IndyCar: Josef Newgarden tops second Barber practice session
By Asher Fair
Josef Newgarden topped the second practice session for the fourth race of the 2018 IndyCar season, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
Defending IndyCar champion and defending Barber race winner Josef Newgarden topped the speed chart in the second practice session for the fourth race of the 2018 IndyCar season, the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
Newgarden did so in his #1 Chevrolet for Team Penske by turning a fast lap at 67.4345 seconds (122.786 miles per hour) around the 17-turn, 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road course in Birmingham, Alabama.
Newgarden led a top 2 Chevrolet sweep of the speed chart, although the next fastest Team Penske driver was Will Power in his #12 Chevrolet in 4th place. Finishing in 2nd in the practice session was Spencer Pigot in his #21 Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.
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Sebastien Bourdais was the fastest Honda driver in the practice session in his #18 Honda for Dale Coyne Racing in 3rd place. While Chevrolet drivers took three of the top four spots in the practice session, Honda drivers dominated the majority of the rest of the speed chart. They took all six positions from 5th place to 10th place, and Chevrolet drivers settled for the bottom five positions from 19th place to 23rd place.
The third and final pre-qualifying practice session is set to take place tomorrow at 11:50 am ET. Qualifying is then set to take place at 4:05 pm ET, and it is set to be broadcast live on CNBC starting at 4:00 pm ET. It is also set to air later on Saturday evening on a delay starting at 6:30 pm ET on NBC Sports Network. The race itself is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, April 22nd.
Here are the full practice results for the first practice session for the 2018 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine |
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | #1, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 2 | Spencer Pigot | #21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
| 3 | Sebastien Bourdais | #18, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda |
| 4 | Will Power | #12, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 5 | Alexander Rossi | #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 6 | Scott Dixon | #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda |
| 7 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | #28, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 8 | Takuma Sato | #30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda |
| 9 | Marco Andretti | #98, Andretti Herta Autosport, Honda |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | #15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda |
| 11 | Max Chilton | #59, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet |
| 12 | Zachary Claman DeMelo | #19, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda |
| 13 | Simon Pagenaud | #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet |
| 14 | Zach Veach | #26, Andretti Autosport, Honda |
| 15 | Ed Jones | #10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda |
| 16 | Robert Wickens | #6, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 17 | Jordan King | #20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet |
| 18 | James Hinchcliffe | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda |
| 19 | Charlie Kimball | #23, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet |
| 20 | Tony Kanaan | #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 21 | Matheus Leist | #4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet |
| 22 | Rene Binder | #32, Juncos Racing, Chevrolet |
| 23 | Gabby Chaves | #88, Harding Racing, Chevrolet |
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Be sure to tune in to the live broadcast of the 2018 Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama by watching NBC Sports Network this Sunday, April 22nd at 3:00 pm ET.