Hunter-Reay, Dixon Lead Practice Sessions in Detroit
• Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, top the time sheets in practice for two-race weekend
• Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe round out 1-2-3 Honda sweep of practice sessions
• Qualifying and Race One follow on Saturday; Race Two on Sunday
DETROIT, Mich. (June 1, 2018) – Honda drivers led the way in opening practice today for this weekend’s Dual in Detroit Verizon IndyCar Series doubleheader race weekend, with Ryan Hunter-Reay fastest in the second practice session – and on the day – in his Andretti Autosport Honda. Scott Dixon ended the day second on the timesheets for Chip Ganassi Racing, while James Hinchcliffe rounded out a Honda 1-2-3 sweep of the day.
In the morning, Honda drivers also dominated the opening practice, taking the top eight positions, led by Sebastien Bourdais for Dale Coyne Racing, followed by Dixon and double-defending race winner Graham Rahal.
Activities continue Saturday in Detroit with the first of this weekend’s two 70-lap Verizon IndyCar Series races. The seventh and eighth rounds of the 2018 season begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with live television coverage of both races on ABC.
Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport Honda) fastest in opening-day practice: “It’s a lot of fun around here. You really have to wheel the car to get it done but hats off to the Andretti Autosport team. We came here with a much better car this year. I was really happy with the balance on the DHL car even to start out with. The car was basically doing the fundamentals that I needed it to do, the front was working well, and from there we just kept chipping away at it. It was a good first practice today, but a lot is riding on tomorrow with qualifying and Race One.”
Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Second fastest Friday in Detroit: “I think, overall, we had a really good day and I was very happy with our PNC Bank car out there. The speed on the black Firestone [primary] tires was really good and the car felt quite good on the reds (Firestone alternate tires) after that when we improved the times. I got into the wall around Turn 13 and lost some time, but the car just has a ton of speed and hopefully, we can translate that into two good points-paying [races] here in Detroit.”