Herta, Honda Head Indy Car Field In Portland
• Rookie Colton Herta tops the time charts in opening day of practice in Portland
• Championship challenger Alexander Rossi runs second overall
• Scott Dixon rounds out top three for Honda

PORTLAND, Ore. (August 30, 2019) – Honda-powered rookie Colton Herta led the way today at Portland International Raceway in the opening day of NTT IndyCar Series practice in preparation for Sunday’s Honda Indy 200. Herta’s best lap time of 57.4293 seconds, set around the 1.9-mile Portland circuit in the first of three Friday practice sessions, was 1.2 tenths of a second clear of fellow Honda racer Alexander Rossi.

Another Honda driver, defending series champion Scott Dixon, rounded out the top three in Friday’s practice sessions. Marco Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais and James Hinchcliffe ran fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. Honda drivers claimed eight of the top ten positions on the day, with Zach Veach running ninth and rookie Felix Rosenqvist, 10th.

Activities continue Saturday at Portland with final practice and qualifying for Sunday’s 105-lap race. Television coverage of the 16th and next-to-last round of the 2019 season begins at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday on NBC.

Colton Herta (Harding Steinbrenner Racing Honda) Fastest in Friday practice: “Great day today for the #88 Capstone Turbine Honda team! We were quickest overall today, so to I’m incredibly happy and really excited about qualifying tomorrow. I love racing at Portland International Raceway, it’s a blast to drive on. So looking forward to tomorrow!”

NTT IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Portland
Circuit: Portland International Raceway (1.9-mile road course) Portland, Oregon
2018 Winner: Takuma Sato (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) 102.971 mph average speed
Weather: Mostly sunny, mild, 76 degrees F