Michael Andretti won a record seven races at Toronto’s Exhibition Place and now his drivers are on a winning pace on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street circuit.
In the final practice ahead of qualifying for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, Andretti Global drivers Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood were first and second on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES speed chart. Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) turned a lap of 1 minute, .5763 of a second while Kirkwood (No. 27 AutoNation Honda) posted 1:00.7137.
“I think this (street circuit) suits us maybe even more than others just as it’s as bumpy as it is,” said Kirkwood, who won two street circuit races in 2023. “Our car just made grip, and it’s a testament to how hard these (crew members) work on it.”
SEE: Practice Results
Team Penske’s Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet) was third in the session at 1:00.8014.
The rookie with the fastest lap was Dale Coyne Racing’s Hunter McElrea, who was 16th in the No. 18 Courtesy Corporation Honda. His top speed was 1:01.5738.
“I love it – I’m just living the dream here,” said McElrea, who finished second in INDY NXT by Firestone points last year. “I worked my butt off to be here for a long time. I didn’t really know if I’d get a shot this year, but (I’m) finally here. Just chipping away at it.”
The session was mostly free of incidents. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Pietro Fittipaldi (No. 30 HUB International Honda) nosed into the tire barrier at Turn 8 exit as Alexander Rossi and rookie Linus Lundqvist did Friday. Later, he had a big lockup approaching Turn 8.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong (No. 11 Ridgeline Lubricants Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) tapped the wall in Turn 7. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet) scraped the wall approaching Turn 3.
Only 26 of the 27 car-and-driver combinations participated in the session as Arrow McLaren held out the No. 7 Ryde Arrow McLaren Chevrolet as it waits for series rookie Theo Pourchaire to be ready to replace Rossi, who broke his right thumb in the Friday incident. Rossi returned to Indianapolis to begin treatment on the thumb.
Pourchaire is expected to drive in today’s qualifying session for the NTT P1 Award at 2:45 p.m. ET. Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network will have live coverage. The 20-year-old Frenchman has driven in five races this season for Arrow McLaren, qualifying seventh for last month’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix by Lear, the season’s most recent street race. Previously, Pourchaire drove the team’s No. 6 car now piloted by rookie Nolan Siegel.