PORTLAND, Ore. -- Harding Steinbrenner Racing rookie Colton Herta backed up his field-setting speed from Friday with another fast lap in today's morning practice at Portland International Raceway.
The driver of the No. 88 Capstone Turbine Honda led the 23-car Grand Prix of Portland field with a lap of 57.9939 seconds. Next up is NTT P1 Award qualifying at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. local) on NBCSN.
OFFICIAL RESULTS: Today's practice times / Qualifying Groups
In June, Herta became the youngest pole winner in NTT IndyCar Series history when he was fastest in qualifying at Road America.
Herta indicated there is even more speed in the car.
"We're not completely there yet," he said of maximizing performance. "I think Turn 2 and Turn 7 we have some really bad handling issues. But the car everywhere else is so amazing we can kind of make up for it."
Series points leader Josef Newgarden of Team Penske (No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet) was second in the 45-minute practice with a lap of 58.1022 seconds. This permanent road course is 12 turns and 1.964 miles in distance.
Team Penske's Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet), who was third at 58.1732 seconds, won the pole for last year's race. Power ranks second in INDYCAR history with 57 poles. Mario Andretti holds the record with 67. Power's lap time a year ago was 57.3467 seconds (123.191 mph).
Following today's practice, NTT IndyCar Series drivers and their teams lined pit road for a moment of silence for Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert, who succumbed to injuries suffered today in a crash at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.
"I think we're all driving with heavy hearts this weekend," Herta said. "Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Sunday's action includes live race coverage on NBC begins at 3 p.m. ET (noon PT local) with the green flag at approximately 3:45 p.m. Live radio broadcasts will be available on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM 205, Sirius 98, Internet/App 970).