IndyCar: Graham Rahal tops no-tow speed chart in first 2019 Gateway practice

By Asher Fair | Aug 23, 2019

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - JUNE 06: Graham Rahal of the United States, driver of the #15 Fleet Cost & Care Honda, drives during practice for the NTT IndyCar Series DXC - Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 06, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

Graham Rahal topped the no-tow speed chart in the lone pre-qualifying practice session for the 2019 IndyCar season’s fifth and final oval race, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Just 14 of the 22 drivers entered for the 15th overall race and the fifth and final oval race on the 17-race 2019 IndyCar schedule, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway completed a lap without a tow in the lone pre-qualifying practice session for this race.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal was the fastest of these 14 drivers on this particular speed chart.

Rahal topped the no-tow speed chart in this practice session for this 248-lap race around the four-turn, 1.25-mile (2.012-kilometer) World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway oval in Madison, Illinois by recording a top lap time of 24.7351 seconds (181.9277 miles per hour) in his #15 Honda without a tow.

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He led a top three Honda sweep on the no-tow speed chart that also involved teammate Takuma Sato, who finished in third place in his #30 Honda. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finished in second in his #9 Honda.

Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud and A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Tony Kanaan were the fastest Chevrolet drivers without a tow in this practice session. They finished in fourth and fifth place in their #22 Chevrolet and #14 Chevrolet, respectively. Dale Coyne Racing rookie Santino Ferrucci, who topped the overall speed chart in this practice session, finished in sixth in his #19 Honda.

Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi finished in seventh and ninth place in their #28 Honda and #27 Honda, respectively, and were split by A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Matheus Leist in eighth in his #4 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing rookie Felix Rosenqvist rounded out the top 10 by finishing in 10th in his #10 Honda.

Here are the full no-tow practice results of the opening practice session for the 2019 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Practice Results
1st – Graham Rahal
2nd – Scott Dixon
3rd – Takuma Sato
4th – Simon Pagenaud
5th – Tony Kanaan
6th – Santino Ferrucci
7th – Ryan Hunter-Reay
8th – Matheus Leist
9th – Alexander Rossi
10th – Felix Rosenqvist
11th – Ed Carpenter
12th – Marco Andretti
13th – Charlie Kimball
14th – Josef Newgarden

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Next up for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 is the qualifying session for the 2019 IndyCar season’s 15th race. This session is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. The second and final practice session for this race is then set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Gold beginning at 9:15 p.m. ET.

The race itself is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET tomorrow evening, and the green flag is set to wave shortly thereafter at 8:45 p.m. ET.