Rookie Devlin DeFrancesco did a superb job to clock a 179.531mph average in his Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport-Honda to sit top after the first seven cars had run, continuing his fine work from the practice session and last week’s test for the rookies.
Then Takuma Sato of Dale Coyne Racing with RWR-Honda turned a 180.476mph lap followed by a 179.623mph to give him the first average to crack the 180mph barrier, although he admitted he’d had to work hard to contain his car’s handling traits. Teammate David Malukas in the Coyne with HMD car couldn’t match his teammate, nor beat fellow rookie DeFrancesco, but he delivered a solid run to claim third (at the time).
