Louis Foster’s march toward the INDY NXT by Firestone championship continued unabated Saturday, as he led pre-qualifying practice for the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway.

Foster topped the speed charts at 1 minute, 2.3358 seconds in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global. Foster led the opening practice Friday at 1:02.9311.

SEE: Practice Results

Qualifying is next at 7:20 p.m. ET today (INDYCAR Live, INDYCAR Radio Network). Live coverage of the 35-lap race starts at 1:10 p.m. ET Sunday on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Foster, from England, leads the standings in the INDYCAR development series by 91 points over Jacob Abel and needs to expand that gap to 108 points after the race Sunday to clinch the title. He has won six of the last eight races, and there are only three races remaining this season.

Brazilian rookie Caio Collet was runner-up to Foster for the second straight session this weekend, this time at 1:02.6243 in the No. 18 HMD Motorsports car on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile road course. Collet is third in points, 147 behind Foster. Collet and Abel are the only drivers mathematically eligible to catch Foster, but the odds are long.

Collet will need speed in qualifying. It was announced after practice Friday he received a six-spot grid penalty for the race for blocking and avoidable contact infractions in a crash with Jamie Chadwick in the race Aug. 17 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Abel was third in this session at 1:02.7047 in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports. James Roe was fourth at 1:02.8308 in the No. 29 Topcon entry of Andretti Global.

Reece Gold rounded out the top five at 1:02.8696 in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports car.