While Andretti Autosport and Ed Carpenter Racing had always intended to test at Barber, the test came as a late schedule addition for Chip Ganassi Racing, Meyer Shank Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing, whose attempts to test on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course last week were thwarted by cold weather.
Despite running Firestone primary tires, Herta’s time in the morning was just one-tenth of a second off Pato O’Ward’s pole time from last year’s race at the 2.366-mile 16-turn venue in Birmingham, AL, set on used Firestone ‘reds’, although four-tenths off the Arrow McLaren SP-Chevy driver’s Q2 time set on fresh alternates.
