Cars take the track for practice at the Thermal Club ahead of the inaugural INDYCAR Grand Prix

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) The cars took the track for practice one ahead of Saturday's qualifiers.

Practices are meant to familiarize the drivers with the track, test and fix car setups, and gather data for future adjustments.

This will be an intense race as drivers will drive 65 laps and face 17 total turns on an over three-mile track with tight corners, long straightaways, and elevation changes. On top of that, the driver and car itself will also have to battle through the heat.

In practice one, the number one ranked driver, Alex Palou, had the fastest time and beat out Kyle Kirkwood by less than a second.

Qualifications will start tomorrow at 2 PM, and Sunday is the big race, which will start at noon.

Be sure to stay with us here at News Channel 3 for continuing coverage of the 2025 The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix.