Colton Herta had the honor of taking the top spot in the opening practice session for the inaugural Music City Grand Prix.
He lapped the 2.17-mile circuit in 1:16.5875, braving the big bumps and concrete barriers as he got to know each turn.
Scott Dixon ended the day in second, putting in a lap about one-third of a second behind Herta in the closing laps.
The times dropped throughout the session as rubber was laid down on the fresh circuit and drivers’ confidence levels grew.
Romain Grosjean finished third on the timesheets, showing off his late braking skills at the end of the long bridge sections.
Points leader Alex Palou led the charts for some time, but ended up down in sixth as others set fast laps in the closing minutes.
Tricky Track
The bumpy track caught a few drivers out as they wound their way thought the tight city streets.
Pato O’Ward was the drivers that brought out the first red flag of the session when he clipped the inside wall of turn 3.
The Arrow McLaren SP car suffered a broken front suspension, but O’Ward was able to climb from the car unaided.
Conor Daly was the reason for the second red flag at the end of the session, losing control while slowing down for turn 9 at the end of the longest straight on the course.
Fortunately, there were tire barriers at the impact point, but the Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy will still need quite a few repairs overnight.
Unique setting
With cars racing through the streets of downtown Nashville for the first time, Friday’s practice completed the vision set out by the promotors.
Iconic skyscrapers in the background and the Nissan stadium overlooking the finish line brought an air of importance and showed there is no other circuit quite like it.
Two trips over a bridge with a terrifyingly tight section in between further added to the uniqueness of the venue.
Multiple music stages will entertain fans each evening after the track sessions are over, making a complete experience for attendees of the inaugural event.
Drivers will get one more practice session on Saturday before the all-important Fast-6 knockout qualifying at 16:30 Eastern Time.
