Lundqvist, Malukas, Global Racing Group & HMD Motorsports strong in Indy Lights practice

Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports pilot Linus Lundqvist in the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires paddock at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Photo credit: Gavin Baker Photography/Road to Indy

By Steve Wittich

Linus Lundqvist, the 22-year-old Global Racing Group w/HMD pilot, led his career oval event’s lone 45-minute practice session at the World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway.

The Swede was joined in the top three by his Global Racing Group/HMD Motorsports teammates David Malukas and Benjamin Pedersen.

The top seven drivers were within 1.2 mph of leader Lundqvist.

With 15 of the 45-minutes complete, championship contender Malukas was the quickest of the 12 drivers.

Lundqvist, Malukas, Pedersen, Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport), and Devlin DeFrancesco (Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport) all spent time at the top of the timing screens in a session that saw one yellow flag period for a track inspection.

Teams mounted fresh Cooper Tires for their drivers in the final five minutes of the practice, and the pilots all completed qualifying simulations.

On Thursday, the series completed a pair of 60-minute test sessions. DeFrancesco led the first session and his teammate Kirkwood led the second session and the combined timesheet.

The top level of the Road To Indy will be back on track for qualifying at 3 pm.

Qualifying for the twin-bill will consist of two laps. The first lap will set the grid for this evening’s race, while the second lap will set the grid for Saturday’s race.

Results of Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires practice #1