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IndyCar: Dario Franchitti sets fastest lap of opening day in NH

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Khatir Soltani
Dario Franchitti has set the fastest lap of the opening day of practice at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Thursday.

His fastest lap of 21.5665 seconds was getting quite close to the 21.466 seconds record at the Speedway by Andre Ribeiro on August 19, 1995. It is not unlikely that a new record will be set in the upcoming days.

The top-10 of this first day was separated by less than four-tenths of a second with Scott Dixon (21.6204; 170.672) second ahead of Graham Rahal (21.6644) in third.

KV Racing Technology-Lotus teammates Tony Kanaan (21.7368), Takuma Sato (21.7713) and E.J. Viso (21.7743) completed the top-6 as the series return to New Hampshire for the first time since 1998.

Other things to look for this weekend: it will be Team Penske’s 1,300 starts in open-wheel racing and a 200th career IndyCar start for Helio Castroneves at Penske.

Tony Kanaan (Photo: NHMS/HHP)


Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada