Saturday morning held the second practice for the NTT IndyCar Series, and all 27 drivers looked to use the time to get ready for qualifying later in the day.
The weather was considerably warmer at Laguna Seca, even with the session taking place at 10:00 AM.
On account of the warmer temperatures, lap times were down from Friday’s running and drivers were seen sliding all over the 2.24-mile course.
Mastering the conditions best was Colton Herta, who completed a lap in 1:08.2300. The hometown hero was second fastest on Friday, and looks tough to beat early in the weekend.
Will Power set the second best time, a couple tenths of a second behind Herta and just barely quicker than Alex Palou in third.
The fastest runner from Friday Scott McLaughlin was quick again on Saturday, setting the fourth fastest time.
Pato O’Ward was sitting atop the pylon for a portion of the session, but slipped down to fifth as the time wound down.
David Malukas picked up time in his Meyer Shank Racing #66, getting more comfortable with being back behind the wheel after having had to sit out the entire first half of the season.
He placed himself just below Josef Newgarden, who had an uncharacteristically poor run in the morning session.
Christian Rasmussen had the biggest moment of the session, losing control of his #20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy in Turn 10.
He cruised through the gravel and hit the tire barriers hard, damaging the left rear and the left front of his car.
The rookie was seen and released from the medical center, but his car will need a lot of work before qualifying takes place later in the afternoon.
Sting Ray Robb also lost control during the one-hour session, and got stuck in the gravel at the top of the corkscrew. Later, Kyffin Simpson needed assistance after a spin of his own.
The corkscrew was a busy location on Saturday morning, with multiple drivers locking up while coming over the crest.
Most were able to get it gathered up before the 59-foot drop, but a few ran wide and took a trip through the roadside dirt.
Knockout qualifying for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey takes place at 2:15 PM pacific time, and will set the grid for Sunday afternoon’s race.
