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Josef Newgarden topped both IndyCar free practice sessions at Elkhart Lake, as drivers got their first taste of the new-for-2018 aerokit at the famous Road America circuit.
Newgarden’s Penske-Chevrolet clocked a 1m42.6279s – an average of 140.804mph – to claim top spot by over quarter of a second from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports-Honda driver Robert Wickens in the faster second session.
Sebastien Bourdais was third fastest while Will Power and Simon Pagenaud were 0.43s and 0.53s respectively behind their reigning champion team-mate.
Graham Rahal and Takuma Sato put both Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing-Hondas into the top 10, separated by Detroit winners Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Ex-Force India Formula 1 test driver Alfonso Celis spun his Juncos Racing-Chevrolet at Turn 13 on his fourth lap of the afternoon session, launching over a curb and the grass, before tearing off his rear wing on a tyre barrier.
Newgarden was the only driver to break the 140mph barrier in the morning session, where he was four tenths clear of Sato, with Alexander Rossi third.
FP1 times
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m43.0477s | 13 |
| 2 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 0.4252s | 13 |
| 3 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.5126s | 11 |
| 4 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 0.5297s | 12 |
| 5 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 0.8348s | 11 |
| 6 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.9952s | 11 |
| 7 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.0603s | 11 |
| 8 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.0829s | 12 |
| 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.1166s | 11 |
| 10 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.2486s | 15 |
| 11 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.2709s | 12 |
| 12 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.3043s | 13 |
| 13 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.3924s | 11 |
| 14 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.4104s | 14 |
| 15 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.5486s | 13 |
| 16 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.6293s | 12 |
| 17 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1.6522s | 12 |
| 18 | Jordan King | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.7007s | 15 |
| 19 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 1.8178s | 12 |
| 20 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.8573s | 13 |
| 21 | Zachary Claman | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.8647s | 15 |
| 22 | Alfonso Celis | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.8687s | 14 |
| 23 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 3.4008s | 12 |
FP2 times
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1m42.6279s | 26 |
| 2 | Robert Wickens | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 0.2746s | 21 |
| 3 | Sebastien Bourdais | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.3741s | 20 |
| 4 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.4266s | 23 |
| 5 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara/Chevrolet | 0.5320s | 23 |
| 6 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 0.5716s | 21 |
| 7 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 0.7933s | 23 |
| 8 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 0.8476s | 19 |
| 9 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan | Dallara/Honda | 0.9131s | 19 |
| 10 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Herta | Dallara/Honda | 0.9942s | 18 |
| 11 | Tony Kanaan | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.0280s | 20 |
| 12 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.0387s | 19 |
| 13 | James Hinchcliffe | Schmidt Peterson Motorsports | Dallara/Honda | 1.0620s | 18 |
| 14 | Zach Veach | Andretti Autosport | Dallara/Honda | 1.2809s | 18 |
| 15 | Zachary Claman | Dale Coyne Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.2925s | 20 |
| 16 | Jordan King | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.3196s | 22 |
| 17 | Spencer Pigot | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.5199s | 19 |
| 18 | Ed Jones | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara/Honda | 1.5590s | 22 |
| 19 | Matheus Leist | AJ Foyt Enterprises | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.5804s | 24 |
| 20 | Max Chilton | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.7945s | 22 |
| 21 | Gabby Chaves | Harding Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 1.8349s | 24 |
| 22 | Charlie Kimball | Carlin | Dallara/Chevrolet | 2.5084s | 22 |
| 23 | Alfonso Celis | Juncos Racing | Dallara/Chevrolet | 3.5313s | 3 |