New Road America surface ‘like a dance floor’ as IndyCar drivers put down blistering laps

A Road America repaving has records poised to fall in the NTT IndyCar Series this weekend.

Alexander Rossi, who won the pole position last year at the track in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, turned the fastest lap in Friday’s opening practice and then confidently predicted even more blistering speed in qualifying.

“There’s more potential from the car and the tire, so you have to have probably a higher level of commitment than you did last year,” Rossi said after his No. 7 Dallara-Chevrolet toured the 14-turn, 4.014-mile road course in 1 minute, 41.7790 seconds. “It wasn’t a very clean run or laps by me, so I think there’s certainly quite a bit more in it, which is a good sign.”

INDYCAR AT ROAD AMERICA: How to watch, weekend schedule, entry lists

PRACTICE RESULTS: Speeds and times from the first session

The track qualifying record of 1:39.866 was set Aug. 19, 2000 by Dario Franchitti.

“We can do that,” said Rossi, whose top qualifying time last year was a comparatively slow lap of 1:44.8656.

All 27 drivers were at least 1.4 seconds faster than the 2022 pole position in practice Friday, taking advantage of fresh asphalt that had maximum grip.

“They did a good job,” Felix Rosenqvist, Rossi’s Arrow McLaren teammate who was eighth fastest, told NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee. “It’s super smooth. It’s like a dance floor out there. It seems like every lap you’re getting more and more grip.”

David Malukas (1:41.8652) was second fastest, followed by points leader Alex Palou (1:41.9486), Scott Dixon (1:41.9544) and Pato O’Ward (1:41.9778).

‘@AlexanderRossi was fastest in opening practice at @roadamerica.@malukasdavid was second. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/VhqW88PqzZ

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) June 16, 2023

Malukas’ No. 18 Dallara-Honda was