Scott Dixon's Sub-Record Lap Leads Watkins Glen Practice
Defending IndyCar champion Scott Dixon set a lap faster than the track record in leading the field during practice for the 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen.
Scott Dixon was lightning quick on Friday as the defending Verizon IndyCar Series champion led the field in two practice sessions for Sunday’s 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen.
Dixon’s best lap time of 1:22.874 was more than five seconds faster than the track record set by Ryan Briscoe in 2009. He’ll now seek to officially break the record when qualifying for the Watkins Glen race occurs tomorrow.
“The [lap] times have dropped almost six seconds,” Dixon said of the track. “I think we’ll see it well over six seconds [different] by the time we get to the [alternate] red tires in qualifying. I think weather conditions are playing a big part in it, too. So yeah, it’s definitely fast.”
A three-time race winner at Watkins Glen, the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing driver was not the only one to show major speed on Friday. Every single car in the IndyCar field clocked at least one lap faster than Briscoe’s track record.
Here’s the view from Spencer Pigot‘s visor cam:
Current championship leader Simon Pagenaud came eleventh in the combined results, while runner-up Will Power was third quickest, outpaced only by Dixon and his teammate Helio Castroneves.
“Verizon Chevy was fast today,” Power said afterward. “We made a few changes earlier to see if that would help and it definitely did. We’re pretty confident going into tomorrow in qualifying. The track is great here. Weather has been great, which has been a plus for us. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Last week’s race winner Graham Rahal finished seventh on the day, while James Hinchcliffe and Marco Andretti brought up the rear of the field. But if Scott Dixon can post a time anywhere near what he did in practice then the defending champion may be the man to beat.
You can find the complete combined results from Friday’s practice sessions here.
The 2016 Grand Prix at the Glen takes place Sunday, Sep. 4 from Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, NY. The race will be broadcast on NBCSN.
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