Scott Dixon was quickest in the second and final practice session for the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway on Friday afternoon.
The three-time IndyCar Series champion set a fastest lap of 33.083-seconds, clocking an average of 217.629 mph, on his third lap of the 75-minute session. This result mirrors his success at oval courses this season. In May, Dixon earned pole position for the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 and earlier this month he won at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time in his career in dominant fashion.
Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske, third fastest in Friday morning's Practice 1, snagged second on the timesheet from Ed Carpenter after the session was extended for an additional 15-minutes after James Jakes suffered a blown engine. Pagenaud set a fastest time of 33.201-seconds. Carpenter, in his first appearance since a disappointing DNF in Fort Worth, finished the session with the third best time, 0.125-seconds off Dixon’s time.
Takuma Sato was the fastest Honda, at fourth, posting another good result for the manufacturer after Honda earned the top two spots in the opening session in the morning. His fastest average lap speed was 216.337 mph.
Juan Pablo Montoya, who currently leads the Verizon IndyCar Series points standings, was fifth quickest, with a lap of 33.294-seconds.
Marco Andretti, in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport entry, replicated his good performance from the first session, posting the sixth fastest time of the session. Ryan Briscoe, who topped the opening practice, was seventh, with a 33.311-second lap time.
Qualifying for Saturday's MAVTV 500 will begin at just before 8:00 pm ET. Follow @VAVELIndyCar for live tweeting during qualifying.
Pete Liguori is a writer for the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteUSSports.
