Rookie Alex Palou led the only practice session for the INDYCAR Harvest GP presented by GMR on Thursday afternoon on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, pacing a session that featured the top 10 drivers separated by less than one-half second.

Palou’s top lap was 1 minute, 10.1777 seconds, 125.117 mph on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course in the No. 55 Guaranteed Rate Honda fielded by Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh. The Spaniard will look to carry that speed into qualifying for Race 1 of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader at 6:20 p.m. (ET) today, with live coverage on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold.

RESULTS: Practice 1

Live coverage of Race 1 starts at 3:30 p.m. Friday on the USA Network. NBC will televise Race 2 live starting at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Jack Harvey was second quickest in the 75-minute practice session under sunny skies and air temperatures in the low 60s with a top lap of 1:10.2773, 124.939 in the No. 60 AutoNation/SiriusXM Honda. Colton Herta was third at 1:10.3857, 124.747 in the No. 88 Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana Honda.

Series points leader Scott Dixon – winner of the GMR Grand Prix on July 4 on the IMS road course – was fourth at 1:10.4328, 124.664 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon leads reigning series champion Josef Newgarden by 72 points and can clinch his sixth series title this weekend.

Max Chilton rounded out the top five in practice at 1:10.4636, 124.609 in the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet, the quickest Chevy-powered driver.

Newgarden was sixth at 1:10.5307, 124.490 in the No. 1 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet as he tries to keep his title hopes alive.