AUSTIN, TX – For the first “official” time in the track’s seven year history, the NTT IndyCar Series took to the 3.427-mile Circuit of the Americas on Friday for not one, but two practice sessions around the Texas road course.

Yes, the series took to the 20 turn facility back in February too, but those times weren’t official laps in being they took place in test sessions. Plus, with preseason testing, how much could we really take away from it anyways.

On Friday though, it showed that Team Penske is still the team to beat and that the usual suspects will once again be on top. Two weeks ago in the season opener on the streets of St. Pete, Team Penske swept the front row in dominating fashion. In the race itself, Penske and Ganassi took the top four finishing positions and had five of the top seven overall spots overall.

In the two practice sessions from a sunny day in Austin, Penske drivers led the way.

St. Pete winner Josef Newgarden topped the timing charts in the first session with a lap of 1:48.6567-seconds in his No. 2 Chevrolet. His teammates were also found near him as well with Simon Pagenaud being P7 and Will Power P8.

In the second and final session of the day, it was Power’s turn to the top. The St. Pete pole sitter circled the track with a time of 1:47.4401-seconds in his No. 12 Chevrolet. Once again, the other two were up front with Pagenaud being seventh for the second time of the day and Newgarden ninth.

They have to be the team to beat for the pole.

Chip Ganassi Racing is too. Felix Rosenqvist was second quick in the second session with a lap of 1:47.6150-seconds in his No. 10 Honda. The Swedish rookie was sixth overall in the first session. His teammate Scott Dixon was ninth and 16th fastest respectively.

Andretti Autosport was fast again. Alexander Rossi was P3 in both sessions while Ryan Hunter-Reay was fourth in each of the two practices in his No. 28 Honda. Zach Veach gave Andretti three cars in the top six in bringing his No. 26 Honda home sixth in the final hour of the day.

Ed Jones rounded out the top five in the second practice with a lap of 1:48.1597-seconds in his No. 20 Chevrolet. Jones, was recently cleared by IndyCar doctors following a broken bone in his hand after a crash in the season opener in St. Pete.

Rookie Colton Herta turned the second fastest lap in the first session (1:48.7939-seconds) but his engine blew near the midway mark and prompted a 15 minute red flag for clean up. He didn’t turn a lap in the second session as his car was still being worked on.