{"id":203719,"date":"2026-03-13T23:05:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T23:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/203719\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T23:05:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T23:05:16","slug":"mclaughlin-fastest-in-practice-1-for-java-house-gp-of-arlington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/203719\/","title":{"rendered":"McLaughlin Fastest in Practice 1 For Java House GP of Arlington"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicked off its inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Friday, as Scott McLaughlin laid down the fastest lap in the first practice session on the brand-new 1.73-mile temporary street course in Arlington, Texas.<\/p>\n

The New Zealand star, piloting his No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, clocked a blistering 1:34.8926 to edge out the field and set an early benchmark on the challenging 14-turn layout. McLaughlin\u2019s time showcased the Kiwi\u2019s trademark precision and aggression.<\/p>\n

Right on his heels was championship contender Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, who posted a strong 1:34.9513\u2014just 0.0587 seconds apart\u2014to claim second. The defending series champ looked comfortable and quick, hinting at another strong weekend for the Ganassi squad.<\/p>\n

Will Power rounded out the top three with a time of 1:35.3051 in the No. 26 TWG AI Andretti Global entry. The Australian veteran, known for his street-course mastery, was only 0.4125 off the pace despite the unfamiliar track.<\/p>\n

Pato O\u2019Ward, in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, slotted into fourth with a 1:35.3641, showing solid early pace from the papaya squad.\u00a0 At the same time, Felix Rosenqvist completed the top five in the No. 60 SiriusXM\/Texas A&M Meyer Shank Racing entry with a 1:35.6274.<\/p>\n

The session marked the first on-track action for the full field on this brand-new circuit\u2014built around the Arlington Entertainment District with long straights, tight hairpins, and high-speed sections that promise dramatic passing and potential chaos on race day.<\/p>\n

Drivers hit the track for the first time, dialing in setups, learning bumps and surface changes, and building confidence lap by lap.\u00a0 Contrary to any early skepticism, the feedback from the paddock has been overwhelmingly positive.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Graham Rahal talks with media at\u00a0 2026 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Austin, TX
Photo courtesy IMS Photo by Travis Hinkle<\/p>\n

Veterans and rising stars alike are calling this one of the best street courses IndyCar has seen in years.\u00a0 Graham Rahal praised the event: \u201cThis is as top-tier as we\u2019ll ever get.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s beautiful,\u201d said Andretti Global\u2019s Kyle Kirkwood. \u201cI think this is one of the best track builds I\u2019ve ever seen for IndyCar.\u00a0 This is what IndyCar racing should look like\u201d.<\/p>\n

Scott Dixon echoed the sentiment, describing it as \u201cthe new standard\u201d for how street races should be activated and presented.<\/p>\n

With a long straight leading into a sharp 90-degree turn, high-commitment corners, and an electric atmosphere around AT&T Stadium, the circuit is already living up to the hype as both a fan spectacle and a true driver\u2019s track.<\/p>\n

Practice 2 hits the streets Saturday morning, followed by qualifying\u2014where a special Fast Six format tweak could shake up the grid even more. The stage is set for an unforgettable debut weekend in Arlington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicked off its inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington on Friday, as Scott…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203720,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151],"class_list":["post-203719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}