Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
Josef Newgarden set the pace in opening practice for the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader, yet championship contender Álex Palou heads into the weekend with a grid penalty despite posting the third-quickest time.
Josef Newgarden topped opening practice at the Milwaukee Mile doubleheader on Saturday with a time of 00:22.9191, narrowly ahead of Dennis Hauger from Dale Coyne Racing and points leader Álex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. On the 1.015-mile oval in West Allis, Wisconsin, the opening hour focused on gaining comfort in traffic before qualifying for the Snap-on Makers and Fixers 250 took place in the afternoon.
Penske Out Front, But Questions Linger in the Field
Newgarden's best lap confirmed early that Team Penske is competitive on mile ovals. David Malukas brought the second Penske car home fourth, just three-hundredths behind Palou. Scott McLaughlin, however, could manage only 12th, roughly three-tenths off Newgarden's pace.
The field bunched up tightly behind. Rinus VeeKay placed the Juncos Hollinger entry fifth, Alexander Rossi brought the ECR car to sixth, both within two-tenths of the top time. On a tight oval like Milwaukee, where pack racing and drafting through the corners decide tenths, that suggests qualifying later in the day could get crowded.
Palou Runs Up Front, But the Starting Grid Tells a Different Story
Under normal circumstances, Palou's 00:22.9971 for third place would be the headline. But the championship picture complicates matters: INDYCAR handed nine-position grid penalties to five cars for unapproved engine changes, affecting Palou alongside McLaughlin, Malukas, and both Juncos Hollinger entries of VeeKay and Sting Ray Robb. That means Palou's strong practice time is essentially irrelevant for the first race's starting lineup.
Palou's championship position remains comfortable. He holds a 91-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood and could clinch the title on Saturday itself if he extends his margin to at least 108 points, perhaps through a victory combined with a poor Kirkwood result. If not, Palou needs just 71 points from both Milwaukee races to secure the title regardless of the rest of the field. The penalty merely delays the inevitable, not the trajectory of the weekend.
Early Caution After Siegel's Wall Excursion in Turn Two
Nolan Siegel brought the only real interruption to opening practice. The Arrow McLaren driver ran out of grip in Turn Two, lost the rear, and collected the wall. Siegel walked away unhurt, though his 00:41.7740 lap time for 25th shows how badly the incident derailed his session. The caution briefly disrupted the rhythm throughout the field, a preview of how quickly things can change on a short oval like Milwaukee.
A curious incident between Kyle Kirkwood and Christian Rasmussen near the pit road exit added extra talking points when contact occurred between the two cars. Kirkwood, under particular pressure as Palou's closest championship rival, still managed eighth place in the end, keeping him firmly in contention. With qualifying and a potential title shootout ahead, Milwaukee shapes up as a weekend where penalties scramble the starting order while the underlying pace from first practice suggests Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti should still be scrapping for the front rows this afternoon.
