th – 9 seconds off the pace of the Audi Sport Team (the first hybrid car to claim the pole at Le Mans). Fifty-six entries qualified.
Legge named one of five ambassadors
Katherie Legge was one of five ambassadors named by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission.
Legge, driver of the No. 6 TrueCar entry for Dragon Racing, will represent the Commission in promoting and encouraging women in motorsports.
"I feel like my experience should be of some benefit to those looking at a career in racing,” she said. “If I can help young people in their quest for success in racing, whether it be driving or otherwise, then I see that as a great way to 'give back' to the sport.”
INDYCAR thanks Gossage for the time
Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said June 15 that the 1.5-mile oval would decline the opportunity to play host to a second IZOD IndyCar Series race this year.
It arose June 13 following the cancellation of the IZOD IndyCar Series race scheduled for Aug. 19 in Qingdao, China.
"We appreciate Texas Motor Speedway exploring the opportunity with us," INDYCAR CEO Randy Bernard said. "We continue to speak with various tracks to find the right venue for our potential 16th race."