{"id":24671,"date":"2026-08-22T20:53:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T20:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24671"},"modified":"2026-08-22T20:53:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T20:53:32","slug":"alex-palou-tops-final-freedom-250-grand-prix-practice-session-that-had-multiple-red-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24671","title":{"rendered":"Alex Palou tops final Freedom 250 Grand Prix practice session that had multiple red flags"},"content":{"rendered":"


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While the first practice session gave teams a chance to try out the wet tires, the second practice session started with a nice dry track, just hours before qualifying.<\/p>\n

And while more than a few drivers had moments earlier in the day, the first major moment of the weekend came when Graham Rahal’s No. 15 Honda brought out a red flag.<\/p>\n

As the veteran approached a braking zone, the rear of his car stepped out and hit the wall, which ultimately left him stranded in the run-off area just ten minutes into the session.<\/p>\n

START YOUR ENGINES: HERE IS YOUR CRASH COURSE ON THE INDYCAR FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX WEEKEND<\/strong><\/p>\n

That unfortunately cost Rahal some valuable track time before qualifying gets underway.<\/p>\n

The lap times really ramped up in the second practice session thanks to the dry track, but also drivers getting more familiar with the deceptively tricky seven-turn street circuit.<\/p>\n

HERE ARE 5 DRIVERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON AS INDYCAR HITS THE STREETS OF WASHINGTON FOR FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX<\/strong><\/p>\n

The same part of the track \u2014 the braking zone into Turn 6 \u2014 also caught out Rahal’s RLL teammate Louis Foster.<\/p>\n

He lost control of his car after hitting a bump on the track surface that sent him into the inside wall, damaging his front wing, and bringing out the second red flag of the session.<\/p>\n

However, unlike Rahal, Foster managed to get his car to the pits after the entire nose had been removed, allowing the team to take a look at his car and get him back on track.<\/p>\n

That bump into Turn 6 is going to be something that drivers will really be paying attention to in both qualifying and the race on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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\"Alex<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
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Alex Palou topped the timesheet in the final practice session before the Freedom 250 Grand Prix qualifying.<\/span> (Photo by Chris duMond\/Lumen via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Team Penske saved their best for last, sending Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Chevrolet late in the “all-skate” session to drop the fastest lap of the day to that point, a 56.895 on the primary tire.<\/p>\n

DRIVERS JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND KYLE KIRKWOOD TALK INDYCAR’S ‘ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME’ FREEDOM 250 GRAND PRIX<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the next part of practice, it was time for some drivers to start throwing on the faster, alternate tires, giving us a taste of their single-lap qualifying pace.<\/p>\n

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\"Kyle<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
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Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood continued his strong form, finishing the session in P2, but did so on the primary tire.<\/span> ((Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images))<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After both groups took to the track, it was Alex Palou leading the way with a 56.615 on brand new red alternate tires, while right behind him was Kyle Kirkwood, whose fastest lap of the session was a 56.691 on the primary.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

It looks like Kirkwood, known to be one of the series’ street aces, might have a little pace left in that car, but how qualifying shakes out will be anyone’s guess.<\/p>\n

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Matthew Reigle is a writer for OutKick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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